By Abstract nouns, Uncountable nouns

Hi CliveI haven't read all the posts in this thread and thus I don't really know what this is all about. "Abstract noun" is a term commonly used in grammar books on this side of the Atlantic. It is used to refer to uncountable nouns that have no physical dimensions and cannot...

Not just desire. Very accomplished writers with a fine ear for the language are able to gauge when it is useful to present an apparent uncountable in the plural -- especially when it's a matter of abstract nouns. The majority of us merely competent writers don't typically invent such...

Mr. Miclawer, I wasn’t going to expand this pluralization discussion on “creams” and “wines”. But it really bothered the heck out of me for two reasons. 1) I really wanted to find out if I was really blowing hot air on this subject because of my misunderstanding of this topic, and 2) if there...

To the extent that you can hold a heart in your hand, it differs from the mind and the soul (assuming that mind does not equal brain). So you wish to talk about "heart" in the abstract. The soul seems to be an intangible concept by definition. The mind means different things to...

Should I just accept the fact some uncountable nouns, especially those that have abstract meanings, do not go well or don't not fit with a verb showing possession such as 'have'?Yes, you probably should accept that. It's probably a lot easier to memorize idioms with have plus a noun than to...

Hoa Thai wrote:First, thank you for your reply. Now if you can help me a bit further, I would appreciate very much.If advice is an uncountable abstract noun, then advices must be wrong, right? (Yesterday, my father gave me his advice. Today, my mother gives me hers. I don't like their two advice...

Hoa Thai wrote:I was told that a or an should not be used to mark noncount nouns, sush as water, gold, etc.. That is simple until I encounter abstract nouns! For instance, give me an advice is incorrect since advice is an abstract noun. However, an online search shows that both give me...

Hello Believer, Abstract nouns in the plural indicate an instance of the phenomena concerned: Whoever planted the bomb showed a total disregard for the safety of the public. I have experienced many injustices, or intensification of the phenomenon

MrPedantic wrote: Yes, both are fine; you might want to make it absolutely clear that a person had not simply edited a book, for instance. MrPedantic, what is the difference between someone editing a book and writing a book? To return to the earlier question, "evidences" might be used...

Google the phrases (abstract nouns, uncountable nouns or non-count nouns) to find examples.Or once you have found a noun listed as either these kinds, just do a Google search using the noun itself.