Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[missdaredevil]

In China, gold was used as currency.
Is there an *a* missing?

[Bob S.]

[missdaredevil]

How could the meaning change slightly?

Thanks

[Bob S.]

"Gold was used as currency." could imply that only gold (and no other metal) was used as currency, or that gold was used only for currency and not for anything else such as jewelry. So the context of the rest of the paragraph is important to know what is meant.

"Gold was used as a currency." implies that gold was one of several or one of many materials used as currency along with maybe silver, copper, or agriculture produce.

For example, I could write:
Because of its usefulness as a food preservative, salt was often used as a currency in ancient Rome, and soldiers were often paid in salt instead of gold or silver.

[Bob S.]