http://www.englishforums.com/English/EslGeneralEnglishGrammar-Questions/Forum12.htmAsk your questions on grammar and get your sentence checked. We answer lots of different types of general English grammar questions here.enXMOD (Build: 3598.39794)http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/2/gkdkw/Post.htm#553742Sun, 08 Feb 2009 10:41:31 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:553742Ant_2220http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/2/gkdkw/Post.htm#553742http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-553742.xmlYes, the definite article can be used with nouns of both types, "Pour the water onto the tea" – "water" and "tea" are pure uncountable nouns. I have been told that the accent of Russian is such that Russians have to struggle a lot in order to speak good English. Is it true? I don't think so. Maybe we have to struggle a bit to learn to pronounce some sounds, but once grasped, it is not difficult at all.http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/2/gkdkw/Post.htm#553733Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:41:31 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:553733Jackson66121http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/2/gkdkw/Post.htm#553733http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-553733.xmlLet me rephrase it again, even indefinite article the is used with countable nouns or the nouns which are acting as counting nouns . What's "indefinite article the"? Sorry, I meant to say definite article . As the meaning of my question stands corrected now, what is your answer? I have been told that the accent of Russian is such that Russians have to struggle a lot in order to speak good English. Is it true?http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/2/gkdkw/Post.htm#552331Sun, 08 Feb 2009 10:41:31 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:552331Ant_2222http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/2/gkdkw/Post.htm#552331http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-552331.xmlLet me rephrase it again, even indefinite article the is used with countable nouns or the nouns which are acting as counting nouns . What's "indefinite article the"? So it means if some non-countable noun is acting as a countable noun then it has to be an uncountable because there are two main types of nouns: countable and uncountable. Sure. Isn't it a tautology? Dictionaries describe "happiness" as an uncountable noun, but in specific contexts (like GG's example) it may be used as a countable noun, which I have called playing a "countable" role, or, to be more correct, the role of a countable noun. So, what the dictionaries say doesn't always 100% correspond to reality. You said,...http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/2/gkdkw/Post.htm#552215Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:41:31 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:552215Jackson66123http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/2/gkdkw/Post.htm#552215http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-552215.xmlAnt, you mean that even article the is used with countable nouns or the nouns which are acting as countable nouns. Yes, but it can be used with uncountable nouns as well. Countable (along the lines of GG's example): " The happiness that he had now was something he had never experiences before". Uncountable: "Boil a litre of water, put 25 g of tea into an earthenware pot, pour the water onto the tea ". And would you please give a short explanation of the underlined part When you specify the properties of something referred to by a noun that usually has an abstract, categorical or very general meaning, that automatically changes the meaning of it so that it denotes a specific instance of that...http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/2/gkdkw/Post.htm#552018Fri, 08 May 2009 09:41:31 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:552018Grammar Geek4http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/2/gkdkw/Post.htm#552018http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-552018.xmlI don't know why the m jumped. and see them realized is what I meant to write.http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/gkdkw/post.htm#552012Sun, 08 Mar 2009 10:41:31 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:552012Ant_2225http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/gkdkw/post.htm#552012http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-552012.xmlShe experienced the ecstacy that comes to those who have worked hard to obtain their dreams and seem the realized. What does this "seem the realized" part mean? Either I don't understand it or you have made a mistake ;)http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/gkdkw/post.htm#552008Sun, 08 Mar 2009 10:41:31 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:552008Ant_2226http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/gkdkw/post.htm#552008http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-552008.xmlAnt, you mean that even article the is used with countable nouns or the nouns which are acting as countable nouns. Yes, but it can be used with uncountable nouns as well. Countable (along the lines of GG's example): " The happiness that he had now was something he had never experiences before". Uncountable: "Boil a litre of water, put 25 g of tea into an eathenware pot, pour the water onto the tea". And would you please give a short explanation of the underlined part When you specify the properties of something referred to by a noun that usually has an abstract, categorical or very general meaning, that automatically changes the meaning of it so that it denotes a specific instance of that general...http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/gkdkw/post.htm#551819Fri, 08 May 2009 09:41:31 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:551819Jackson66127http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/gkdkw/post.htm#551819http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-551819.xmlGG, your post is just to the point. It's just that I do consider such nouns countable when they're used the way you showed. The very specifying of special properties makes these nouns refer to an instance of happiness or ecstasy, thus making them countable. What I wanted to say is, whenever the indefinite article is used, the following noun is either countable or plays a "countable" role. Ant, you mean that even article the is used with countable nouns or the nouns which are acting as countable nouns. And would you please give a short explanation of the underlined part. Thank you.http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/gkdkw/post.htm#551733Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:41:31 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:551733Ant_2228http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/gkdkw/post.htm#551733http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-551733.xmlGG, your post is just to the point. It's just that I do consider such nouns countable when they're used the way you showed. The very specifying of special properties makes these nouns refer to an instance of happiness or ecstasy, thus making them countable. What I wanted to say is, whenever the indefinite article is used, the following noun is either countable or plays a "countable" role.http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/gkdkw/post.htm#551613Sun, 08 Feb 2009 10:41:31 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:551613Grammar Geek9http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/gkdkw/post.htm#551613http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-551613.xmlThis may be too much information, but we do use articles with abstract, non-count nouns to say what type . He experienced a happiness never before experienced by man. (What sort of happiness? One that was never experienced before.) She experienced the ecstacy that comes to those who have worked hard to obtain their dreams and see them realized. (What type of ecstacy? The type that...) You would not say "He had a happiness" or "She experienced an ecstacy," however. These work only because of the additional information saying what sort. Did that make things worse?http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/gkdkw/post.htm#551569Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:41:31 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:551569Ant_22210http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/gkdkw/post.htm#551569http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-551569.xmlThis is a apple . You mean a apple means one apple . So that means I cannot write: This is a one apple . Because such sentence will be redundant. Question 1: Am I correct? Yes. And it should be "an apple". I have eaten only a single apple. Here single also means one but I think it's a correct sentence. Question 2: Why is so? "Single" is just an adjective and does not posess the power of replacing articles. Such is English grammar: adjecives, whatever they mean, do not interfere with articles. In your example "single" serves as an amphasis (the sentence would still be OK without it), which explains the redundancy. The adjectives "great big" and "tiny little" also use...http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/gkdkw/post.htm#551326Sun, 08 Feb 2009 10:41:31 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:551326Jackson661211http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/gkdkw/post.htm#551326http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-551326.xmlIs it compulsory to use articles, a , an , and the , with only countable nouns? Only "a" and "an" are restricted to countable nouns. If what I'm saying is true then what is the reason for such a compulsion? For example, their origin ("a" and "an" stands for "one"). And does it also mean no matter wherever a countable noun comes in a sentence you have to use a article with it? No. This is a very general question actually. Try posting some sentences the use of articles wherein you don't understand... This is a apple . You mean a apple means one apple . So that means I cannot write: This is a one apple . Because such sentence will be redundant. Question 1: Am I correct? I...http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/gkdkw/post.htm#551305Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:41:32 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:551305Ant_22212http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/gkdkw/post.htm#551305http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-551305.xmlIs it compulsory to use articles, a , an , and the , with only countable nouns? Only "a" and "an" are restricted to countable nouns. If what I'm saying is true then what is the reason for such a compulsion? For example, their origin ("a" and "an" stands for "one"). And does it also mean no matter wherever a countable noun comes in a sentence you have to use a article with it? No. This is a very general question actually. Try posting some sentences the use of articles wherein you don't understand...http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/gkdkw/post.htmFri, 08 May 2009 09:41:32 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:551301Jackson661213http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsCompulsoryArticlesCountableNouns/gkdkw/post.htmhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-551301.xmlIs it compulsory to use articles, a , an , and the , with only countable nouns? If what I'm saying is true then what is the reason for such a compulsion? And does it also mean no matter wherever a countable noun comes in a sentence you have to use a article with it?