Please what is he thinking?

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Believer

#299890 Sat, 02 Dec 06 12:52 PM

Hi,

I asked many questions on this general topic but please tell me what goes through one's mind when he decides to use "many + countable noun" and "a lot of + uncountable noun" when the noun is a variable noun. Should I just accept them as the normal workings of things to gain the time(??)?

Variable nouns: discrepancy and discussion

1. a lot of discussion

many discussions

2. a lot of discrepancy

many discrepancies

Believer

Joined on Mon, Jan 2 2006

Contributing Member (1,969)

Inchoateknowledge

#299892 Sat, 02 Dec 06 12:55 PM

I do not know, either Sad [:(]

Inchoateknowledge

Joined on Wed, May 3 2006

Senior Member (2,528)

Beep! Beep! :)

Marius Hancu

#299903 Sat, 02 Dec 06 01:16 PM

there was a lot of discussion

take a large portion of a large/single/unique pie (the general abstract concept)

there were many discussions

take several small pies, cooked separately (instantiations, instances, concrete embodiments of that concept)

Smile [:)]

Marius Hancu

Joined on Wed, Apr 26 2006

Montreal, Canada

Veteran Member (11,673)

CalifJim

#300097 Sun, 03 Dec 06 05:14 AM

What goes through one's mind? Hmmm.

a lot of discussion-stuff all in one place at one time. a lot of discussion-activity going on everywhere.
many discussion-events. many instances of discussion-events. many instances of individual discussion-events.

a lot of discrepancy? This doesn't sound exactly right to my ear, but I suppose it would be
a lot of discrepancy-stuff. OR a big discrepancy.
many discrepancy-things. many instances of discrepancies. many times finding a discrepancy.

Since these are things "going through one's mind" they are not necessarily grammatical as stated above! Smile [:)]

CalifJim

Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004

California

Veteran Member (16,956)

"There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche