1. His mother was a painter and a pianist.
2. His mother was a painter and pianist.
Which one is grammatical? Two a's or one a?
Both sentences are grammatically correct, but they have slightly different meanings.
In the first sentence, "His mother was a painter and a pianist," the use of two indefinite articles ("a") indicates that his mother performed two separate roles - one as a painter and another as a pianist. This implies that she had two distinct talents or professions.
In the second sentence, "His mother was a painter and pianist," the absence of the second indefinite article suggests that his mother was both a painter and a pianist as a combined skill or identity. It implies that she had the ability to paint and play the piano, possibly as a multi-talented artist.
So, which version to use depends on whether you want to emphasize the two separate roles or the combined skills of his mother.