Search results for 'tag:Countable nouns tag:Singular nouns' matching tags 'Countable nouns' and 'Singular nouns'

the word "lack" countable or uncountable

Anonymous — Fri, 09 May 2008 01:35:16 GMT

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 dictionary is an uncountable noun, as well as a singular noun.

But we usually say "a lack of quality" or "a lack of resources".

Now we know for sure we never put "a" in front of "water" because "water" is an uncountable noun, as in "furniture" or "stuff".

So how is it that word "lack" can have an indefinite article in front of it?

Does it mean that the English language lacks logic inherently?

Thanks.

Re: in quotation marks

Clive — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 21:09:54 GMT

Hi,

Should I treat what is in a pair of quotation marks just like an adjective without any difference in terms of whether to place an article or not? Yes.

I feel like you have to have an article, 'a' or 'the' or 'an', before a quoted content acting as an adjective for a singular noun. With a singular countable noun, yes, you need some kind of determiner.

... reveals an aspect of 'pali-pali' Korean culture. This is fine.

-- The 'culture' is an uncountable, I think. Yes.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: evening (without preposition) / to start to doing

Cool Breeze — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 08:52:23 GMT

CalifJim wrote:
since laughter is an uncountable noun, unlike evening.
Unlike evening? Wow! In that sentence I understand evening as uncountable! (evening-ness?) Aren't all singular nouns in English uncountable when used without articles?

I didn't make my point clearly enough. I said evening is countable, I didn't say it is countable in Steinbeck's sentence. Evening is listed as countable in dictionaries, unlike laughter. Therefore it is possible to say: I spent two evenings with her, but we can't normally say: I heard two laughters from the street. Steinbeck uses evening as uncountable in his sentence. I find that a little odd and it makes me ask: why? I am just trying to figure out an answer for myself, I'm not trying to convince all members of these forums that I have the ultimate truth on the matter.

I mentioned representative in a previous post. If Portugal sends only one representative to a beauty contest, we normally say:

The representative of Portugal won the beauty contest.

If I treat representative as uncountable, I get:

Representative of Portugal won the beauty contest.

I find that sentence a little odd, if not downright incorrect. Similarly, since a hot day has only one evening - it is possible to say "one evening" because "evening" is countable - I would prefer to say:

The evening of a hot day...

I don't object to Steinbeck's choice, I'm just trying to squeeze it into the right grammatical pigeon hole in my brain. Anyway, Jim, I think you said earlier that you also considered the sentence perhaps a little odd or something, I don't remember your exact words right now. We are actually in complete agreement! And even if we weren't, what would it matter? My signature is: Live and let live. In this case it should be understood: Use your English and let others use theirs. I'm all for linguistic freedom.

CB

Re: evening (without preposition) / to start to doing

CalifJim — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:45:34 GMT

since laughter is an uncountable noun, unlike evening.

Unlike evening? Wow! In that sentence I understand evening as uncountable! (evening-ness?) Aren't all singular nouns in English uncountable when used without articles?

CJ

Re: Which sentence is correct?

Clive — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 05:18:49 GMT

Hi,

Which sentence is correct?

1. I ate prawn last night. No

2. I ate prawns last night. OK

3. I had prawns for dinner last night.OK

"prawn" is a countable noun but I heard when we refer to "the meat" we should treat the noun as a singular noun. For some types of meat, but it sounds odd to me to say 'prawn' in these sentences. Such things are rather idiomatic.

Best wishes, Clive

Which sentence is correct?

Anonymous — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 05:06:09 GMT

Hi..

Which sentence is correct?

1. I ate prawn last night.

2. I ate prawns last night.

3. I had prawn(s) for dinner last night.

"prawn" is a countable noun but I heard when we refer to "the meat" we should treat the noun as a singular noun. Is it right?

Thanks before

Re: Correct term for singular possessive as stand-in for a group

Maripinky — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 23:21:32 GMT

I think the grammatical term could be generic noun phrases. When a noun is mentioned as a symbol, example, or representative of all members of a group (almost the same as all + plural or noncount nouns or any + a singular noun) we refer to it as having "generic" reference.

A few generic countable nouns look like definite nouns (they follow the), even though they do not refer to specific, unique things! (they are NOT definite)

The and a singular count noun can refer to a whole group (not just one specific member). This occurs often in formal writing, and with inventions, musical instruments, parts of the body.

The lion is endangered
The heart is like a pump
When was the radio invented?
She plays the piano.
The inexperienced student may need help.

(which lion? not just one lion, but all lions)
(which heart? all hearts)
(which radio? not the radio in my apartment, but the idea)
(which piano? She has this general ability.)
(which student? Any inexperienced student.)

The and a plural count noun can occasionally refer to all members of a human group in general .. not just particular people konwn to the speaker/writer and listener/reader. This is the least common kind of generic nouns, usually referring to a religiously, politically, or professionally-based group of people.
The Germans are known for their beer.
The Republicans will meet in Philadelphia (which Germans? all of them)
(which Republicans? representatives of all of them)
The can also be followed by an adjective (with no noun) to refer to a whole class (usually of people):
The blind leading the blind
The rich and the poor (which blind what? all blind people)
(which rich/poor what? all rich/poor people)

any in summary

New2grammar — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 17:52:45 GMT

I have gone through a lot of the old posts on the topic any. This is my understanding of any usage.

Any can be followed by a plural/uncountable/singular noun.

1. When any is used in interogative or negative form, it is usually followed by a plural/uncountable noun. Does it mean that the verb always agrees with the plural/uncountable noun if the noun is also a subject?

For example,

Do you have any kids that are older than 9 years old?

There aren't any good options.

Exceptional case.

He is amazed that there isn't any sales tax in MN.

There isn't any widely used password checker out there which has the ...

2. When it is used in declarative form, it is usually followed by a singular noun.

Any idea is a good idea => the verb agrees with the singular noun idea.

Exceptional case.

If you have any comments, please e-mail them to me. => the pronoun agrees with the plural noun comment

Please correct me if I am wrong. Thanks

The classification of words and the article attached (+abstract plural)

Aperisic — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:08:17 GMT

People have found this text useful so I am repeating it here in this entirety with error fixed (there are several posts combined in it)

Before I give you more detailed explanation I have to tell you that in dictionaries you can frequently find the type of the word: countable, uncountable, mass, abstractâ¦ However what is more important is to understand that the context is equally important. You can turn many words into abstract if you want to express an idea, quality or experience, and you can as well make from an uncountable word a countable one if you want to speak about one particular appearanceâ¦ So before you decide what is the type of the word you have to know

what is the most frequent context in which the word is found
what are the contexts you can use the word
whether and how each context changes the meaning of the word
which context is maybe awkward for the particular word

Once you know the context you can decide about the article attached. So here you have all contexts that one word can be found in. Do not forget that it is possible that you can change the context even when your dictionary says that a word is, for example, strictly countable.

A ball can mean one instance of ball, a more or less round gadget of different materials for playing games, but ball can mean the experience of playing games with a ball.

A ball is usually round. - one ball
Ball, however I've loved it, is what hurts my knees. - the experience of playing different games with a ball

However, this is the advanced level of understanding and for some time you should be very strict and use words how they are given in the dictionary. But, in order to truly understand some exceptions in literature you have to have the following view better.

1. The possible contexts of a word

count nouns one ball-two balls-some balls

they have plural
in singular you have to use a/an or the
in plural you use the to define a particular instance, and without the to define a type

uncount nouns homework-fun-knowledge-privacy-furniture

they have singular but it is used, by the rule, without a/an
they do not have plural
you do not count them using one, two... but you can measure them using some, a piece ofâ¦

mass nouns coffee-beer-cheese

in singular they can mean substance and in that case they are uncount so you do not use a but if you use the you mean a particular kind of that substance
in singular you can use a but in that case you talk about a regular portion or a type, a is actually a substitute for one (I want a coffee = I want one coffee = I want one cup of coffee)
in plural they mean several regular portions or types (several different cheeses = several different type of cheeses, two coffees = two cups of coffee)

singular nouns sun-strain-past-future

they are always singular and they always need a determiner (the sun, a strain, the past)
some normal nouns may have a special meaning when they are used as a singular noun (a note of urgency = a tone of haste)

plural nouns glasses-spectacles-clothes-conditions

they have only plural and you do not usually count them, but there are exceptions (two goods is not common, two scissors is ok)
you can use only the for known occurrences, for other the rules are similar to an uncount noun, unless you can count them (a/one scissors but even then you better say some scissors, a pair of scissors)
some normal words may have a different meaning when used as a plural noun (conditions - the factors that affect something)

collective nouns army-crew-government

they behave as a count noun but they can use singular or plural verb form, which depends on how you observe a group - as one item or a collection of several items

proper nouns names

they have the or do not have the based on the special rules or simply a custom

compound nouns

they are the nouns made of several words
apart from that they can belong to any other group mentioned here
they have special rules of creating the plural

abstract nouns intelligence-joy-relief

abstract nouns are usually uncountable and they behave as one
if you count them or use plural, you are referring to particular instance(s)

We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them. (joys - the things that make us joyful)

concrete nouns the nouns that are referring to physical objects

they can be in any group said above except abstract

As you can see the rules are strict, but there are exceptions. We say that uncountable nouns you cannot count, they do not use a and have no plural. However, if the word belongs to an abstract group expressing idea, feeling or experience, it may still be counted and have the plural when you mean about the particular occurrence(s). Not all abstract words are capable to switch to plural.

Some words can be observed as uncountable (hair) and behave as one, but if you use a they change the meaning. hair - strands growing on head or body, a hair - single strand growing on head or body (or found in a soup ) However, you can see that a is used to restrict the occurrence to certain physics dimension. Not all uncountable words are capable to use a and to be counted. If they do they almost without an exception change the meaning, though sometimes the change is not very serious.

water is uncountable so the rules says no plural, but then you deprive yourself from some important possible usages or understanding

waters -

a type of mineral waters
all rivers that flow into a large river or cover certain region
drops
place(s) to practice water sports
the places covered with water on the Earth
an area, realm (it can leads us to unknown waters)
the water natural beauties like waterfall, cascades...
a spa
the water near the shore of region or country
a type of water coming from many different sources - toxic waters

a water -

a river or lake or any closed area covered with water
a small amount of water that was examined for purity
a drop

So uncountable water is very capable to switch to a countable case with, of course, change of the meaning. Thus, the entire previous detailed classification is frequently relative. (However, when you use words in their regular and natural and most common context you use the strict rules: furniture in my house, not furnitures in my house, unless you have all together Louis XV, Louis XVI and Louis XVII furniture in your house [furnitures - types of furniture] to show off around. The furnitures we have are: commercial use furniture, counter system furniture, job station furniture, retail counter furniture)

I hope you start getting a picture. However, before you go into this area more thoroughly, it is highly recommendable to follow the standard usage especially if you have kind of exam.

The most frequent case is that each word has many different meanings. Each meaning can belong to a completely different group of words. A good dictionary gives the classification not by the word, but by each meaning of the word.

Sometimes you have to guess the classification, which is normally not so difficult.

Re: the cases of abstract nouns taking "thes"

Aperisic — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 11:58:34 GMT

Before I give you more detailed explanation I have to tell you that in dictionaries you can frequently find the type of the word: countable, uncountable, mass, abstractâ¦ However what is more important is to understand that the context is equally important. You can turn many words into abstract if you want to express an idea, quality or experience, and you can as well make from a uncountable word a countable one if you want to speak about one particular appearanceâ¦ So before you decide what is the type of the word you have to know

what is the most frequent context in which the word is found
what are the contexts you can use the word
whether and how each context changes the meaning of the word
which context is maybe awkward for the particular word

A ball can mean one instance of ball, a more or less round gadget of different materials for playing games, but ball can mean the experience of playing games with a ball.

A ball is usually round. - one ball
Ball, however I've loved it, is what hurts my knees. - the experience of playing different games with a ball

The possible contexts of a word

count nouns one ball-two balls-some balls

they have plural
in singular you have to use a/an or the
in plural you use the to define a particular instance, and without the to define a type

uncount nouns homework-fun-knowledge-privacy-furniture

they have singular but it is used, by the rule, without a/an
they do not have plural
you do not count them using one, two... but you can measure them using some, a piece ofâ¦

mass nouns coffee-beer-cheese

in singular they can mean a substance and in that case they are uncount so you do not use a but if you use the you mean a particular kind of that substance
in singular you can use a but in that case you talk about a regular portion or a type, a is actually a substitute for one (I want a coffee = I want one coffee = I want one cup of coffee)
in plural they mean several regular portions or types (several different cheeses = several different type of cheeses, two coffees = two cups of coffee)

singular nouns sun-strain-past-future

they are always singular and they always need a determiner (the sun, a strain, the past)
some normal nouns may have a special meaning when they are used as a singular noun (a note of urgency = a tone of haste)

plural nouns glasses-spectacles-clothes-conditions

they have only plural and you do not usually count them, but there are exceptions (two goods is not common, two scissors is ok)
you can use only the for known occurrences, for other the rules are similar to an uncount noun, unless you can count them (a/one scissors but even then you better say some scissors, a pair of scissors)
some normal words may have a different meaning when used as a plural noun (conditions - the factors that affect something)

collective nouns army-crew-government

they behave as a count noun but they can use singular or plural verb form, which depends on how you observe a group - as one item or a collection of several items

proper nouns names

they have the or do not have the based on the special rules or simply a custom

compound nouns

they are the nouns made of several words
apart from that they can belong to any other group mentioned here
they have special rules of creating the plural

abstract nouns intelligence-joy-relief

abstract nouns are usually uncountable and they behave as one
if you count them or use plural, you are referring to a particular instance(s)

We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them. (joys - the things that make us joyful)

concrete nouns the nouns that are referring to physical objects

they can be in any group said above except abstract

Some words can be observed as uncountable (hair) and behave as one, but if you use a they change the meaning. hair - strands growing on head or body, a hair - single strand growing on head or body (or found in a soup) However, you can see that a is used to restrict the occurrence to certain physics dimension. Not all uncountable words are capable to use a and to be counted. If they do they almost without an exception change the meaning, though sometimes the change is not very serious.

water is uncountable so the rules says no plural, but then you deprive yourself from some important possible usages or understanding

waters -

type(s) of mineral waters
all rivers that flow into a large river or cover certain region
drops
place(s) to practice water sports
the places covered with water on the Earth
an area, realm (it can lead us to unknown waters)
the water natural beauties like waterfall, cascades...
a spa
the water near the shore of region or country
a type of water coming from many different sources - toxic waters

a water -

a river or lake or any closed area covered with water
a small amount of water that was examined for purity
a drop

I hope you start getting the picture. However, before you go into this area more thoroughly, it is highly recommendable to follow the standard usage especially if you have kind of exam.

Now, back to your question.

The abstract nouns are usually regarded as uncountable, thus if you use the you mean of one particular occurrence.

That medicine is very good. The relief was immediate. (the relief: in my case, when I used it ...)