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"a cofee" "a tea"
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Can I say, " I had a tea this morning."?
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no... I see what you're getting at, and I don't think they work quite the same way. A coffee is short for a cup of coffee. A tea isn't short for a cup of tea, at least not in the English I speak. I don't know why. But beejay's variety of English may well be different.
I don't think you can say a cocoa or a milk, either. But an Ovaltine may be ok.
I don't think you can say a cocoa or a milk, either. But an Ovaltine may be ok.
This is the online Chambers definition
tea noun (teas) 1 a small evergreen tree or shrub, with pointed leathery leaves and white fragrant flowers, cultivated in SE Asia and elsewhere for its leaves.
2 the dried leaves of this plant prepared for sale.
3 a beverage prepared by infusing the dried leaves of this plant with boiling water and which can then be served either hot or iced.
4 in compounds a similar drink made from the leaves or flowers of other plants � peppermint tea.
5 a light afternoon meal at which tea, sandwiches and cakes are served. Also called afternoon tea.
6 Brit a a light cooked meal, usually less substantial than the midday meal, served early in the evening;
b the main evening meal. See also high tea.
ETYMOLOGY: 17c: from Min Chinese te.
tea noun (teas) 1 a small evergreen tree or shrub, with pointed leathery leaves and white fragrant flowers, cultivated in SE Asia and elsewhere for its leaves.
2 the dried leaves of this plant prepared for sale.
3 a beverage prepared by infusing the dried leaves of this plant with boiling water and which can then be served either hot or iced.
4 in compounds a similar drink made from the leaves or flowers of other plants � peppermint tea.
5 a light afternoon meal at which tea, sandwiches and cakes are served. Also called afternoon tea.
6 Brit a a light cooked meal, usually less substantial than the midday meal, served early in the evening;
b the main evening meal. See also high tea.
ETYMOLOGY: 17c: from Min Chinese te.
To me, 'I had a tea this morning' suggests that I'm a connoisseur of teas ! It suggests that I had one particular kind of tea, out of the many hundreds of types of tea, blends, teas from a particular plantation etc, there are. The listener would expect this statement to be followed by some explanation e.g. ' I had a tea this morning..It was a very light Darjeeling, that I'd not tried before and it was excellent'.
'I had tea' suggests I had tea rather than some other beverage or that I don't normally have tea but did this morning. Which meaning it is depends on how the speaker says it, what they stress.
If all that was meant was the simple observation that I drank a cup of tea, I'd say 'I had a cup of tea' or '. I had .some tea'
'I had tea' suggests I had tea rather than some other beverage or that I don't normally have tea but did this morning. Which meaning it is depends on how the speaker says it, what they stress.
If all that was meant was the simple observation that I drank a cup of tea, I'd say 'I had a cup of tea' or '. I had .some tea'
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