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

Re: Article usage: proper noun and uncountable noun correspondence?

Cool Breeze — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 08:57:58 GMT

1. It may be unwise to say that something can be done to all proper nouns in English because there seem to be so many exceptions to every rule. However, using a and the with proper nouns in certain contexts is normal. The of-genitive - or of structure - or whatever you prefer to call it often requires the:

the England of my dreams

An adjectival attribute is a common reason for a:

We saw a sad George Bush on television last night.

He wants to live in a different England.

2. The names of cemeteries are not listed in grammar books as requiring the. Moreover, it is normal that if a name is made up of a proper noun plus a common noun, no article is used:

Gatwick Airport, Oslo University, London Bridge, Westminster Abbey

Re: I will go for washroom afterwards

Jackson6612 — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:40:45 GMT

Grammar Geek

While a lot of food does have an uncountable sense (I like beef, I like watermelon), I don't find that "apple" is often use that way. If it were, you final Jane line would be "I love to eat apple", not apples.
When it is used as uncountable, it seems to be used more in the sense of flavor: You're eating a slice of pie and say "Oh, I can taste berries... and ... is that apple? Yes, I can taste apple and berries and a hint of lemon!"

However, you certainly get the countable/uncountable difference. And since you do, why did you think that "three washrooms" wasn't using washroom as a countable noun?

Hi Barbara,

I believe you meant to say foods. Right?

I was wrong then. Now it's obvious to me that washroom was used as a countable noun.

Can you do me two favors, please? First, please check the below Analysis for any mistakes. Second, please check my second post on the following page:
http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhyNoArticleHere/ggjmr/post.htm. I'm kinda stuck there.

Apple can either be countable or uncountable noun.

Analysis:

Jack: What did you eat?
Jane: I ate an apple.

Jane used apple as a countable noun. Jane would not say the apple because there was no need to restrict apple

Jack: Where did you get it from?
Jane: I ate the apple that was on the table.

Jane still used apple an a countable noun but now she used article the because she had to specify that where she got it from. So, she restricted that apple using the.

Jack: There were many apples on the table. How many did you eat?
Jane: I ate three apples.

Jane still used apple as a countable noun. She used three to denote the quantity of apples she ate. In a way three also restricted apple.

Jack: I think you really like apples.
Jane: I love to eat apples.

Both, Jack and Jane, used apple as an uncountable noun and there was no article used in front of apples because articles a or an cannot be used with an uncountable noun and there was no need to restrict apples using article the.

Is my analysis correct?

Re: I will go for washroom afterwards

Jackson6612 — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:27:57 GMT

Grammar Geek

I ate an apple. I ate the apple that was on the table. I ate three apples.

Do you really think the last one is wrong because "apple" is a countable noun? What role does "three" tell you in that sentence?

Apple can either be countable or uncountable noun.

Analysis:

Jack: What did you eat?
Jane: I ate an apple.

Jane used apple as a countable noun. Jane would not say the apple because there was no need to restrict apple

Jack: Where did you get it from?
Jane: I ate the apple that was on the table.

Jane still used apple an a countable noun but now she used article the because she had to specify that where she got it from. So, she restricted that apple using the.

Jack: There were many apples on the table. How many did you eat?
Jane: I ate three apples.

Jane still used apple as a countable noun. She used three to denote the quantity of apples she ate. In a way three also restricted apple.

Jack: I think you really like apples.
Jane: I love to eat apples.

Both, Jack and Jane, used apple as an uncountable noun and there was no article used in front of apples because articles a or an cannot be used with an uncountable noun and there was no need to restrict apples using article the.

Is my analysis correct?

Re: How much abstract an abstract noun is?

Cool Breeze — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:38:47 GMT

Clive
hi,what is use an abstract noun in a sentence
Please tell me an abstract noun. Then I can help you to use it in a sentence.

Hi Clive

I 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 be weighed: courage, happiness, absent-mindedness.

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: words like (Information)

Mr Wordy — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:43:47 GMT

These are often called "uncountable nouns" (or "mass nouns"). For example, you can count apples -- one apple, two apples, three apples -- but you can't count "informations". There are lots and lots of them in English. Some examples are at http://learning.cl3.ust.hk/english-grammar-guide/Nouns_and_Pronouns/noncount_nouns1x.htm. A longer list is at http://simple.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Mass_nouns. A definitive "complete" list is not feasible.

Edit: Note that a number of nouns can be countable or uncountable, depending on context. To pick an example at random, the Wiktionary list includes "change", which is uncountable in "change is a good thing", but countable in "we need to make some changes".

Re: noun

Clive — Wed, 14 May 2008 04:43:31 GMT

Hi,

1. I learned that we could use the word 'different' with an uncountable noun like 'different grammar'. Then, it is also known to me that we can't use the word 'several' with an uncountable noun. Going back to the word 'different', how possibly one's perception of the situation be different for the situation outlined with a variable noun, a noun that be both countable and uncontable.

We held different discussion on the topic and couldn't reach agreement. Don't say this.

We held different discussions on the topic and couldn't reach agreement. Say it this way.

2. Yesterday, I and my roommate went shopping together to buy soap and found there are a lot of varieties/brands of soap in stock at the market, After looking at the choices, we forewent with our ususal brand of soap and bought another brand.

I am at home and trying to wash my hands and found there isn't the soap we bought yesterday; and I told to my roommate this.

1. Hi, where is a soap we bought yesterday? I want to use it. -- Does this sound OK ? No.

OR does it have to be this?

2. Hi, where is another brand of soap we bought yesterday. I want to use it. No. Say it this way.

Hi, where is the other brand of soap we bought yesterday? I want to use it.

or more concisely,say

Hi, where is the other soap we bought yesterday?

Best wishes, Clive

Re: noun

Mister Micawber — Wed, 14 May 2008 04:41:12 GMT

1. I learned that we could use the word 'different' with an uncountable noun like 'different grammar' -- Right
Then, it is also known to me that we can't use the word 'several' with an uncountable noun.-- Right

We held different discussion on the topic and couldn't reach agreement. -- No, the grammar is not good-- by using 'hold' and 'different' here, you have made 'discussion' countable.
We held different discussions on the topic and couldn't reach agreement. -- OK

2. Yesterday, I and my roommate went shopping together to buy soap and found there are a lot of varieties/brands of soap in stock at the market, After looking at the choices, we forewent our usual brand of soap and bought another brand.

1. Hi, where is a soap we bought yesterday? I want to use it. -- Does this sound OK ? -- No; you only bought one kind yesterday: 'the soap'
2. Hi, where is another brand of soap we bought yesterday. I want to use it. -- No; you only bought one kind yesterday: 'the other brand of soap'

noun

Anonymous — Wed, 14 May 2008 04:22:42 GMT

Hi, I have two questions

We held different discussion on the topic and couldn't reach agreement.

We held different discussions on the topic and couldn't reach agreement.

I am at home and trying to wash my hands and found there isn't the soap we bought yesterday; and I told to my roommate this.

1. Hi, where is a soap we bought yesterday? I want to use it. -- Does this sound OK ?

OR does it have to be this?

2. Hi, where is another brand of soap we bought yesterday. I want to use it.

Re: slam [shut]

Takoyaki-English — Mon, 05 May 2008 10:20:55 GMT

New2grammar,

> Do you interpret gunfire as multiple individual gunshots?
Yes, because "gunfire" means "the repeated firing of guns; the sound of guns firing."

> Is it like bombing vs explosion where bombing is multiple explosions of bombs?
No. "Gunfire" is an uncountable noun, but "bombing" is a countable/uncountable noun.

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

Re: Article usage: proper noun and uncountable noun correspondence?

Re: I will go for washroom afterwards

Re: I will go for washroom afterwards

Re: How much abstract an abstract noun is?

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: words like (Information)

Re: noun

Re: noun

noun

Re: slam [shut]

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