Does the noun 'English' have to be always uncountable?
Grammarly doesn't like my using an indefinite article before the noun 'English' because, I suppose, it's an uncountable noun. So for instance:
The novel is written in an elegant English. (❌ WRONG)
You have an excellent English. (❌ WRONG)
To correct it, I can either simply remove the article or turn the word 'English' into the adjective of a noun. See examples below:
The novel is written in elegant English. (I removed the article)
The novel is written in an elegant English style. ('An' here defines the noun 'style', and 'English' becomes an adjective.)
This is not the first time that I have problems with the 'uncountability' of nouns, since in my native language they are far fewer. In my native language, for instance, saying that a novel is written in an elegant English, would imply style or type, without the need to actually specify it. It even seems to me that this addition ruins the elegance of the sentence. But again, this might be a biased impression due to my linguistic background.
So, my questions are:
- Is this rule so strict, or can I use an indefinite article before the noun English?
- What kind of meaning or formality would such usage convey to a native English speaker?