Can Willingness noun be a countable noun? Why?

Hello.

Can Willingness noun be a countable noun? Why?

Jesús María.

Jgipuzkoa wrote:

Hello. Can Willingness noun be a countable noun? Why? Jesús María.

In general, 'ness' is a suffix that makes an adjective an abstract noun.  These, then, cannot be countable.  You will hear, however, "we thank you all for the many kindnesses you have shown during our time of grief".  This isn't correct, in my opinion, [it should be 'acts of kindness'] but it's somewhat common.

Grammar Geek wrote:

Well, wait, let's not answer too quickly. Certainly you can say "a willingness" -- IF you then qualify it with what type of willingness. A willingness to succeed A willingness to provide the necessary funds etc. However, you can't just say "He showed a willingness" unless you say what "he" was willing to do.

Hi Barbara

It's a very good point. I didn't realize that.

'Money' is an uncountable noun. We cannot say "one money". Similarly, we cannot say "one news". Basically, this is how we decide whether a noun is countable or uncountable.