Learn English – How articles work in the expression ‘I would like to buy ..’

phrase-usage

I am not sure how to use articles in the expression ** I would like to buy**. For e.g.

I would like to buy an ipad.

I would like to buy a box of chocolates.

I would like to buy a can of beer.

However If I want to use just the brandname itself, should I use any article, for e.g.

I would like to buy (any article?) Budweiser.

or In case of jeans/shoes, Obviously this works

I would like to buy a pair of shoes/jeans.

But what would be the construct if I drop a pair, does it make sense

I would like to buy jeans/shoes.

Best Answer

Narrowly focusing on "I would like to buy" I think the problem is that this sounds so formal that we expect the rest of the sentence to be just as formal.

In a less-formal sentence, "Budweiser, please" or "I'm looking for jeans," it doesn't bother us when you leave out the article for a plural (or ambiguous) item. But when you say "I would like to buy . . ." I (at least) don't expect you to cut corners in the rest of the sentence. I expect "I would like to buy a bottle of Budweiser, if you please." Or "I would like to buy some jeans. Can you direct me?"

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