36.6 Bare Noun Phrases II

In Grammar and Vocabulary 31.2, we learned that we use definite noun phrases to refer to specific people or things, and we form a definite noun phrase by adding a classifier before a noun.

When we mention certain places (e.g., laundry store, library), it is sometimes obvious that we are referring to a specific one (e.g., the laundry store we always go to, the library nearby). In this case, we usually use a bare noun phrase to refer to the places. To form a bare noun phrase, we simply say a noun without adding a number and a classifier.

This use of bare noun phrases is not limited to places. For example, we can also use a base noun phrase to refer to a specific person (e.g., our doctor, our teacher).

In Grammar and Vocabulary 6.1, we also learned that we can use bare noun phrases to refer to a type of people or things in general. A sentence with a bare noun phrase can sometimes have multiple possible meanings.