20 Comments
It corrected me from writing: "The cook cooks a soup". :( I unterstand it this way that undefinite and definite articles are contextual (for the translations)
Soup is uncountable. Sometimes people use "a soup" to mean "a portion of soup", but you should rather avoid using articles here.
I'm a native English speaker and we say "I'm cooking a soup" all the time, not referencing portions. It implies a soup recipe, not a category of food. "I like soup" (in general) but "I am cooking a soup" (a specific recipe).
As a native speaker I sort of agree, though it would sound more natural to say it with a descriptive word; -
"I am cooking soup" or "I am cooking a tasty soup".
"I am cooking 'a' soup" sounds wanting of a description, for example, "I am moving A soil" sounds wanting, such as, "I am moving a lot of soil"
If the soup is specific, it needs specifying, otherwise it's more natural to avoid the particle in the sentence.
Thanks! Forgot about that... English is not my mother tongue and I'm happy to improve it while learning Polish as well :-)
I would also like to add that to say 'the cook is making soup" is more natural in English.
'is making' works, but as it's not the direct translation, we'll keep 'is cooking' the default answer, even if it's imperfect.
436
'The cook is fixing soup' should work too. 'Making soup' sounds terrible, and no one would say that.
Lots of people say "making soup" (I do, for one), but yes, "fixing soup" is fine, adding it.
Fixing can be used to describe making food, however it's much more informal and uncommonly used by most people. It also sounds specifically very American to my British ears. However, it is still understood by everyone with context.
It should only be noted that 'fixing' is not interchangeable with 'making'.
For example, 'making a bike' and 'fixing a bike' have two very different meanings.
Why would someone be fixing a soup, is it broken? I am cooking soup or I am making soup. The cook is cooking soup or making soup. Articles could be used in certain situations. As for fixing soup I guess this is an American thing but I would not teach that as being correct.
- 436
What do you have against American English? 'Fixing' does not mean 'mending' in this context, but 'preparing', which is yet another way of putting it. Also, no one 'fixes' things nowadays; we throw things away! (LOL)
- 384
Duo claimed I 'missed a space' in "The cook's cooking soup" (Duo's famous apostrophe oversight...)
Yeah, that is not automatically done. Added here.
Don't worry, LICA98 is on the mission of reporting it everywhere where it's possible, so soon you will not have such situations :D
I left a comment about this on another exercise, but that moderator shot down accepting boil as there was no object. Here clearly is an object and still not accepted.
