Uncountable nouns

موضوع: Uncountable nouns الجمعة فبراير 08, 2008 12:32 pm

[- Uncountable nouns :
There are different kinds of uncountable nouns. They are as follows:
- Names of substances (materials, liquids…): flour, sugar, water, air …
- Collective nouns: furniture, equipment …
- Languages: Arabic, English, German …
- Activities and sports: tennis, football, swimming …
- Abstract nouns: hope, hunger, intelligence …

* Many uncountable nouns can be countable in certain contexts:
1- Uncountable nouns when we talk about the substance, material or abstract concept but countable in specific items: hair/ a hair, chalk/ a chalk, hope/ a hope…:
- There is chalk on the desk.
- There is a chalk in the pencil-case.
2- Some nouns which are uncountable when we talk about the material and countable when we refer to a specific thing have a particular meaning as countable nouns. For example, glass refers to a material. A glass refers to an item- that we drink from- which is made of glass. It does not refer to a piece of glass:
Wood/ a wood, cloth/ a cloth, paper/ a paper …
3- Some nouns which are usually uncountable can be countable when we refer to a particular variety:
Cheese/ a strong cheese, fruit/ a very sweet fruit …
4- In informal English, drinks and some types of food which are normally uncountable can be counted, particularly when we are making an order in a café or restaurant:
Tea/ three teas, coffee/ a coffee …
5- Some ‘ ing ‘ forms can be countable:
Painting/ a good painting, drawing/ a few drawings …

موضوع: رد: Uncountable nouns السبت مارس 08, 2008 8:55 pm