Would you like tea?

[mrmvp]

My understanding of uncountable nouns is that you can't use articles with them such as I would like a tea, a milk ,or a rice , but you can say a cup of tea. Are the following sentences correct?

1-Would you like to drink coffee ? No articles
2- Would you like to drink some tea?
3- Would you like rice and a fried chicken?

 

[5jj]

My understanding of uncountable nouns is that you can't use articles with them such as I would like a tea,

You can say 'I would like a tea', meaning 'a/one cup of tea'.

1-Would you like to drink coffee ? No articles
2- Would you like to drink some tea?

Neither of these is natural with 'drink'. We'd be more likely to ask 'Would you like (some) coffee/tea?'

3- Would you like rice and a fried chicken?

Delete 'a'.

 

[mrmvp]

You can say 'I would like a tea', meaning 'a/one cup of tea'.

Neither of these is natural with 'drink'. We'd be more likely to ask 'Would you like (some) coffee/tea?'

Delete 'a'.

Thank you teacher.

May I ask you Is 'I would like a tea" grammatical?

Why do I have to delete the article "a" although the noun chicken can be singular? "a fried chicken" means one chicken.

Thanks again.

 

[5jj]

May I ask you Is 'I would like a tea" grammatical?

Yes.

Why do I have to delete the article "a" although the noun chicken can be singular? "a fried chicken" means one chicken.

You don't have a whole chicken when you have fried chicken.

 

[Barque]

"a fried chicken" means one chicken.

You could possibly use "fried chicken" countably if you were referring to an order in a restaurant and wanted to specify how many you'd ordered. But you'd normally say it without an article.

May I ask you if Is 'I would like a tea" is grammatical?

Or more simply: Is "I would like a tea" grammatical?

Yes, and you'll hear it in some situations, like in a restaurant, again. Coffee for the three of them please. And I would like a tea.

 

[teechar]

You could possibly use "fried chicken" countably if you were referring to an order in a restaurant and wanted to specify how many you'd ordered.

That is incorrect. Did you read 5jj's reply above?
What do you mean by "how many you'd ordered"?

 

[Tarheel]

Here in the South they say, "Do you want some sweet tea?"

 

[Barque]

You could possibly use "fried chicken" countably if you were referring to an order in a restaurant and wanted to specify how many you'd ordered. But you'd normally say it without an article.

We ordered three pork chops and two fried chickens. You've given us two pork chops and three fried chickens. Would you take away a [fried] chicken and replace it with a [pork] chop please?

 

[teechar]

I've never heard of an entire/whole fried chicken. In English-speaking countries, you can buy pieces of fried chicken.

 

[Barque]

I was referring to an order of fried chicken.

 

[teechar]

It's still wrong. What people say in that case is "pieces of".

 

[Barque]

The world is a large place. There are many restaurants where you can order a serving of fried chicken, and not by the piece as in KFC.

 

[teechar]

The world is a large place.

This forum is called Using English; and I reiterate: in the English-speaking countries, you do not say "two fried chickens".

There are many restaurants where you can order a serving of fried chicken,

Again, you would not say "a fried chicken" or "two fried chickens" for that. People may specify which part of the chicken they wish to order (e.g. leg, breast, wing), but they would not use "a"/number + "fried chicken(s)".

 

[jutfrank]

Barque rightly means that you could say 'two fried chickens' to mean 'two portions, or servings, or orders of fried chicken'. You could imagine a waiter calling this out to the kitchen staff, for example.

 

[teechar]

Barque rightly means that you could say 'two fried chickens' to mean 'two portions, or servings,

I disagree, and I do not think this is helpful for our learners.

You could imagine a waiter calling this out to the kitchen staff, for example.

Possibly, but that's a very limited context, which again is unlikely to be of much benefit/use for learners coming here to this forum to learn natural/practical English.

 

[Barque]

but that's a very limited context,

I've said as much, expressly or impliedly, in every one of my posts on this thread.

 

[teechar]

No, you haven't. The context I was referring to was the one described by jutfrank (a waiter talking to the kitchen staff). You never said anything about that (limited) context in your posts above.

 

[Barque]

I have referred to a restaurant context in every one of my posts. That phrasing could work in a conversation between a customer and a waiter just as well as between a waiter and the kitchen staff.

 

[teechar]

I disagree.

 

[5jj]

We ordered three pork chops and two fried chickens. You've given us two pork chops and three fried chickens. Would you take away a [fried] chicken and replace it with a [pork] chop please?

I agree that that's possible.