class or a class

[Little Girl]

Hi, I'm a teacher and have classes throughout the day. If someone calls me in the middle of a session, should I say I am in class/in a class?

Similarly, Given the scenario, if I have to inform someone I have a session starting soon, should I say "I have a class/I have class"?

Nam

 

[Yankee]

Hi, I'm a teacher and have classes throughout the day. If someone calls me in the middle of a session, should I say I am in class/in a class?

Similarly, Given the scenario, if I have to inform someone I have a session starting soon, should I say "I have a class/I have class"?

Nam

In your first example "in class" would be more commonly used. (AmE)

In you second example, either one would be common but depending on the conversation/context, adding when the class would begin. e.g "...….in ten minutes".

 

[Tarheel]

If anybody ever calls you during class you should not answer the phone.

:-|

 

[Phaedrus]

Similarly, Given the scenario, if I have to inform someone I have a session starting soon, should I say "I have a class/I have class"?

"I have class."

or

"I have a class to teach."

(P.S. Outside context, the sentence "I have class" would be ambiguous. It could mean that you are elegantly stylish. Cf.: "I have a lot of class." )

 

[Phaedrus]

This speaker of BrE would say only "I have a class (in ten minutes)".

Out of curiosity, would a BrE speaker say "I'm on my way to a class" if he were a student in the class or the teacher of the class?

 

[Rover_KE]

I think most of us would say 'lesson' rather than 'class'.

***

Little Girl, if someone calls you during a lesson you must have forgotten to switch your phone off.

 

[jutfrank]

Out of curiosity, would a BrE speaker say "I'm on my way to a class" if he were a student in the class or the teacher of the class?

It's unlikely, but it does depend on context. There could be contexts in which the the article is useful, (depending on, say, the knowledge of the listener), but I assume that the listener on the other end of the phone line is aware that the speaker is a teacher who is currently at work, and so to class is very likely.

 

[jutfrank]

I think most of us would say 'lesson' rather than 'class'.

This has happened to me once or twice. If the listener knows full well that I am a teacher (for example if it's my partner), I'd say:

I'm in class.

But if it's, say, somebody I don't know, I wouldn't say I'm in class, because they don't know I'm a teacher. I'd probably say:

I'm a teacher, and I'm in the middle of a lesson right now.

 

[Little Girl]

Wow, I have so many answers, and I'm only more confused now! I don't understand why it should not be more appropriate to say "I'm in a class" and "I have a class" when I have many classes, and the listener doesn't know what class I'm teaching while talking.

 

[Phaedrus]

Wow, I have so many answers, and I'm only more confused now! I don't understand why it should not be more appropriate to say "I'm in a class" and "I have a class" when I have many classes, and the listener doesn't know what class I'm teaching while talking.

In "I have class" (in the relevant sense), "class" isn't functioning as a count noun. The usage is grammatically parallel to "I have school," "I have work," "I have church," "I have band practice," etc.

 

[jutfrank]

I don't understand why it should not be more appropriate to say "I'm in a class" and "I have a class" when I have many classes, and the listener doesn't know what class I'm teaching while talking.

It's irrelevant how many classes you have and what you teach, because as Phaedrus says, when you don't use an indefinite article, it's because you're not thinking of a specific class as distinct from other classes, you're thinking of the general idea of 'class' in the uncountable sense.

 

[Little Girl]

In "I have class" (in the relevant sense), "class" isn't functioning as a count noun. The usage is grammatically parallel to "I have school," "I have work," "I have church," "I have band practice," etc.

But then school, work, church and band practice all refer to one place/job/activity/practice. On the other hand, there could be more than one class. So why can I not say I have a class when I am talking about only one class, because when I have more than one, I say "I have classes back to back". We can't do this with any of the other options.

 

[Little Girl]

It's irrelevant how many classes you have and what you teach, because as Phaedrus says, when you don't use an indefinite article, it's because you're not thinking of a specific class as distinct from other classes, you're thinking of the general idea of 'class' in the uncountable sense.

So what I get is it's correct either way, with and without the indefinite article, but it's more common and natural to skip it even if I teach different subjects or when I am referring to the only lesson I have on a certain day. Correct?

 

[Tarheel]

Little Girl, do you think everybody who has responded is wrong?

:shock:

 

[Little Girl]

Little Girl, do you think everybody who has responded is wrong?

:shock:

Of course not! i just don't think I am fully clear yet. I appreciate and value everyone's answer.

 

[jutfrank]

why can I not say I have a class when I am talking about only one class

It could be correct to say that, given the right context. Nobody has said you can't say that.

So what I get is it's correct either way, with and without the indefinite article, but it's more common and natural to skip it even if I teach different subjects or when I am referring to the only lesson I have on a certain day. Correct?

Are you talking about I have class versus I have a class? Both ways could be correct, but it doesn't mean you can use either. It means that there may be a reason why you would need to use the article to create a countable noun, and there may be a reason not to use the article, to create an uncountable noun. Which one to use depends on context.

I understand the English article system is a very tricky thing to understand. If you can provide a clear context of use, I'll try to tell you which one is better and why.

 

[Tarheel]

Surely you didn't argue so much with your teachers when they told you something. Remember that the people here know what they're talking about. Also, you used a poor example. No teacher worthy of the name would answer the phone while she was teaching a class. As for the difference between class and a class, you have already gotten your answers to that question. You just choose to argue about those answers.

:roll:

 

[Little Girl]

It could be correct to say that, given the right context. Nobody has said you can't say that.



Are you talking about I have class versus I have a class? Both ways could be correct, but it doesn't mean you can use either. It means that there may be a reason why you would need to use the article to create a countable noun, and there may be a reason not to use the article, to create an uncountable noun. Which one to use depends on context.

I understand the English article system is a very tricky thing to understand. If you can provide a clear context of use, I'll try to tell you which one is better and why.

I see. Maybe a few examples of when we can treat "class" as a count noun and when not would help me understand the difference better.

 

[Little Girl]

Surely you didn't argue so much with your teachers when they told you something. Remember that the people here know what they're talking about. Also, you used a poor example. No teacher worthy of the name would answer the phone while she was teaching a class. As for the difference between class and a class, you have already gotten your answers to that question. You just choose to argue about those answers.

:roll:

Well, just so you know, I would keep asking questions until I was crystal clear. You can't call a student's habit of questioning arguing, can you?

 

[Tarheel]

I see. Maybe a few examples of when we can treat "class" as a count noun and when not would help me understand the difference better.

It depends on what you mean when you use the word. In the sentence 'She has class" the word "class" is not a count noun. In the sentence "They have classes there every Wednesday" it is a count noun.