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Snappy Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Ride bycicles/a bycicle

If I say, "I can read a French novel," it means that I can read a single French novel (not more than one).



Then, are the following sentences acceptable?



I can ride a bicycle.

I can ride bicycles.

Can she drive a car?

Can she drive cars?
  

Top answer

The singular is normally used. I can read a French novel doesn't mean that reading more than one novel is impossible. You just usually read one novel at a time.

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8 Answers
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The singular is normally used. I can read a French novel doesn't mean that reading more than one novel is impossible. You just usually read one novel at a time. If you feel like bragging, you can say: I can read two French novels at a time!

The singular is used in your other sentences as well.

CB
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That you for your comment.

"Murata Boy is a robot capable of riding bicycles unassisted."

I found the above sentence on the Internet.
I had the impression that this robot can ride various bicycles unassisted, and needless to say, the robot cannot ride more than one bicycle at a time.
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The point of my question is:

"I can ride a bicycle." (Is this gramatically okay? Doesn't it imply that I can ride only a particular type of bicycle?)

I can ride bicycles. (Do native speakers of English misunderstand that I am an acrobat?)
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Snappy,

"I can ride a bicycle." (Is this gramatically okay? Yes, I think so!

When you say "I can ride a bike", you are telling people "I know how to ride a regular two-wheel bicycle". If you are an acrobat who perform bicycle tricks in a circus, then you need to clarify it.

<<I can ride bicycles.>> The plural form seems odd to me....
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Snappy"I can ride a bicycle." (Is this gramatically okay? Yes. Doesn't it imply that I can ride only a particular type of bicycle? No.)
You are confusing two different senses of "a": "any" and "a certain"

Here it means "any bicycle, no matter which one", not "a ce
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CalifJim
Snappy"I can ride a bicycle." (Is this gramatically okay? Yes. Doesn't it imply that I can ride only a particular type of bicycle? No.)
You are confusing two different senses of "a": "any" and "a certain"

Here it means "any bicycle
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SnappyThank you for your advice, but what about "I can read a French novel."?
It's about an ability, isn't it?

I can read any French novel is the meaning, absent any context that contradicts this standard interpretation.

Physical or mental has nothing to do with it. The following are all mental.

I can think about
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CalifJim
SnappyThank you for your advice, but what about "I can read a French novel."?
It's about an ability, isn't it?

I can read any French novel is the meaning, absent any context that contradicts this standard interpretation.

Physical or mental has nothing to do with it. The following are all menta
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