Why this way?

Hi Believer,

I share your dilemma, if not your knowledge of the terminology.  I'd call the difference "stuff" vs "things."  Obviously the three nouns you've selected can function both ways.  What's needed are guidelines which abstract the difference and give it some structure.

To my ear, both your examples sound okay with singulars or with plurals. What sounds objectionable is mixing them.  Let me think some more about the difference in meaning (if any.)

My sense is that the singular suggests the broader issue of  cost/method/approach while the plural suggests a list of specifics, but I surely don't know the term for this dichotomy.

Do dictionaries typically designate nouns as "countable" or "variable"?

Regards,  - A.

Nona The Brit wrote:

cost here = price. A computer only has one price.

Hi,

There could be compatibility issues with existing peripherals and software that could entail additional expenditure  -   training issues, support issues, reliability, warantee, etc.

Regards,  - A.

Hi Believer,

I want to help you sort this out if I can.  Right now the old brain is out of focus and I need some sleep.  I can't help thinking that somebody has a name for this issue and has carefully laid it all out. In my present condition, if you were to give me a list of nouns, I could say, "Yes, that's one of them," or "No, that's a different thing altogether." That's about it. (I do think that "content" is in a different category from "approach[es]" and "method" in that the plural form can be either countable or not.  Maybe I'm wrong.)  It's as frustrating as trying to explain why "the police" always takes a plural verb.  Perhaps as Clive or Phillip recently said on another subject, "That's just the way it is." 

I'll get back to you.  In the meantime, perhaps you could have another try at expressing this one:

"Is there any guideline to this usage of a certain word for its functional meaning based on what it represents to our perception of meaning? (I don't know if I stated what I feel correctly.)"

Perhaps while I'm sleeping someone will come to our rescue.  

Best wishes,  - A. 

Thank you, Avangi.

So I think what you seem to alluding to me is that native speakers like you (I am sure you are one of them) seem to divide a noun into categories based on practical usage -- the usage that serves a practical purpose in an environment where English is spoken naturally -- although some people would make up a different number of categories than yours and not necessarily into categories that are set up or created to help a learner learn English in a systematic way.

My guess is that the distinguishing terms like a countable noun, an uncountable noun, a mass noun, and others  are set up/created for the purpose of serving the needs of English learners in a non-English speaking environment.

Thank you for your explanation and your elaboration on those categories. I would say your effort is one of the finest responses I have gotten for a long time and matches in quality to that of those few, more firmly established teachers of these forums.