Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: Countable/Unc.

I would like to know if I can say
"Children are an important part of people's life".
The suggested sentence is
"Children are an important part of a person's life".
Kiuhnm

 "Children are an important part of a person's life".
I guess. I'd say the other version.
NB that English and Italian seem to differ about how to handle
multiple people with one thing each: "People threw their hats in the
air"
doesn't mean each person had more than one hat.

 doesn't mean each person had more than one hat.
L'italiano è molto elastico. Possiamo dire:
"Le persone lanciarono i propri cappelli in aria".
"Le persone lanciarono il proprio cappello in aria".
"Ogni persona lanciò il proprio cappello in aria".
I have another doubt.
I thought that "chicken" could be both countable and uncountable, but I 
have been told the following sentence is incorrect:
"For the main course, we decided on SOME chicken and salad sandwich for 
each person.".
The correct one is supposed to be:
"For the main course, we decided on A chicken and salad sandwich for 
each person.".
I remember having read we only say "a chicken" when we talk of the 
living animal. But I could be "dead wrong".
Kiuhnm

 each person.".
1) It's immaterial whether "chicken" is a noncount noun or not.
2) Have you been told "sandwich" is a noncount noun, too?
FB

 2) Have you been told "sandwich" is a noncount noun, too?
I believe this is not so true anymore, lots of people say "sandwiches" 
nowadays.  Can any native speaker clarify?
Anyway, one of the most frequent English mistakes by Italians is 
"informationS".
-- 
Tchau, -João do Sabão

 "informationS".
Or "The news are...", "The police is"...
Kiuhnm

 2) Have you been told "sandwich" is a noncount noun, too?
No.
Kiuhnm

Kiuhnm ha scritto:

"Some x/y/z sandwiches" or "a x/y/z sandwich". At any rate, "a 
sandwich", "some sandwichES".
FB


But how does all of this relate to my first question?
I've trouble following your reasoning.
And I still don't understand your former statement.
Kiuhnm

 each person.".
Also I have a doubt about this course, since  chickens suffer on the factory 
farms and in the
slaughterhouses of its suppliers, including live scalding, life-long
crippling, and painful debeaking. The more than 850 million chickens killed
each year for KFC (kentucky Fried Chicken, i.e.) are tortured in ways that
would result in felony cruelty-to-animals charges if cats or dogs were the
victims
http://www.kfccruelty.com/index.asp
http://www.peta.org/feat/moorefield/


 "A chicken and salad sandwich" = un sandwich con dentro pollo e
insalata
a chicken sandwich
two chicken sandwiches

 And I still don't understand your former statement.
You first mention "chicken" being supposedly both countable and uncountable,
then you put forth an example where this property of "chicken" is
immaterial as to why the sentence is incorrect.
Max

 immaterial as to why the sentence is incorrect.
You're right; I forgot "some" means "un po' di" AND "qualche".
Kiuhnm

 wrote in message
news:1152205791.0...@a14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...

I've never heard of a "chicken and salad sandwich", but here in the US
the "chicken salad sandwich" is a very common item on lunch menus. In
its simplest form, It contains only chopped chicken, mayonnaise, and a
small amount of chopped onion and celery, but no "salad".
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1744,148186-252195,00.html
You could order a chicken sandwich with lettuce.
You could also order a chicken salad sandwich with lettuce.
You could also order a chicken salad, which would not be a sandwich,
but chicken salad mix laid on a bed of lettuce.
Another similar sandwich is the "egg salad sandwich", which, like the
chicken salad sandwich, contains in its simplest form no salad, only
chopped eggs, mayonnaise, and a little onion.
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1644,148186-242205,00.html
You could serve egg salad sandwiches with lettuce.
You could also serve egg salad, which would be egg salad mix on a bed
of lettuce.
Joe from Massachusetts