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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 ...)

Re: Name of the Association

Mister Micawber — Sat, 28 Aug 2004 03:58:12 GMT

Perhaps one of you sent me this, or perhaps I have subscribed to this service and forgotten the fact, but at any rate the following serendipitiously arrived in my mailbox this morning:

Possessive vs. Attributive Nouns
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Which construction is correct in each of the following groups?

1. Fathersâ Day, Fatherâs Day, Fathers Day

2. Veteransâ Day, Veteranâs Day, Veterans Day

3. English Majorsâ Society, English Majorâs Society, English Majors Society

4. Bankersâ School, Bankerâs School, Bankers School

5. International Executivesâ Association, International Executiveâs Association, International Executives Association

To ask which construction is âcorrectâ in these groups is actually to pose a trick question: if these were not proper names, all of these choices could be grammatically correct depending on the context. Let's begin by examining how these phrases differ from one another:

--The first choice in each group is a plural noun in the possessive case (Fathersâ, Veteransâ, Majorsâ, Bankersâ and Executivesâ).

--The second choice in each group is a singular noun in the possessive case (Fatherâs, Veteranâs, Majorâs, Bankerâs, and Executiveâs).

--The third choice in each group uses a plural noun that is not a possessive. We refer to it as an _attributive_; that is, it functions as an adjective rather than as a noun in the possessive case.

To make the best choices in the five groups above, we must consider whether the possessive or the attributive is more appropriate and, if the possessive case is appropriate, whether the possessive noun ought to be a singular possessive or a plural possessive.

Unfortunately, one rule does not govern in all cases when it comes to deciding when to treat a noun as merely attributive and when to make it possessive. _The Chicago Manual of Style_ (15th ed.) admits that âthe line between a possessive or genitive form and a noun used attributivelyâas an adjectiveâis sometimes fuzzy, especially in the plural.â This style manual suggests that writers omit the apostrophe âin proper names (often corporate names) or where there is clearly no possessive meaningâ (p. 284):

_Publishers Weekly_
Diners Club
Department of Veterans Affairs

In deciding whether to use an apostrophe in such constructions, we cannot always depend on logic to lead us to the correct choice. For example, referring to the second Sunday in May as âMothersâ Dayâ would seem logical since we intend to honor all mothers and not simply one mother. But if we look up the phrase in _Merriam-Websterâs Collegiate Dictionary_ (11th ed.), we find that the noun âmotherâ is rendered as a singular possessive: âMotherâs Day.â Similarly, _Websterâs_ gives us âFatherâs Day,â not âFathersâ Day.â

_Websterâs_ also tells us that in the United States, November 11 is known as âVeterans Dayâ--plural, but not possessive. We might logically assume that we would render the name of a holiday honoring veterans in the same way we would render the name of a holiday honoring fathers or mothers, but once again logic will not lead us to the âcorrectâ construction. We must rely on a reputable dictionary to tell us what has become the acceptable form for commonly used proper names such as these. In other words, knowing the âcorrectâ form (apostrophe or no apostrophe) of widely used names means not that we follow a certain rule but that we determine what has become the conventional usage.

This issue arises particularly when we must render the titles or names of conventions, institutions, associations, societies, and the like (as in groups 3, 4, and 5 above), which we are not likely to find in any dictionary. Clearly, we cannot rely on logic alone to determine whether the possessive case is appropriate. And even if we do try to apply logic, sometimes it is unclear whether possession is indicated or not. In our third example above, for example, we could argue that the society *belongs to* a group of English majors (English Majorsâ Society), or we could say, simply, that it is an organization *for* them (English Majors Society).

In the absence of a ruling in a reputable dictionary, then, we have to find out how the organization itself handles its name in official publications. If an organization does not use the apostrophe in its name, then neither should we--even if we could argue logically that possession is indicated. We would not, therefore, use an apostrophe in âSouth Carolina Bankers School,â âTexas Classroom Teachers Association,â or âInternational Executives Associationâ because the organizations themselves do not do so. Likewise, even though the names "Randolph-Macon Woman's College" and "The Navy Enlisted Man's Club" may at first seem counterintuitive (neither of these institutions belongs to or serves only one woman or one man), we must nonetheless render the names exactly as the institutions do. We can find this information on an organizationâs Web site, its letterhead stationery, or other official literature it produces.

In situations where a new organization or conference is being created, the founders must decide how to handle the title. Most organizations omit the apostrophe and treat the noun as attributive rather than possessive, suggesting that the organization or conference does not *belong to* the group but exists to *serve* its members.

However, plural nouns that do not end in "s"--words such as "children," "women," and "men"--are almost always treated as possessives, no matter what the logic would be. We could argue, for example, that the Bakersville Childrenâs Home does not *belong* to the children but rather is *for* them. However, no one would consider writing âBakersville Children Home.â Likewise, the London Menâs Convention may more logically be *for* the men of London than belong *to* them, but âLondon Men Conventionâ would sound odd to most ears.

Thus, when you are confused about whether a noun in a title or proper name is attributive or possessive, follow these steps:

(1) See if the title or name appears in a reputable dictionary (as do âFatherâs Dayâ and âVeterans Day,â for example).

(2) If the name or title does not appear in the dictionary, check to see how the group or organization itself is rendering it.

(3) If the name or title in question is not well-enough established for a precedent to have been set in regard to its rendering, then make a decision based on logic (is possession clearly indicated?) and sound (would the phrase sound odd if the noun were not in the possessive case?).

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