A spell of warm weatherset in. (Wehad a spell of bad weather.)
They were discussing (talking about) theweather.
The flight was cancelled because of (the) bad weather.
Note 4.The noun wind is uncountable.
e.g. There isn't much windtoday.
Yet it is regularly used with the definite article.
e.g. The windwas blowing and itwas cold. The windis rising (falling). He ran like the wind.
But if the noun wind is modified by a descriptive attribute it is used with the aspective indefinite article, e.g. A cold windwas blowing from the north.
For stylistic purposes it may be used in the plural, e.g. The cold windsblew the leaves off the trees.
Note 5. Notice the sentence patterns with the noun life: e.g. Lifegoes on, ever changeless and changing. Lifeis worth living. They began a new life. They were leading a happy life. The lifehe is leading now causes everyone distress.
§ 40. Sometimes the use of articles with an uncountable ab- stract noun is affected by the syntactic function of the noun.
1) Nouns in attributive and adverbial prepositional phrases of manner have no article even if they have descriptive attributes.
Attributive prepositional phrases are usually introduced by the preposition of (other prepositions may also be found, but not often).
e.g. His flush of anger died as he began to listen more attentively. An odd feeling of curiosity made him look through the keyhole. He awoke with a feeling of sharp anticipation. His face bore a look of cold disapproval. He had an unsatisfied hunger for knowledge.
Adverbial prepositional phrases are usually introduced by the preposition with, sometimes in. (other prepositions may also be found in this case, but not often).
e.g. The old man looked at the boy with curiosity.
He turned round in annoyance, and then walked away. "You have seen it?" he asked with intense interest. Ann examined everything about her with great care. She kissed him with warm affection.
The tendency to use the noun in attributive and adverbial prepositional phrases without any article is so strong that some- times even countable nouns have no article in these functions.
e.g. It is a question of principle, and it must be discussed before
we take a decision. It was just a plain statement of fact. He refused to help us without apparent reason.
He listened without remark while Robert poured out his heart to him. The young doctor was received in amiable fashion. The door closed without sound. He spoke with effort.
However, the use of the indefinite article in such cases is still the norm with a vast majority of countable nouns.
Although the general tendency is to use abstract uncountable nouns in attributive and adverbial prepositional phrases without articles, occasionally either the definite or the indefinite article may be found.
The use of the definite article is generally associated with the use of limiting attributes modifying the noun.
e.g. "May I speak to you in the strictest confidence?" he asked. "No," said Eric after the slightest hesitation. He watched her go from group to group with the same ease. He trembled all over with the exertion of keeping himself up- right.
The use of the indefinite article appears to be optional — it seems to depend on the desire of the speaker to lay particular stress on the special aspect expressed by the attribute modifying the noun. Thus it would be correct to use the nouns in the follow- ing examples without articles in accordance with the general rule.
e.g. We looked at her face and saw the distorting lines of a deep and anxious weariness.
He smiled at me with agrave sympathy. He walked in asolemn silence.
In some cases, however, the use of the indefinite article is obligatory. It is always used in prepositional phrases in which the noun is modified either by the adjectives certain said peculiar or by
an attributive clause.
e.g. The girl interrupted him with a certain impatiencein her voice. She spoke to strangers with a peculiar intimacy. He gripped his hand with an abruptness that revealed his
