apple pie

Humble   Mon Dec 03, 2007 5:19 am GMT
Hello,
Please, do I need an article before _apple pie_?

Megan showed me the way she made _ apple pie.

Something tells me I don’t. Am I right?

Thanks.
Travis   Mon Dec 03, 2007 5:35 am GMT
Yes, it's correct that you wouldn't use "the" there, as you're not actually speaking of some particular applie pie that has already been introduced or is already otherwise known. (Of course, the use of articles often differs between English and, say, German and the Romance languages, so just because you would use a particular article in another language does not mean that you would use its analogue in a similar case in English.)
Humble   Mon Dec 03, 2007 7:02 am GMT
Neither should I use _a_, should I?
Ava   Mon Dec 03, 2007 7:59 am GMT
Megan showed me the way she made an apple pie.
Ava   Mon Dec 03, 2007 8:03 am GMT
Travis   Mon Dec 03, 2007 8:22 am GMT
What I meant is that it is grammatical (and probably preferred) that one use "Megan showed me the way she made apple pie", without "an" or "the", here. Using "an" here would probably not be favored because it actually indicates that that being made is some particular apple pie rather than apple pie in general, but it is not ungrammatical either (and *can* be used in the latter capacity in everyday speech even though it has the former literal meaning).
Guest   Mon Dec 03, 2007 8:22 am GMT
the apple pie = specific apple pie

an apple pie = an unspecific, single apple pie

(no article) apple pie = apple pie in general
Humble   Tue Dec 04, 2007 5:54 am GMT
Thank you, it's clear now.