Meaning & use
a glass of sherry
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
A small amount of a strong, sweet or dry wine from Spain, served in a small glass, especially before a meal.
Grammar: Used as a countable unit: 'a glass of sherry', 'two glasses of sherry'. The word 'sherry' itself is uncountable.
Patterns
- a glass of sherry
- two glasses of sherry
- drink a glass of sherry
My grandmother always has a glass of sherry before dinner.
They offered me a glass of sherry, but I prefer white wine.
He poured himself a glass of sherry and sat by the fire.
Common combinations
- a glass of dry sherry
- She asked for a glass of dry sherry as an aperitif.
- a glass of sweet sherry
- The dessert was served with a glass of sweet sherry.
- a small glass of sherry
- He drank a small glass of sherry and felt warm.
- have a glass of sherry
- Would you like to have a glass of sherry with us?
Synonyms and how they differ
- a sherry
- In a bar or restaurant, people sometimes say 'a sherry' to mean one glass of it, but this is informal and less precise than 'a glass of sherry'.
Commonly confused: a glass of sherry or sherry?
a glass of sherry vs sherry
'Sherry' is the name of the wine itself (uncountable); 'a glass of sherry' is a measured serving of it.
Practice
Which sentence is correct?
Choose one answer.
'Two glasses of sherry' is correct because 'glass' is the countable noun and 'sherry' stays singular. 'Two sherries' is possible in a bar context but less standard; 'two glass' is wrong because 'glass' must be plural; 'two glasses of sherries' is wrong because 'sherry' is uncountable here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a glass of sherry”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.