G24

G24. Give me some idiomatic uses of the zero article with countable nouns.

Note: Any word, phrase, sentence or paragraph that I consider to be wrong is shown in red. And any text I consider to be questionable is followed by a question mark:

Request 1: Give me some idiomatic uses of the zero article with countable nouns.

Response 1: The zero article is used with countable nouns in certain idiomatic expressions where the noun is being used in a general or abstract sense. Here are some examples:

1. "Good things come in small packages." (referring to small objects in general)
2. "Diamonds are forever." (referring to diamonds in general)
3. "Time is money." (referring to time as a general concept)
4. "Boys will be boys." (referring to boys in general)
5. "All men are created equal." (referring to men in a general sense)

In these examples, the zero article is used to indicate a generalization or abstraction, rather than a specific or particular instance of the countable noun.

Ok, these are pretty common generalisations. But this first request was not specific enough, hence the next request below.

Request 2: I mean in examples such as "Go to bed", and "I travel by train to work".

Response 2: I apologize for misunderstanding your question earlier. Yes, "Go to bed" and "I travel by train to work" are examples of countable nouns used without an article in idiomatic expressions. These are examples of a broader category of idiomatic expressions where countable nouns are used without articles when referring to a general or habitual action or activity. Here are some more examples:

1. "Take shower"
2. "Catch bus"
3. "Play guitar"
4. "Do laundry"
5. "Eat breakfast"
6. "Ride bike"
7. "Read book"
8. "Watch movie"
9. "Run errands"
10. "Buy groceries"

In these examples, the countable nouns are used without articles because they are referring to the activity or action in a general sense rather than a specific instance of it.

A very poor response.

Request 3: Your sentences 1 to 8 are all ungrammatical (except 5 and 4, which is questionable). Give me a correct list.

Response 3: I apologize for the mistake in my previous response. Thank you for pointing it out. Here is a corrected list of idiomatic expressions using countable nouns without articles:

1. "Go to bed"
2. "Catch a bus"
3. "Play the guitar"
4. "Do the laundry"
5. "Eat breakfast"
6. "Ride a bike"
7. "Read a book"
8. "Watch a movie"
9. "Run errands"
10. "Buy groceries"

In these examples, the use of the indefinite article "a" is optional in some cases.

Ok, ChatGPT has corrected its errors above but only 1 and 5 above fit my criteria.

Request 4: But I asked for sentences with the "zero article". Try again.

Response 4: I apologize for my mistake again. Here's a list of idiomatic expressions using countable nouns without articles (i.e., with the "zero article"):

1. "Go to bed"
2. "Catch bus"
3. "Play guitar"
4. "Do laundry"
5. "Eat breakfast"
6. "Ride bike"
7. "Read book"
8. "Watch movie"
9. "Run errands"
10. "Buy groceries"

In these expressions, the zero article is used because the countable noun is being used in a general sense to refer to a habitual or routine activity.

ChatGPT has repeated most of its errors from above.

Request 5: No. Only 1, 5, 9 and 10 are grammatical.

Response 5: I apologize for the confusion caused. You are correct that only certain idiomatic expressions can be used with the zero article. Here is a corrected list of idiomatic expressions using countable nouns without articles:

1. "Go to bed"
2. "Do laundry"
3. "Eat breakfast"
4. "Run errands"
5. "Buy groceries"

In these expressions, the zero article is used because the countable noun is being used in a general sense to refer to a habitual or routine activity. Other expressions may require the use of an article, either definite or indefinite, depending on the context in which they are used.

Well, 1 and 3 are what I was asking for originally, and there are no errors. So this is progress of sorts. (I've changed my rating of "do laundry" from an error to "questionable", since it is conceivable in some unusual contexts.)

Request 6: Give me a list without plural nouns.

Response 6: Certainly, here's a corrected list of idiomatic expressions using singular countable nouns without articles:

1. "Go to bed"
2. "Do laundry"
3. "Eat breakfast"
4. "Run errands"
5. "Buy groceries"

In these expressions, the zero article is used because the singular countable noun is being used in a general sense to refer to a habitual or routine activity. Other expressions may require the use of an article, either definite or indefinite, depending on the context in which they are used.

Numbers 4 and 5 here are marked as errors, since I explicitly asked for a list with no plurals.

Request 7: But 4 and 5 are plurals.

Response 7: I apologize for my mistake again. Thank you for pointing it out. Here's a corrected list of idiomatic expressions using singular countable nouns without articles:

1. "Go to bed"
2. "Do laundry"
3. "Eat breakfast"
4. "Run an errand"
5. "Buy groceries"

Ok, there is no singular form of "groceries" in the sense of "foodstuff", which is maybe why ChatGPT rightly rejected "buy a grocery". But "run an errand" contains the indefinite article, which invalidates ChatGPT's explanation above.

Request 8: One last try. Give me some idiomatic uses of the zero article with countable nouns in the singular. For example: "Do you go to church?"

Response 8: Apologies for the earlier confusion. Here are some examples of idiomatic uses of the zero article with countable nouns in the singular:

1. "Go to bed"
2. "Leave school"
3. "Start work"
4. "See a movie"
5. "Visit hospital"
6. "Take medicine"
7. "Attend college"
8. "Go to university"
9. "Play piano"
10. "Play football"

In these examples, the zero article is used with singular countable nouns to indicate a general or habitual action or activity, rather than referring to a specific instance of the noun.

This is a better list, but still not without errors in respect of what I had asked for.

Request 9: But 4 has an article.

Response 9: I apologize for the error. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. Here is a revised list of idiomatic uses of the zero article with countable nouns in the singular:

1. "Go to bed"
2. "Leave school"
3. "Start work"
4. "Watch TV"
5. "Visit hospital"
6. "Take medicine"
7. "Attend college"
8. "Go to university"
9. "Play piano"
10. "Play football"

In these examples, the zero article is used with singular countable nouns to indicate a general or habitual action or activity, rather than referring to a specific instance of the noun.

The list has some good examples of what I was asking for.

General comment

ChatGPT made some significant errors in this interaction. I tested my hypothesis that the fault was partly mine because my original two requests did not specify that I wanted examples with nouns in the singular form only.

When I repeated my request as "Give me some idiomatic uses of the zero article with singular countable nouns.", I received a much better list as a first response. But it had one glaring error:

"3. Occupations and professions: We use the zero article when talking about someone's occupation or profession: He's a doctor, she's an architect, he's a teacher, etc."

So, the key takeaways are 1. The user of ChatGPT should take care to ensure that the original question or request is as explicit and clear as possible. It may then be less likely that ChatGPT will make egregious errors such as on display in this interaction.

And 2. Do not take on trust any response ChatGPT gives in respect of grammar. If having the right answer is important, then validate ChatGPT's responses in other reliable sources.