“Un-Countable Noun” — English Grammar
[joli-toc]
[su_dropcap style=”flat”] I[/su_dropcap]n a previous post — I explained what a “Countable” Noun is, and I also gave a brief explanation of “Un-Countable” Nouns (sometimes mistakenly referred to as “Non-Count Nouns”.) So now we’ll go more in-depth into that subject.
What Is An “Un-Countable Noun”?
“Ketchup” & “Mustard” are Un-Countable Nouns… Steven and his beard are not 😆
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]A[/su_dropcap]n “Un-Countable” Noun is a Noun that represents things which can not be counted as individual units. These are things such as: liquids, or anything which would be very difficult to count as individual units. They can also be “abstract” things like: Feelings, Thoughts, Emotions, or…
The word “Pile” is a “Countable” Noun. It is possible for there to be many “Piles”. This word “Pile” is used with the Quantifier, “One” — to describe How Many “Piles” there are. .
The word “Shit” is an Un-Countable Noun. It is not possible for there to be many “Shits” (at least it would not be grammatically correct to say that)
Since the word “Shit” is an “Un-Countable” Noun — the phrase: “one big pile of” — actually functions as a “Quantifying-Phrase”, which is used to refer to How Much “Shit” there is. (It should be obvious that “One Big Pile” is not a proper unit of measure.)
The Types Of Quantifiers Used With “Un-Countable” Nouns
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]T[/su_dropcap]o speak about Countable Nouns we can use Articles (a, an, & the), Numbers, and Direct or Indirect Pronouns (His, Her’s, This, That, etc.) in order to say, “how many”.
“That monkey just ran up and pulled that poor dog’s tail. And then, did a loop around that cable, before finally going back to grab one of its legs!”
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]H[/su_dropcap]owever — when we are speaking about “Un-Countable” Nouns — we have to use some sort of unit of measure (a glass of…, a bottle of…, 750 ml of wine.)
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]O[/su_dropcap]r we can use some other Determiner (a word which indicates specific information about the Noun) which MAY be much less exact and may be different for each individual. (However — you can see by the example of 750ml — it can also be very exact.)
For Example:
“Do I have any sand on my face?”
“Don’t worry, there’s plenty of room.”
“I’m experiencing a significant amount of pain.”
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]S[/su_dropcap]ince Wine, Sand, Room, & Pain are all “Un-Countable” Nouns — we use specific or general unit of measure “a glass of”, “a bottle of”, “750 ml of” — or Determiners like: “Any”, “Plenty of”, “a significant amount of” — to say, “How Much” of each thing.
For An Excellent Contrast Between “Countable” & “Un-Countable” Nouns — Watch The Video Below
[su_row][su_column size=”1/2″ center=”no” class=””]
“Countable” Nouns
One Man
A Big Smile
Three Hot-Dogs
A Few Hot-Dog Buns
About Four Or Five Lollipops
Only A Few Meatballs
A Million Little Sprinkles
…
…
And A Cherry
[/su_column] [su_column size=”1/2″ center=”no” class=””]
“Un-Countable” Nouns
A Bunch Of Cereal and Milk
A Huge Pile Of Ketchup & Mustard
Many Pieces Of Chopped Onion
A Bowl-Full Of Candy
A Monster Pile Of Spaghetti with Sauce
Some Big Chunks Of Parmesan Cheese
A Big Glop Of Chocolate Sauce
Some Ice-Cream
Some More Chocolate
A Bit Of Whipped Cream
[/su_column][/su_row]
And All That Means A Lot Of Awesomeness, Hilarity, And Joy!
(Three more Un-Countable Nouns)
[optin-monster id=”vxdqlrba8emkqvybzk7v”]
Have An Excellent Day!
😉
[su_spoiler title=”Explore GiveMeSomeEnglish!!!” icon=”caret” style=”fancy”]
– TOEFL Excellence – TOEFL iBT Training System –
– Grammar Portal – Lexis Portal – Pronunciation Portal – GMSE – TOEFL Portal – The Common Tongue Project –
– GiveMeSomeEnglish!!! – Main Portal –
[/su_spoiler]
[su_animate type=”slideInRight”]
Do You Want To “Achieve Excellence On The TOEFL iBT Exam”? Sign Up Below!!!
[/su_animate]
If You Would Like Help Preparing For The TOEFL Exam…
Sign Up For A “TOEFL Excellence” Training Course Here!!!
.
