I was reading this book, and I came across the following sentences whose usage of articles and singular/plural nouns I couldn't understand.
- A Days Inn in West Palm Beach had to pay $70,000 in penalties and restitution for overcharging customers.
-> In this sentence, I was wondering why only the word "penalties" were used in a plural form and "restitution" in a singular form.
- A just price, determined by (why no the?) tradition and the intrinsic value of things.
-> Also, why is there no article in front of "tradition" but there is "the" in front of "intrinsic value"?
I'm always lost whenever I come across sentences like these which seem to go against the parallel rule in English grammar. I would greatly appreciate any help on this.