Uncountable noun that is preceded by the "a"

Hi,

I'd like to add a comment.

My dictionary defines kindness as 1. state or quality of being kind. 2. a kind act.

eg I believe that Confucius said 'Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses'.

eg There's an Irish saying 'May you have a thousand kindnesses'.

Having said the above, I do think that in certain cases where we are using meaning #1, we can say things like 'He has a cruel kindness in his character'. 'A' emphasizes the specificity and exceptionality of what we are focusing on.

Best wishes, Clive

Paco2004Fan wrote:

Paco, Please NEVER,NEVER,NEVER,NEVER, and NEVER say "kick my bucket". I am really upset on this. You are stupid to say such painful words.  I pray god that you will and should live atleast for next 10 more decades, helping Englishforums.

Paco2004 wrote:

Mr Mic Yes you may be right. But you know, probably I have only a decade or less to kick my bucket. paco

How old are you paco, if you don't mind? I have always considered you to be something between 25 and 35, but considering your remarks above, I think you are 60 or 70 and retired. You might have worked as an English teacher or your job might have involved such a lot of proficiency in English. Are my intuitions true?

Paco2004 wrote:

Hello Diamond As I told elsewhere, I was disciplined as an expert to design facilities for water supply and sewage treatment. So my job has nothing to do with English, although I have helped people checking papers for an academic journal printed in Britain. My age? You can guess it. Maybe a little older than you. paco

How can I guess? I am 30. Then you are 35? If so, why do you think you have less than a decade. No one can know when he/she will die. Only God knows, if you believe in Him.