By Countable nouns, Indefinite articles

the word "lack" countable or uncountable

Hi there, I am from an asian country (korea) and Korean doesn't distinguish countable or uncountable nouns so I have some problem with this concept even though I have been living in english speaking country for 10 years. Now the word "lack" according to the online Longman...

Re: number as adjective or sort of determiner

Thank you, CB. I might have been confused since I was trying to digest too much information in a too short period of time. (That does sound lame, doesn't it?) Why is the definite article seems correct to be placed here but an indefinite article doesn't seem to correct to be placed there?...

Re: mass noun and count noun

Hi Jackson 5: As name suggests a count noun is countable, then how can one use indefinite article a or an with it?In grammar, 'countable' means that you can count the noun concerned. For example. an egg, one egg, two eggs, etc. 'Uncountable' means that particular noun cannot be literally...

Re: genitive as a noun

Thank you, Eimai_Anglos. Are you saying a genitive cannot be made a countable noun or used as a countable noun? I think a guru has delivered expert advice on that aspect of grammar and I think it has been said a construction like "a shaking of a ground" means "an instance of shaking of a...

some rule about using articles

Hi,There is an entry in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary about usage of indefinite article:used before uncountable nouns when these have an adjective in front of them, or phrase following them:a good knowledge of French a sadness that won’t go awayHowever, just came across this example:It...

Re: A doubt!

Hi, Consider this sentence.He has a very good knowledge. What is the function of the aritcle 'a' in the sentence? ( I know that the articles can function as adjectives but never as adverbs..Well, the case here is different, isn't it?....Can an indefinite article modify an uncountable noun? ) ...

A doubt!

Hi! Consider this sentence.He has a very good knowledge. What is the function of the aricle 'a' in the sentence? ( I know that the articles can function as adjectives but never as adverbs..Well, the case here is different, isn't it?....Can an indefinite article modify an uncountable noun? ) I...

education vs. an education

Hi, I think the word 'education' is a variable noun, which I am sure means that if one uses refer to abstract things, he is using it as an uncountable noun; whereas, if one uses to refer to individual instances of that thing, he is using it as a countable noun. Now, can you put that definition...

Want to confirm this too

Hi, I was looking at my Collins Cobuild Compact English Learner's Dictionary and came upon the uncountable nouns like 'recognition'. 1. Recognition is the act of recognizing someone or identifying something when you see it. Why does it have 'the'? I think when an uncountable is specified,...

Re: woman's

Milky wrote:Depending on the context it could be part of a description, however imprecise, of women in general - generic qualities of the gender called "woman". Or, it could be describing a man who has such characteristics. Not sure if it would be used to desribe anything else.Good! So if a...