Correcting the Grammatical Error in 'Such an Beautiful Scenery'

When we come across a phrase like 'Such an beautiful scenery,' it can be confusing and potentially misleading. This article aims to clarify the grammatical mistake and provide insights into the appropriate way to use articles with nouns, particularly mass nouns like 'scenery.'

Understanding the Mistake

The phrase 'Such an beautiful scenery' contains a grammatical error. The primary issue lies in the use of the indefinite article 'an' before the adjective 'beautiful.' According to grammatical rules, the correct article to use is 'a' because 'beautiful' begins with a consonant sound.

Correcting the Phrase

To correct the phrase, we need to adjust the article. The phrase should read as follows:

Such a beautiful scenery

Alternatively, since 'scenery' is an uncountable or mass noun, it is more common to say 'Such beautiful scenery' without any article. This usage emphasizes that we are referring to the quality of the scenery rather than a particular scene or piece of scenery:

Such beautiful scenery

Additional Considerations

Regarding the structure of the phrase, note that 'Such a beautiful scenery' or 'Such beautiful scenery' are not full sentences with a subject and a verb. Rather, they are exclamatory statements used to express admiration or emotion. For example:

Such a beautiful scenery!

What a beautiful scenery!

These can be used when you are in awe at a particular view or moment, but they do not need to be followed by a verb or a subject. They serve to emphasize the beauty of the scenery severely enough without one.

Mistakes in the Use of Articles

To further understand the grammatical error, let us look at some more examples and explanations:

Superfluous Article in the Given Phrase

The phrase 'Such an beautiful scenery' contains a superfluous article 'an.' Removing it makes the phrase correct:

This is such beautiful scenery.

This sentence is now correctly structured as a complete sentence with a subject ('This') and a verb ('is').

Key Points

Scenery is a mass noun, meaning it cannot be counted and does not use articles such as 'an' or 'a.' Words ending in 'y' that make a consonant sound before the 'y' take 'a,' not 'an.' Examples include 'guy,' 'play,' and 'scenery.' An article is used only before vowels (a, e, i, o, u) or a consonant sound made by 'h.' Examples of this include 'an hour' and 'an honest man.' Countable nouns use indefinite articles correctly: 'a movie, ' 'an apple.'

Further Reading

To gain a deeper understanding of mass and count nouns, indefinite articles, and phrases, consider exploring the following resources:

Writers Workshop: Writer Resources - Mass and Count Nouns A vs. An Indefinite Articles What is a Phrase? Definition with Examples of English Phrases

By studying these resources, you can enhance your understanding of English grammar and improve your ability to construct correct and effective sentences.