MSGID: 2:5023/24.4222 67612e52
PID: InterSquish 2.0.5.25Free
CHRS: CP866 2
REPLY: 2:221/360 675bcc70
RFC-MIME-Version: 1.0
RFC-Content-Type: text/plain
Hi Alexander,

13.12.2024 11:56:02, Alexander Koryagin
 wrote:

 AK> He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway.
 AK> Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink
 AK> instantly back into solid wall.  --------------
 AK> Why is "solid wall" without "a" article? It is a countable noun,
 AK> isn't it?

I can tell that in this case it "kind of" isn't. It's "solid wall" as an
idea (or type) of vertical surface, not one separate wall, neither one
of four wall in a room or something, you know what I mean? I'd suggest
you have a peek at context.reverso.net and look around for examples and
ideas of how words or expressions are used in written English (I find
this site very handy).

In the following phrases we can see the same "absence" of articles:

    Okay, things don't just disappear into thin air.
    I prefer to stand on solid ground.


-- 
"A closed mouth gathers no foot."
--- InterSquish NNTP Server/FTN Gate
 * Origin: www.wfido.ru (2:5023/24.4222)
SEEN-BY: 50/109 105/81 106/201 128/187 129/305 153/7715 218/700 221/1
SEEN-BY: 221/6 226/30 227/114 229/110 114 206 300 317 426 428 664
SEEN-BY: 229/700 705 240/1120 266/512 282/1038 291/111 301/1 113 320/219
SEEN-BY: 322/757 342/200 396/45 450/1024 460/58 256 1124 5858 463/68
SEEN-BY: 467/888 712/848 902/26 5000/111 5005/49 5015/42 46 255 5020/400
SEEN-BY: 5020/570 715 830 846 1042 4441 8912 5022/2 5023/12 24 5030/49
SEEN-BY: 5034/13 5053/51 58 400 5054/30 5058/104 5060/900 5061/15
SEEN-BY: 5061/133 5075/35 128 5083/1 444 6035/3
PATH: 5023/24 5020/715 1042 301/1 460/58 229/426