a drink, a brandy but tea

[PINKGREAT]

Why the article with tea is absent?

[BobK]

Both a and no article are acceptable with either 'tea' or coffee', because both those words are either U or C. The noun 'drink' is countable in this context - you can't say *Would you like drink , except in very rare contexts.

b

[PINKGREAT]

Thank you very very much

[PINKGREAT]

And what about a remark by Somerset Maugham "the man with the scar"?

-What will you have, general?
- A brandy.

Would he just use 'brandy' without the article or can I still reffer to it as to an uncountable noun? So, can it be like that with 'tea'?

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by PINKGREAT

And what about a remark by Somerset Maugham "the man with the scar"?

-What will you have, general?
- A brandy.

Would he just use 'brandy' without the article or can I still reffer to it as to an uncountable noun? So, can it be like that with 'tea'?

With or without the article will work. A brandy = a serving, glass of brandy.
For may people, a tea or a coffee = a serving or a cup.

[BobK]

Originally Posted by PINKGREAT

And what about a remark by Somerset Maugham "the man with the scar"?
-What will you have, general?
- A brandy.
Would he just use 'brandy' without the article or can I still reffer to it as to an uncountable noun? So, can it be like that with 'tea'?

With apologies to Somerset Maugham, I'll adjust the example a bit:

(The cocktail cabinet is shut:)

What will you have, general?
A brandy.

But consider this context:

(It has already been established that the general will have a drink of some kind. The host has a bottle of whisky in one hand and brandy in the other)

What will you have, general?
Brandy.

b

[PINKGREAT]

So, do you mean by that that we are talking about a concrete brandy, bottle of...? But the 'the man with the scar' hero is at the bar at the moment of speaking. Please, excuse me for my misunderstooding.

[BobK]

Originally Posted by PINKGREAT

So, do you mean by that that we are talking about a concrete brandy, bottle of...? But the 'the man with the scar' hero is at the bar at the moment of speaking. Please, excuse me for my misunderstooding.

I was - and I hope I made the liberty I was taking with Somerset Maugham clear - adapting the context. If the hero was at a bar, he would normally (in BE) say 'a Brandy'; I think Mike said, in an earlier post, just 'Brandy' would do in some contexts in AmE.

But if a man had gone into the bar and just said 'Get me a drink - something strong', and the barman said 'Whisky? Brandy? Gin?...' - then the answer would be 'Brandy'.

b

[PINKGREAT]

Thank you very much.

[BobK]

Originally Posted by PINKGREAT

Thank you very much.

You're welcome

I've just thought, your doubt about tea as against other drinks could be due to the use of 'tea' to express time: 'time for tea' is more likely than 'time for brandy'.

b