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[초급문법] UNIT 2.3 - Uncountable Nouns
최고관리자 | 14-05-10 16:26
13. Uncountable nouns (also known as non-count nouns or mass nouns)
A.
1. Names of substances considered generally:
bread cream gold paper tea
beer dust ice sand wafer
cloth gin jam soap wine
coffee glass oil stone wood
2. Abstract nouns:
advice experience horror pity
beauty fear information relief
courage help knowledge suspicion
death hope mercy work
3. Also considered uncountable in English:
baggage damage luggage shopping
camping furniture parking weather
These, with hair, information, knowledge, news, rubbish, are sometimes countable in other languages.
B. Uncountable nouns are always singular and are not used with a/an:
I don't want (any) advice or help. I want (some) information.
He has had no experience in this sort of work.
These nouns are often preceded by some, any, no, a little etc. or by nouns such as bit. piece, slice etc. + of:
a bit of news a grain of sand a pot of jam
a cake of soap a pane of glass a sheet of paper
a drop of oil a piece of advice
C. Many of the nouns in the above groups can be used in a particular sense and
are then countable and can take a/an in the singular. Some examples are given below.
hair (all the hair on one's head) is considered uncountable, but if we consider each hair separately
we say one hair, two hairs etc.:
Her hair is black. Whenever she finds a grey hair she pulls it out.
We drink beer, coffee, gin, but we can ask for a (cup of) coffee, a gin, two gins etc.
We drink out of glasses. We can walk in woods.
experience meaning 'something which happened to someone' is countable:
He had an exciting experience/some exciting experiences (= adventure/s) last week.
work meaning 'occupation/employment/a job/jobs' is singular:
He is looking/or work/for a job. I do homework.
She does housework.
But roadworks means 'repair of roads'.
works (plural only) can mean 'factory' or 'moving parts of a machine'.
works (usually plural) can be used of literary or musical compositions:
Shakespeare's complete works.
D. Some abstract nouns can be used in a particular sense with a/an, but in the singular only:
a help: My children are a great help to me. A good map would be a help.
a relief: It was a relief to sit down.
a knowledge + of: He had a good knowledge of mathematics.
a dislike/dread/hatred/horror/love + of is also possible: a love of music, a hatred of violence
a mercy/pity/shame/wonder can be used with that-clauses introduced by it:
It's a pity you weren't here. It's a shame he wasn't paid.
E. a fear/fears, a hope/hopes, a suspicion/suspicions
These can be used with that-clauses introduced by there:
There is a fear/There are fears that he has been murdered.
We can also have a suspicion that S + V
Something can arouse a fear/fears, a hope/hopes, a suspicion/suspicions.
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