There is always a choice (countability and article usage).

[Alexey86]

The Oxford Dictionary provides four meanings of "choice" (https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/choice_1):

1.[countable] an act of choosing between two or more possibilities; something that you can choose
2.[uncountable, singular] the right to choose; the possibility of choosing
3.[countable] a person or thing that is chosen
4.[singular, uncountable] the number or range of different things from which to choose

Suppose someone complains, "I want to give up smoking, but I can't", to which the other replies, "There's always a choice." I think the second meaning best suits this context, but I still have to use "a". Actually, I couldn't find a single example of this phrase without "a". What is the logic behind that?

What is the correct variant, "You always have a right to choose/possibility of choosing," or "You always have the right to choose/possibility of choosing"? If both are possible, what is the difference in meaning?

 

[teechar]

Suppose someone complains, "I want to give up smoking, but I can't", to which the other replies, "There's always a choice."

That reply would not be considered natural in English.
What exactly are you trying to work out? Can you give us a different example?

 

[Alexey86]

What exactly are you trying to work out?

Why is "a" used in this phrase in all contexts, even when we mean someone's right or ability to choose, and "choice" conveys an uncountable meaning?

Can you give us a different example?

I've found an article about dealing with eating problems entitled "There is always a choice" (https://emilyfonnesbeck.com/there-is-always-a-choice/). It includes the following sentence, "There is a fundamental truth that I feel and know deep in my soul and it’s this: there is ALWAYS a choice." As a see it, "choice" here means the ability to choose.

 

[Tarheel]

It doesn't mean the ability to choose. It means there are possibilities.

 

[Alexey86]

It means there are possibilities.

Doesn't it fall under the fourth definition, "the number or range of different things from which to choose"?

 

[jutfrank]

Okay.

First, I agree with teechar that there's always a choice (in your first example, at least) is not the best use of English to illuminate this for you.

Second, yes, the fourth definition is the closest fit. In your 'smoking' example (which I assume you made up yourself), the range of options is limited to two: either giving up or not giving up.

 

[teechar]

Why is "a" used in this phrase in all contexts, even when we mean someone's right or ability to choose, and "choice" conveys an uncountable meaning?

Look under entry 1.1 in the link below, and you'll see that what you're saying is not always the case.

https://www.lexico.com/definition/choice

 

[Alexey86]

jutfrank said,
yes, the fourth definition is the closest fit. In your 'smoking' example (which I assume you made up yourself), the range of options is limited to two: either giving up or not giving up.

According to the dictionary, this meaning is also uncountable, but there is no such option like "There is always choice"

the range of options is limited to two.

Is it important? I mean if there were many options, we would still use "a".

teechar said,
Look under entry 1.1 in the link below, and you'll see that what you're saying is not always the case.

I'm only talking about the phrase "There is always a choice". I don't see it in the entry.

 

[jutfrank]

According to the dictionary, this meaning is also uncountable, but there is no such option like "There is always choice"

Only the version with the article is possible in your example phrase. The article is needed because the idea is that there is a specific instance of choosing. The uncountable noun (i.e. with a zero article) can be used to express the general, more abstract idea of choosing. This is true of all uncountable nouns, not just choice. The lack of determiner has the effect of referring to a more abstracted way of thinking about things.

Is it important? I mean if there were many options, we would still use "a".

It doesn't matter how many options there are in the range, as long as there are at least two, of course.

 

[Alexey86]

The lack of determiner has the effect of referring to a more abstracted way of thinking about things.

Do you mean "There is always a choice" can't be used for conveying an uncountable meaning? What do you think of this example?

"You think that everything in our life is predetermined, but I believe there is always a choice."

Isn't it abstract enough?

 

[jutfrank]

1) Yes. By definition, the fact that the noun phrase includes an indefinite article means that is countable.

2) Abstract enough for what? The use of an article shows that the speaker is thinking of a particular act of choosing. Yes, that is abstract, but not as much as it would be without the article.

Get rid of the idea of an 'uncountable meaning'. The notion of countability is really a grammatical, not a semantic one. I suggest you think about article usage as revealing how we can think about things in varying degrees of specificity. A zero article carries the lowest degree of specificity of the thing signified by its noun phrase, an indefinite article a higher degree, and a definite article a still higher degree. Other determiner phrases carry still higher degrees of specificity.

 

[Alexey86]

The use of an article shows that the speaker is thinking of a particular act of choosing.

You mean "there is always a choice" here = "you can always make a choice"? Why not "you have a range of possibilities"?

Can I say, "you have choice," meaning "you have the possibility of choosing/right to choose"?

Get rid of the idea of an 'uncountable meaning'.

It's not easy, since dictionaries provide the count/non-count disctinction which I often rely on.

 

[Tarheel]

You mean "there is always a choice" here = "you can always make a choice"? Why not "you have a range of possibilities"?

Can I say, "you have a choice," meaning "you have the possibility of choosing/right to choose"?

You can say:

You have a choice

Or:

You have choices.

 

[teechar]

Can I say, "you have choice,"

No. Unfortunately, that's not natural.

It's not easy, since dictionaries provide the count/non-count distinction which I often rely on.

I totally sympathize, but I don't think you should worry too much about that sort of thing. The key is to read as much as you can and acquire knowledge of English that way instead of looking up and trying to memorize dictionary sentences out of context.

 

[Alexey86]

No. Unfortunately, that's not natural.

What about the "have free choice" vs "have a free choice" distinction? I've noticed "a free choice" is often followed by prepositional phrases that make it specific, "a free choice in/of/about something." But I've also found bare examples (https://fraze.it/n_search.jsp?q=have+a+free+choice&l=0&t=0&ffo=false&findid=-1&ff=):

Why do people still feel like they have a free choice?
He does not bring up the fact that those people are told what job they can have and they do not have a free choice.

Will there be any difference in meaning if I omit the article?

 

[jutfrank]

Will there be any difference in meaning if I omit the article?

Yes. I've already explained this.

I think you should forget about these distracting examples and focus on clarifying the fundamental distinctions in meaning apropos article usage.

 

[Alexey86]

Yes. I've already explained this.

You have free choice. = You have the ability/possibility to choose freely as a human being.
You have a free choice. = You have the possibility/right to choose something freely in a particular situation.

Is this correct?

 

[jutfrank]

That's basically right, yes.

 

[Alexey86]

That's basically right, yes.

And "You have a choice" can convey either of these meanings depending on the context. Is this correct?

 

[jutfrank]

And "You have a choice" can convey either of these meanings depending on the context. Is this correct?

No, not really. Only the second. Thus the article. Haven't I already explained this?

Note that neither of those sentences sounds very natural anyway. Avoid saying free choice entirely. What other kind of choice is there?