I DIDN’T KNOW WHEN [b]TAX /bIS © AND WHEN IT IS (U)???
I wrote a page but I lost it. Somebody will you please to tell me when it is uncountable and when it is countable.
Many thanks:
Kati Svaby
carbohydrates b[/b]
bewilderment b/b= a feeling completely confused
They will look at you in bewilderment.
confusion can be © and (U)
confusionb[/b] = a feeling of embarrassment when you do not understand sth and are not sure what to do in a situation.
-He looked at me in confusion and did not answer the question.
-I felt confusion sweeping over him as he read the letter.
confusion b[/b]= a confused situation in which people do not know what action to take.
Fighting had broken out and all was chaos and confusion.
Her unexpected arrival threw us into total confusion.
confusion b (U)[/b]
1.a state of not being certain about what is happening, what you should do, what something means, etc
-a confusion as to what to do next
2.[uncountable, countable] confusion (between A and B)
the fact of making a mistake about who somebody is or what something is
To avoid confusion, please write the children’s names clearly on all their school clothes.
confusion between letters of the alphabet like ‘o’ or ‘a’
Non-count nouns = no article (Ø)
a. Temperature is measured in degrees.
b. Money makes the world go around.
Plural nouns = no article (Ø)
a. Volcanoes are formed by pressure under the earth’s surface.
b. Quagga zebras were hunted to extinction.
Singular nouns = the
a. The computer is a marvelous invention.
b. The elephant lives in family groups.
bootlicker (n) © = a person who is too friendly to sb in authority and always ready to do they want
bootlicking (U)= the process what booklickers do.
Uncountable noun:
An uncountable noun has only one form: rice, sand, music, money, luck, electricity,water, honey hair breadsugar
Non-count nouns = no article (Ø)
a. Our science class mixed boric acid with water today.
b. We serve bread and water on weekends.
we cant say one sand, two sands etc.
that’s why we say:
a bowl of rice
a piece of music
a drop of water
a game of tennis
we can say without any article
I eat rice every day.
There’s blood on your shirt.
Can you hear music?
Sugar isn’t very good for you.
We can say the same words with ‘the’ when we speak about a particular thing.
I am eating the rice what you left on the plate.
There is the blood of your friend on your shirt.
Can you hear the music in the film?
Can you pass the sugar, please?
Which is the difference when we speak about sth in general or particular
General without articles:
I like working with people.
Do you like coffee?
Particular:
I like the people I work with.
Did you like the coffee we had after our meal last night?
We say most people/most books/most cars/most tourists etc. (NOT the most people)
Many nouns can be used as countable or uncoutable nouns, usually with a difference in meaning.
For example:
a paper(c) = a newspaper
some paper b[/b] =(material for writing on)
a hair = one single hair
He has long hair.b[/b]
room (c) 7 aroom in a house
room b[/b] There isn’t room. = (space)
experiences (c)= things what happened with me
I had lot of experience.b[/b]= knowledge and skill
Have a good time! (c) =Enjoy yourself.
I haven’t got time. u[/u]
coffee/tea/bear/juice = are normally (U)
But restaurant you can say two coffees please.
With uncountable you can’t say an indefinite article. You NEVER say : a bread
You say : some bread,a loaf of bread, slice of bread
You cannot say a travel but you can say a journey
a job (C)…work (U)
a view (C)… scenery (U)
a nice day (c)…weather(u)
bags and cases (C) …luggage/baggage (U)
a good suggestion (C)…It was good advice.(U)
other uncountable nouns:
accommodation, advice, baggage, behaviour, bread, chaos, damage, furniture, information, luck, luggage, news, permission, progress, scenery, traffic, weather work.
Examples:
1.I am looking for furnished accommodation.
2. Follow your doctor’s advice.
3. Where we can put our baggage?
4. His behaviour towards me is very good.
5. I had to buy some bread.
6. There was total chaos on the streets.
7. The earthquake caused damage to the people.
8. We have no furniture.
9. I’ll give you plenty of information.
10. I had bad luck.
11. I didn’t have much luggage.
12. Bad news doesn’t make people happy.
13. You must ask for permission.
14. I made progress.
15. Do you enjoy the scenery?
16. Who likes the rush-hour traffic?
17. We had a very good weather.
18. He is looking for work.
Countable and uncountable nouns
1.I have to buy some paint. I want to change the color of my bedroom walls. This is a non-count noun.
Correct answer: (b) paint
2.I think we need to use some wood glue on that chair. This is a sticky adhesive that is used to hold things together. This is a non-count noun.
Correct answer: (a) glue
3.I am watching my favorite program on my television. This is a count noun.
Correct answer: © television
Your answer was: correct
4.Coal is a valuable resource and is a fossil fuel. This is a non-count noun.
Correct answer: © Coal
5.I have a flat tire. I have to buy a new one. This is a count noun.
Correct answer: (d) tire
6.I saw a lot of lightning during the thunderstorm last night. All of the bolts seemed nearby and that was kind of scary. This is a non-count noun.
Correct answer: (b) lightning
7.We live in a rainforest region, so there is a lot of dew on the ground every morning. This is a non-count noun.
Correct answer: (b) dew
8.I have to buy some allergy pills because there is a lot of pollen in the air at this time of year. This is a count noun.
Correct answer: (d) pills
9.The police officers used tear gas on the violent protesters. This is a non-count noun.
10.I want to polish my toe nails tonight. I think I’m going to use a bright, red color on my feet. This is a count noun.
Correct answer: (b) nails
Count and non count nouns
1.There is a lot of smoke coming out of that building. I think there’s a fire! This is a non-count noun.
Correct answer: (d) smoke
2.I like to use maple syrup on my pancakes. It’s delicious. This is a non-count noun.
Correct answer: (b) syrup
Your answer was: correct
Translate sentence or define “syrup”
3.I usually make gravy when I roast a turkey. This is a non-count noun.
Correct answer: (d) gravy
4.I need one more suitcase. I will be taking two of these on my trip to Mexico. This is a count noun.
Correct answer: (a) suitcase
5.I want to climb that large mountain. Do you think I can do it? This is a count noun.
Correct answer: © mountain
6.I just bought my husband a new, leather wallet for his birthday. This is a count noun.
Correct answer: (d) wallet
- Some people say that laughter is the best medicine. This is a non-count noun.
Correct answer: (a) laughter
8.My grandfather is full of wisdom. He is very knowledgeable and I like him a lot. This is a non-count noun.
Correct answer: © wisdom
9-I want to go on that roller coaster. I love coming to the fair because of all the rides! This is a count noun.
Correct answer: (b) roller coaster
10.You have to ask your mother for permission before you can come camping with our family. You can come if she says it’s OK with her. This is a non-count noun.
Correct answer: (a) permission
COUNT AND NON-COUNT NOUNS.
1.There was a lot of applause at the Broadway show last week. People were very happy with the performance. This is a non-count noun.
Correct answer: (d) applause
2.I want to have some fun this weekend. Let’s go to the city! This is a non-count noun.
Correct answer: (b) fun
3.I have one dog and two cats. This is a count noun.
Correct answer: (d) cats
- Ryan got into trouble at school again this week. I don’t know what to do about his bad behavior lately. This is a non-count noun.
Correct answer: © trouble
5.Can you give me more information regarding the cell phone plan? I’m not sure if I want to buy a cell phone yet. This is a non-count noun.
Correct answer: (d) information
Your answer was: correct
6.The little girl had two braids in her hair. This is a count noun.
Correct answer: (a) braids
7.There is a lot of sand at the beach. This is a non-count noun.
Correct answer: © sand
8.I want to paint two walls in this room. This is a count noun.
Correct answer: (a) walls
9.Children have a lot of curiosity. They also have a lot of questions. This is a non-count noun.
Correct answer: (d) curiosity
10.My husband wears a suit to work every day. This is a count noun.
Correct answer: (b) suit
Countable/Uncountable Sorting Game 10
Countable Uncountable
adjective…comprehension
cashier…evidence
dimension…intelligence
linguist…obesity
translation…publicity
universe…wisdom
Countable:
1.‘Reliable’ is not an adjective that could be applied to my car.
2.A cashier is a person whose job is to receive and pay out money in a bank, shop/store, hotel, etc.
3,Computer design tools that work in three dimensions
4.She’s an excellent linguist.
5.The idea of a parallel universe is hard to grasp.
uncountable
1.His behaviour was completely beyond comprehension (= impossible to understand).
2.I was asked to give evidence (= to say what I knew, describe what I had seen, etc.) at the trial.
3.He didn’t even have the intelligence to call for an ambulance.
4.Obesity can increase the risk of heart disease.
5.There has been a great deal of publicity surrounding his disappearance.
6.a woman of great wisdom/ words of wisdom
-I question the wisdom of giving a child so much money.
Uncountable noun:
computing NOUN b[/b]
the fact of using computers
-to work in computing
-to study computing
-educational/network/scientific computing
-computing power/services/skills/systems
chastity NOUN (U) =the state of not having sex with anyone or only having sex with the person you are married to; being chaste
-vows of chastity (= those taken by some priests)
chastisement NOUN (U)
1.
severe criticism; a rebuke or strong reprimand.
2.
corporal punishment; a beating.
certitude NOUN © (U)= a feeling of being certain; a thing about which you are certain
-‘You will like Rome,’ he said, with absolute certitude. (U)
the collapse of moral certitudes ©
incertitude est le contrary de la certitude, c’est-à-dire le fait de ne pas être sûr de quelque chose.
Le calcul d’erreur, ou calcul d’incertitudes est un ensemble de techniques permettant d’estimer l’erreur faite sur un résultat numérique, à partir des incertitudes ou des erreurs faites sur les mesures qui ont conduit à ce résultat.
certainty NOUN
ˈsɜːtnti ˈsɜːrtnti
plural certainties
1 [countable]
a thing that is certain
political/moral certainties
Her return to the team now seems a certainty.
2 [uncountable]
the state of being certain
There is no certainty that the president’s removal would end the civil war.
I can’t say with any certainty where I’ll be next week.
uncertainty NOUN (U) ©
plural :uncertainties
1 [uncountable]
the state of being uncertain
-There is considerable uncertainty about the company’s future.
-He had an air of uncertainty about him.
2 [countable]
something that you cannot be sure about; a situation that causes you to be or feel uncertain
-life’s uncertainties
-the uncertainties of war
gratitude NOUN (U)=the feeling of being grateful and wanting to express your thanks
-He smiled at them with gratitude.
gratitude (to somebody) (for something)
- I would like to express my gratitude to everyone for their hard work.
-She was presented with the gift in gratitude for her long service.
a deep sense of gratitude
-I owe you a great debt of gratitude (= feel extremely grateful).
OPPOSITE ingratitude
ingratitude NOUN (U)=the state of not feeling or showing that you are grateful for something
-Her help was met with ingratitude and unkindness.
OPPOSITE gratitude
fortitude NOUN (U)
courage shown by somebody who is suffering great pain or facing great difficulties
SYNONYM bravery, courage
-She endured her illness with great fortitude.
bravery NOUN ©
ˈ
SYNONYM courage
-an award for outstanding bravery
-acts of skill and bravery
courage NOUN (U) =the ability to do something dangerous, or to face pain or opposition, without showing fear
SYNONYM bravery
-He showed great courage and determination.
-I haven’t yet plucked up the courage to ask her.
-moral/physical courage
-courage in the face of danger
I found two sentences on the Google where fish id written ‘a fish’
[b]baloney/b(U)nonsense; lies
-Don’t give me that baloney!
[b]chickenshit/b(U)=nonsense
[b]claptrap/b(U)= stupid talk that has no value
Double Dutch (jump rope), A game of jump rope with two ropes, two rope turners and at least one jumper.
Double Dutch, a description of hard to understand language and a language game; both primarily used in English:
[b]drivel/b (U) informal, disapproving) silly nonsense
-How can you watch that drivel on TV?
-a novel full of romantic drivel
[b]flummery/b (U) nonsense, especially praise that is silly or not sincere
-She hated the flummery of public relations.
nonsense (n) © (U)
1 [uncountable, countable]
ideas, statements or beliefs that you think are ridiculous or not true
SYNONYM rubbish
Reports that he has resigned are nonsense.
-You’re talking nonsense!(U)
-‘I won’t go.’ ‘Nonsense! You must go!’ (U)
-It’s nonsense to say they don’t care.(U)
-The idea is an economic nonsense.©
-Ministers have dismissed the rumours of a bribery scandal as nonsense.(U)
2 [uncountable]
silly or unacceptable behaviour
The new teacher won’t stand for any nonsense.
I can’t wait for this nonsense to end so that we can all be friends again.
see also no-nonsense
3 [uncountable]
spoken or written words that have no meaning or make no sense
a book of children’s nonsense poems
Most of the translation he did for me was complete nonsense.
IDIOMS
make (a) nonsense of something
to reduce the value of something by a lot; to make something seem ridiculous
-If people can bribe police officers, it makes a complete nonsense of the legal system.
-The unemployment figures make nonsense of talk of an economic recovery.
[b]guff/b(U)= ideas or talk that you think are stupid
SYNONYM nonsense
-He gave me a load of guff about how his wife didn’t understand him.
[b]hokum/b (U)
ideas or talk that you think are stupid
SYNONYM nonsense
He gave me a load of guff about how his wife didn’t understand him.
hooey(n)(U)= nonsense; stupid talk
jazz (n)(U) =[uncountable] a type of music with strong rhythms, in which the players often improvise (= make up the music as they are playing), originally created by African American musicians
a jazz band/club
traditional/modern jazz
jazz musicians
see also acid jazz
IDIOMS
and all that jazz (informal) and things like that
How’s it going? You know—love, life and all that jazz.
[b]lingo/b(U[singular] (informal)
1
a language, especially a foreign language
He doesn’t speak the lingo
.
2 (especially North American English)
expressions used by a particular group of people
SYNONYM jargon
baseball lingo
malarkey NOUN
[uncountable] (informal, disapproving)
=behaviour or an idea that you think is nonsense or has no meaning
mumbo jumbo NOUN
[uncountable] (informal, disapproving)
language or a ceremony that seems complicated and important but is actually without real sense or meaning; nonsense
-religious/medical/bureaucratic mumbo jumbo
-I won’t have anything to do with spiritualism, ghosts and all that mumbo jumbo.
patter NOUN
1 [singular] the sound that is made by something repeatedly hitting a surface quickly and lightly
the patter of feet/footsteps
the patter of rain on the roof
2 [uncountable, singular] fast continuous talk by somebody who is trying to sell you something or entertain you
-sales patter
pitch NOUN
for sport
1 (British English) (also field North American English, British English) [countable] an area of ground specially prepared and marked for playing a sports game
-a football/cricket/rugby pitch
-The rugby tour was a disaster both on and off the pitch.
-After the game fans invaded the pitch.
of sound
2 [singular, uncountable] how high or low a sound is, especially a musical note
-A basic sense of rhythm and pitch is essential in a music teacher.
see also perfect pitch
degree/strength
3 [singular, uncountable] the degree or strength of a feeling or activity; the ----highest point of something
-a frenetic pitch of activity
-Speculation has reached such a pitch that a decision will have to be made immediately.
see also fever pitch
to sell something
4 [countable, usually singular] talk or arguments used by a person trying to sell things or persuade people to do something
-an aggressive sales pitch
-the candidate’s campaign pitch
-Each company was given ten minutes to make its pitch.
in baseball
5 [countable] an act of throwing the ball; the way in which it is thrown
black substance
6 [uncountable] a black sticky substance made from oil or coal, used on roofs or the wooden boards of a ship to stop water from coming through
in street/market
7 [countable] (British English) a place in a street or market where somebody sells things, or where a street entertainer usually performs
of ship/aircraft
8 [uncountable] (technical) the movement of a ship up and down in the water or of an aircraft in the air
compare roll noun (5)
of roof
9 [singular, uncountable] (technical) the degree to which a roof slopes
IDIOMS
make a pitch for somebody/something| make a pitch to somebody
to make a determined effort to get something or to persuade somebody of something
-He made a pitch to black voters in Alabama.
shit EXCLAMATION
(taboo, slang) a swear word that many people find offensive, used to show that you are angry or annoyed
-Shit! I’ve lost my keys!
HELP Less offensive exclamations to use are blast, darn it (especially North American English), damn or (British English) bother.
shit bird
A funny way of addressing your friends. It means whatever you want it to mean.
-Hey shit bird, how the fuck are you??
I found two sentences on the Google where fish id written ‘a fish’
Some nouns which can be U nouns and C nouns but their meaning change. There are countless, almost 80 % of the nouns can be U and C nouns, but THEIR MEANING changes. If they are basic foodstuffs or other piece of material they are U nouns.
paper
chocolate
chicken
glass
coffee
The same noun when they C nouns their meanings change.
Chocolates
papers
coffees
glasses
chickens
experience(U)= the process of gaining through doing sth/ the things that have happened to me that influence the way I think and behave
Experience has taught me that life can be very unfair.
experience©= an event or activity that affects me in some way an enjoyable/exciting/unusual/unforgettable/etc, experience.
Living in America is very different of living at home and quite an experience. (unusual for us)
hair (U)= a mass of fine threads growing especially on the head-fair hair/dark hair
hair (C)=only one single hair - There is a hair in my soup.
room(U)= empty place - Is there room for me here?
room(C) = a part of the building How many rooms do you have?
work(U)=the job that sb does He is in work.= He has a job, -He started work as a teacher,
work(C)= a book/ a piece of music/ a painting
Rembrandt’s works/ Shakespeare’s works/ Michelangelo’s works
life (U)-human life/ animal life/ life and death/He showed no sign of life /I risked my life/the doctors brought me back to life, the flood caused loss of life.He risked his life the doctors saved my life.
I lived here all my life.
life b [/b]= to have a long/short life/ company has a limited life/He has a good life/a hard life/ an easy life ; My day-to-day life is not very exciting./a life of luxury/ start a new life/She has a full social life/magazine about love lives of the stars
wildness (U) always (U)
Hello Bez,
When I am writing and I see a word whether it is U or C most words are both. Most times I have no time to write the word in this thread . Because there are incredibly a lot of words which are U. Now I began to collect them, but it is also unsuccessful for me, because my copy-book isn’t there. It would be correct if I wrote the meaning of both form. But this is impossible.
A propos: in Hungarian impossibility is uncountable noun but we have to control in English: impossibility(n) [uncountable, countable, usually singular] plural: impossibilities
I thought that it is a big help for me to know the uncountable forms and if somebody doubt it he/she control the dictionary and he/she can see that what it means if it is a countable noun.
In my copy book there are only:
uproar b(sing)[/b]=a situation in which people shout and make a lot of noise because they are angry or upset about something
-The room was in (an) uproar.
-Her comments provoked (an) uproar from the audience.
-We could no longer hear him above the uproar.
It is interesting that according to the Oxford D. is b[/b]+b[/b] this can mean that we can use an indefinite aricle but plural never.
inability (U)+(sing) =inability (to do something)
the fact of not being able to do something
the government’s inability to provide basic services
Some families go without medical treatment because of their inability to pay.
The other interesting thing that I thought ability is also uncountable, but NOT. I looked up and I saw the next.
ability (n)
plural :abilities
1 [singular] ability to do something=
the fact that somebody/something is able to do something
The system has the ability to run more than one program at the same time.
Everyone has the right to good medical care regardless of their ability to pay.
A gentle form of exercise will increase your ability to relax.
(OPPOSITE :inability)
2 ability[countable, uncountable]
=a level of skill or intelligence
Almost everyone has some musical ability.
He was a man of extraordinary abilities.
students of mixed abilities
A woman of her ability will easily find a job.
I try to do my job to the best of my ability (= as well as I can).
So I think it is one of the most difficult things in English.
Regards:
Kati
a fish = one fish.
Yes, you are right. But I really found the Einstein: …but if you judge a fish…Probably he thought one fish.
But I met another one and I believed that I won’t forget it,but I’ve forgotten. Maybe I will bump into it once again.
This refers to any single unspecified fish.
Yes, Bez, I several times met this definition that an indefinite article before "fish’ or plural ‘fishes’ can mean the unspecified fish.
This disturbed me, how to know about one fish whether it is unspecified or specified. When this question came up, I met a rule that in most case we never say a fish, the unspecified fish that live in the oceans and they are usually swimming together we can say about unspecified because we see swimming in groups a large number of fish= fishes
So I calmed down that I got something.
I think that Einstein could say a fish…because he could say what he wanted, his cleverness gave right to express himself in a not-scientific philosophizing saying to his liking.
I put here not as an example against the grammar rules but as a thing of interest.
Regards.
Kati