Search results for 'tag:Plurals tag:Uncountable nouns' matching tags 'Plurals' and 'Uncountable nouns'

quoted content as noun - long question

Anonymous — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 05:20:11 GMT

Hi,
Please take a look at this.

... involved with modern, western "come every two hours and sit in the room."

I am pretty sure you can treat "come every two hours and sit in the room" like an uncountable noun.

Can I make it a countable noun like this?
Everyday, a "come every two hours and sit in the toom" of this 'no-worry', carefree dude is making a lot of people feel uneasy. -- countable by an instance?
A highly idiosyncratic "come every two hours and sit in the room" of this carefree dude is taking a heavey toll on my freetime. -- countable by a type?
If the above sentence doesn't look correct, can you give me a correct one where a quoted content is countable?

Can I make it plural?
This 'no-worry', carefree dude's 'come-every-two-hours-and-sit-in-the-room's' are making a lot of people feel uneasy.
If the above sentence doesn't look correct, can you give me a correct one where a quoted content is countable? Normally, I think either a hyphen or quotation marks are needed but to make it plural, can I use both?

If I added the word 'hours', is there any consideration to be given as to whether to put that word outside the quote or inside?

These 'come every two hours and sit in the room hours' are taking a toll on my freetime.

These 'come every two hours and sit in the room' hours are taking a toll on my freetime.

Re: creams and detergents

Goodman — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:19:09 GMT

Mr. Miclawer,

I wasnât going to expand this pluralization discussion on âcreamsâ and âwinesâ.
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 is another side of the usage
I am not aware of.
This is perhaps not relevant to the discussion but to establish my point, I think it needs
to be said. Mrs. Milton whom I learned English from was an excellent English teacher who
also had taught for 5 years at the Beijing University, which is a top University in China, by
invitation of the Government. Many of her students had landed positions working for the
Chinese Government and the U.N. as translators and interpreters. I was very blessed to be
among her students. Most of my English foundation was learned from her. And I was really
surprised to see your examples pluralizing âcreamâ and âwineâ. By your earlier examples, which I
compared with the information found on the WEB, I must ask this question. Am I to understand
that itâs completely grammatical to say in a restaurant âmay I have 2 waters and soups?â. I know
we hear that all the time but if we are discussing the whether a particular usage is grammatically
correct, running into this type of scenario is inevitable. Here are some âsupportsâ you had
asked for which may not may not be validated to your satisfaction. No doubt, you are the
English authority and perhaps possess âsuperiorityâ over many frequented this forum and I donât
mean to sound like challenging your examples, let alone to waste anymore of your time.
Nonetheless, as a serious learner, Iâd owe the real answers to myself and the learners if I just
accepted your answers as given. I may be wrong with my search result and you are correct.
And If so, here is my âadvanced apologyâ.

Nouns only countable nouns can be either singular or plural. ... He had some ice cream on
his face. He had an ice cream. mass. countable ...
www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/dick/tta/wc/nouns.htm - 21k - Cached - Similar pages

http://ajaja.paradoxinc.org/Basic/Grammar/CountAndNoncount.ht

Liquids: beer, milk, coffee, blood, cream, juice, honey, gasoline, oil, shampoo, soup, tea, water, wine.

Solids and semi-solids: Bread, butter, cheese, ice, ice cream, lettuce, toast, meat, beef, chicken, fish, ham, lamb, pork, chalk, 
copper, cotton, glass, gold, iron, , soap, tin, toothpaste, wood, wool,

http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/grammar/countnon.html

A Revision of the RulesThe exceptions require that the rule for pluralizing be revised: count nouns and nouns used 
in a count sense can be pluralized; noncount nouns and nouns used in a noncount sense cannot.

	Pluralizes with -s	Does not Pluralize
Count Noun	X
Count Use	X
Noncount Noun		X
Noncount Use		X

http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080425090142AAom2ui

Answers (4)

If coffee is an uncountable noun, cream certainly is by common sense. Thus the rule applies.

Â· Answerer 1

Many nouns can be used as countables or uncountables. It depends on whether you are thinking of a substance or
a single serving or object made of the substance. So:

Beer is fattening (uncountable - the substance)
Don't drink more than three beers a day. (Countable - servings)

I love chocolate (uncountable - the substance)
Get me a box of chocolates (countable - individual pieces)

A vase made of blown glass (uncountable - the substance)
A glass of wine (A single piece / artifact)

Coffee gives me indigestion (the substance - uncountable)
I need at least three coffees to wake up on a morning (countable - individual servings)

2 months ago

http://www3.law.cuny.edu/wc/students/multilingual/articles.html

Uncountable nouns often refer to drinks and food, other general substances, or concepts (meat, tea, steel, information, justice):

Examples of Uncountable Nouns in English:

Food and Drink: bacon, beef, beer, bread, butter, cabbage, candy, cauliflower, chicken, chocolate, coffee, corn,
cream, fish, fruit, juice, lettuce, meat, milk, oil, pasta, rice, salt, spinach, sugar, tea, water, whiskey, wine, yogurt.
General Substances: air,cement, clay, coal, copper, dirt, dust, foam, gasoline, gold, ice, leather, paper, petroleum,
plastic, rain, rubber, silver, soap, steel, wood, wool.
Abstract nouns: abandonment, access, adultery, advice, alimony, anger, anguish, arson, authentication, beauty, capacity,
conduct, confidence, courage, deprivation, desperation, discretion, employment, empowerment, evidence, extortion, fortune,
fun, happiness, health, honesty, housing, information, insurance, intelligence, intent, knowledge, land, love, malice, negligence,
poverty, privacy, real estate, sadness, satisfaction, strength, truth, wealth.
Others: biology, clothing, darkness, equipment, furniture, gossip, homework, jewelry, luggage, machinery, mail, money, music,
news, poetry, pollution, research, scenery, traffic, transportation, violence, weather, weight, work.

Some uncountable nouns (except for concepts) can be turned into countable nouns by preposing a phrase to them
(two bottles of wine, a bar of soap, a piece of information, an act of violence, a burst of anger, a piece of evidence).

e.g. The defendant's lawyer is sure the judge will accept new evidence in this case.

vs. The defendant's lawyer is sure the judge will accept three new pieces of evidence in this case.

Some uncountable nouns can be used in the plural, but their meaning changes:

experience / experiences: e.g., He had to rely on experience / I lived unforgettable experiences

Re: plural or singular

Mr Wordy — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:52:10 GMT

The price?? (prices??) of ~~the~~ domestic cars went up dramatically. ["the" is not always wrong here, but in most contexts it's not required.]

When talking about general market conditions, the price of cars is acceptable in my view. It's as if "cars" is treated as an uncountable noun (cf. the price of sugar) and it's imagined that there's a generic concept of "price" that somehow applies collectively to all cars. Similarly for other plural nouns: the price of bananas; the price of shoes etc.

In cases when it's clear that you must be referring to individual cars with individual prices, "prices" would be used. For example: I looked at the cars on that dealer's forecourt, but his prices are too high.

noun choice

Anonymous — Sat, 31 May 2008 00:08:50 GMT

Hi,

1. I feel tempted to use the plural "explanations" instead of the word use below, "explanation" although I feel it is used properly. Is this a case of perfectly good use of the word?

Please meditate according to the methods provided and then read the explanation in the book.

I think the use here the same kind as here:

The pencil is one instrument that a student must have to write on paper.

This doesn't seem to be definitional, so the phrase "a pencil" wouldn't be necessary if not incorrect, it seems.

2. The mixing or having a countable noun and an uncountable noun is what is troubling here. Does this happen often and is it correctly formed?

... provided false information regarding your credentials and experience, you will be ...

Re: Two years is a long time

Goodman — Thu, 01 May 2008 06:49:31 GMT

<<>> but just because they can [be] used in the singular or plural, depending on context, doesn't make them uncountable nouns.

Re: Two years is a long time

Yoong Liat — Thu, 01 May 2008 05:19:54 GMT

Pter
I believe they are countable nouns only if we are talking about multiple audiences or cabinets, otherwise, they are called collective nouns that can be either plural or singluar depending on the context. No?

... they are called collective nouns that can be either plural or singluar depending on the context.

I agree, but just because they can used in the singular or plural depending on context doesn't make them uncountable nouns.

Re: countable & uncountable...

Aperisic — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:51:26 GMT

countable is something you can count, as simple as that
countable nouns have plural form (unless they are plural already)

All nouns you've mentioned are usually uncountable, but some of them may have countable meaning. Before deciding if one noun is countable or uncountable you have to know its usage i.e. precise meaning. Most of the time a noun which is considered as uncountable by definition might have countable usage in which case it is usually a shortened version (a water = a drop of water)
Uncountable nouns are uncountable because they are rarely measured. as soon as the context is such that you suspect measurement, including counting, then you might have countable usage.

First, it is absolutely essential to learn what the primary meaning of each word is and if it is countable or not. Only then you can understand the nuisance of uncountable noun becoming countable. At school and courses they teach us only uncountable usage, so this part you have to do on your own and clearly distinguish the two.

If you see uncountable noun like

accommodation
advice
baggage
bread
equipment
furniture
garbage
information
knowledge
luggage
money
news
pasta
progress
research
travel
work

used in plural it is to display differences. Some of them however are very rarely used in plural and if they are they have very restricted usage like Unclaimed Moneys Guidelines.
Because of that at the beginning you should avoid using uncountable nouns as countable. But if you find it somewhere you should know that you should go a step deeper in your understanding of the sentence.

So again all your words are uncountable, and if anybody ever asks you if furniture is countable or not, please respond "uncountable" but...

UNCOUNT.
Soup in your plate.
COUNT.
I bought four soups (four concentrate packages)

UNCOUNT.
Food in your mouth.
COUNT.
Can you really compare Kraft foods with that of your mother?
(foods - a type of food like cakes... food with certain typical ingredients)

UNCOUNT.
Metal is usually very hard.
COUNT.
We have several metals in periodic table: Li, Na, K...

UNCOUNT.
You have jam on your cheek.
COUNT.
These two jams are strawberry and peach.

UNCOUNT.
It is cold, please, put some wood.
COUNT.
Tiger Woods
Glue that two woods together (two pieces of wood)

celta pre-interview :(help me please

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:27:46 GMT

Hello. I need some help with celta preinterview task. II know the mistakes,
however, I have no idea how to explain them easily. I'm new
to all teachers' world so please help me :( I've got some ideas for the answers but the biggest problem for me is to explain to students so they understand. could anyone help me please:(Each of the exchanges below contains a mistake. In each case:
a) indicate what the mistake is
b) write in the correct version in the box
c) write, in simple terms, an explanation that the student would understand

1) "I'd like some informations about your courses".
"Certainly, here's our brochure".
informations is a mistake. it is an uncountable noun and plural itself so we don't add "s" to the plural form.
2) "What does your teacher look like?"
"He looks like tall".
looks like is a mistake. we say he is tall. (no idea how to explain that)
3) "What did you do last night?"
"Oh, I watched a very bored programme on television".
bored is a mistake. we say boring. we use the present participle (don't know again)
4) "Why didn't you answer the telephone?"
"Because I had a bath".
I was having a bath..should be.. becase we say the reason?

Imagine you are teaching a multilingual group of 12 adult learners at BEGINNER level.
a)What problems might your students have in (i) understanding,
(ii) pronouncing and (iii) using these items?

i) I've got a headache. (have got..possession?)
ii) comfortable (pronouncing table(as an object of a classroom)
iii) What's the matter?(matter=issue?)

types

Believer — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:46:33 GMT

Hi,

I have not-so-easy times using the word 'types' in front of a countable noun and an uncountable noun.

There are two types of face: optimistic and pessimistic. -- I have difficulty with using the word 'types' with a countable noun. I think 'face' is used figuratively.

What do you think about these types of language. -- 'language' seems uncountable. Is it OK to use a plural word like 'types' in front of it? I feel like it has to be 'languages' since 'types' precedes it. Normally when we talk about types, I think an uncountable noun becomes countable.

Mistakes made by Chinese Learners

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:30:26 GMT

Hi everyone

I just wondered if anyone could help - I have to write a profile of a chinese learner of English (completely made up). In it I must put any difficulties that the learner has in learning English as an L2. I have got so far:

Intonation transfer from L1 may cause them to be perceived as rude/inconsiderate, more serious transfer may affect comprehensiveness.
No inflections in L1 - tenses difficult to learn in L2 as L1 has no true tenses and concept of time is expressed by adverbs/implicit or contextual assumptions.
Difficulty distinguishing [r] & - Does anyone know why this is as I can't find a reason?!!
Prepositions such as 'on', 'in' & 'at' have one chinese translation in many contexts, 'zai' - may be confused resulting in phrases such as 'on Taiwan' instead of 'in Taiwan'.
Use of awkward gerunds e.g. 'no noising', excessive use of verbs ending in 'ing' e.g. 'do not climbing', confusion of 'ed' & 'ing' verbs e.g. 'i am bored' vs 'i am boring' --- all of these errors occur because verbs are not conjugated in chinese, for tense or pronoun.
No equivalent word for 'the' so may be used excessively when not needed e.g. 'The China' or missed out when needed. May also be confused with 'a'/'an'.
Confusion over countable and uncountable nouns, use of 'how much?' vs 'how many?' - leads to phrases such as 'I want a soup' & 'a lot of shoe'. This is due to there not being plurals in chinese - no inflections.

Switching between 'he' & 'she' - Does anyone know why this is?

If anyone can think of anymore it would be greatly appreciated or if anyone knows the answers to my questions about gender switching and distinguishing [r] & this would also help a lot!!

Thank you in advance.

Shannon

Search results for 'tag:Plurals tag:Uncountable nouns' matching tags 'Plurals' and 'Uncountable nouns'

quoted content as noun - long question

Re: creams and detergents

Mr. Miclawer,

Nouns only countable nouns can be either singular or plural. ... He had some ice cream on his face. He had an ice cream. mass. countable ...www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/dick/tta/wc/nouns.htm - 21k - Cached - Similar pages

http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080425090142AAom2ui

Answers (4)

Re: plural or singular

noun choice

Re: Two years is a long time

Re: Two years is a long time

Re: countable & uncountable...

celta pre-interview :(help me please

types

Mistakes made by Chinese Learners

Nouns only countable nouns can be either singular or plural. ... He had some ice cream on
his face. He had an ice cream. mass. countable ...
www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/dick/tta/wc/nouns.htm - 21k - Cached - Similar pages