Is there a difference between stuff and thing

   Share on Facebook  
Slacker11  #471812  Sat, 02 Feb 08 12:10 PM
Hello everyone,

I am a Brazilian student, I really like studying English.
Well, I figured out that mother-tongue influence really can put a thing on the barbecue. So, I can't see any difference, in usage, between "stuff" and "thing". Is there a one?

For example, from google's dictionaries:

STUFF
material: the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object; "coal is a hard black material"; "wheat is the stuff they use to ...

THING
an artifact; "how does this thing work?"

Thanks in advance
  
Not Ranked
Joined on Fri, Feb 1 2008
Brazil
New Member (16)
Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you're right. Henry Ford
Hoa Thai  #471815  Sat, 02 Feb 08 12:36 PM
Hi,

First, stuff is uncountable noun, while thing is a countable noun.

We use stuff to intrinsically talk about unidentified mass of thing(s) / substances / materials.
We use thing to extrinsically address items we can discreetly identified in terms of quantity / measurements.


  
Top 75 Contributor
Joined on Mon, Oct 15 2007
Vietnam
Contributing Member (1,100)
Proficient SpeakerTrusted Users
Best Regards - Hoa Thai
Slacker11  #471817  Sat, 02 Feb 08 12:47 PM
Thank you very much
  
AddThis Feed Button RSS Feed: ESL General English Grammar Questions
© 2008 MediaCET Ltd.
Terms and Conditions & Terms of Service