Article: singular/plural of nouns

[Hs1]

@Alan

Hi Phoo,

I think you need to forget whether the noun is abstract or concrete. The important thing is the meaning of the word. Time is an uncountable noun in this sense: Time goes by very quickly on holiday. In this sentence with the meaning of appointment, it is countable: The doctor can see you at a time to suit you. The best time is in the afternoon.In your sentence:

“A tire company has many tires in its storehouse,
one day the storehouse was burnt down because of a terrible fire.
People saw much tire remain at the site after the incident.”

In the first sentence we are talking about different/individual tyres -A tire company has many tires.

In the other sentence: People saw much tire remain at the site after the incident." we are not talking about individual tyres but tyre material (mainly rubber).

Again I could say: Fear is something people try to control used in an uncountable way. But I can say: A lot of people experience fears (emotions of being afraid) that are unfounded. And in that sentence it is countable.

Alan

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I can distinguish this “tire” in this context becuase “tire” has different meanings. The first means a part in vehicles and second means a type of material. This is not so difficult for me. I give the following examples:

This student has technique to do experiments.
This student has techniques to do experiments.
This student has the technique to experiments.
This student has the technique to solve this problems.
This new building is full of new technique.
This new building is full of new techniques.
Today, very country realizes the importance of new technique.

Can Alan help to comment the above sentences? Which is correct and why?

[Hs1]

This come from Alan’s web:
Before a noun made definite by the addition of a phrase or clause.
“The woman dressed in black.”

I understand that “woman” in this sentence is made definite and “woman” is a countable noun. If I want to express the concept: all women who wear black clothes. should I say " the women dressed in black" or “women dressed in black”

I want to give another example: the water in the cup. Here, “water” is made definite by “the cup”. How about this example: water in seas or water in rivers. Should I say " the water in seas or the water in rivers"? Can I say “seas” or “rivers” make “water” definite?