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CHAPTER 16. UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS |
Some English nouns usually cannot form a plural or be preceded by
a,
an or a number. Because they usually cannot be preceded by a number,
such nouns can be referred to as
uncountable. English uncountable
nouns include:
a) nouns naming intangible things which normally cannot be counted:
e.g. honesty
courage
impatience
b) nouns naming tangible things which are thought of as substances:
e.g. butter
milk
sand
c) nouns naming groups of things which in English are referred to collectively:
e.g. furniture
luggage
news
d) names of languages:
e.g. English
German
Spanish
An uncountable noun takes a singular verb.
e.g. Honesty
is a virtue.
Butter
tastes good.
Furniture
was provided.
1. The absence of a determiner before uncountable nouns
a. Making a general statement
In general statements, uncountable nouns are usually not preceded by
determiners. The uncountable nouns in the following general statements
are underlined.
e.g.
Information is often valuable.
Butter is fattening.
Courage and
honesty are admirable qualities.
Sunlight and
water are usually required for plants to grow.
b. Referring to something not mentioned before
In descriptions, uncountable nouns are generally not preceded by a
determiner when naming something which has not been referred to
previously.
e.g.
Rain was forecast for the next day.
However,
thunder and
lightning were not expected.
Our breakfast consisted of
bread, honey and
marmalade.
In these examples, the uncountable nouns
rain,
thunder,
lightning,
bread,
honey and
marmalade are not preceded by determiners. It is
assumed that the things referred to by these nouns have not been
mentioned previously.
See
Exercise 1.
2. The use of The before uncountable nouns
a. Referring to something mentioned before
The is used with uncountable nouns referring to things previously
mentioned.
e.g. We were served
bread and
cheese.
The bread was somewhat stale, but
the cheese was delicious.
Gold was discovered in the Klondike.
The gold attracted thousands
of prospectors.
Furniture and
clothing are being sold at the flea market.
The furniture is reasonably priced, and
the clothing is cheap.
In these examples, the first time the uncountable nouns
bread,
cheese,
gold,
furniture and
clothing are used, they are not
preceded by determiners, because the things referred to have not been
mentioned previously. The second time these nouns are used, they are
preceded by
the, since the things referred to have already been
mentioned.
See
Exercise 2.
b. Referring to something when it is considered obvious what is meant
The is used with uncountable nouns when the speaker or writer
considers it obvious which particular thing is meant.
e.g.
The weather is fine.
The butter is hard.
The music is too loud.
The expression
the weather usually refers to the local weather. The
expression
the butter could refer to butter which one plans to use,
and the expression
the music could refer to music which is playing
nearby.
The is often used before uncountable nouns followed by descriptive
phrases, since such phrases tend to make it clear to which particular
things the uncountable nouns are referring.
e.g.
The warmth of the sun causes water to evaporate.
The coal mined in Germany is used in making steel.
The milk which they produce is marketed locally.
In the first sentence,
the is used with the uncountable noun
warmth,
since the phrase
of the sun specifies what warmth is meant. In the
second sentence,
the is used with the uncountable noun
coal, since
the phrase
mined in Germany specifies which particular coal is meant.
In the third sentence,
the is used with the uncountable noun
milk,
since the phrase
which they produce makes it clear which particular
milk is meant.
As shown in the following table, the absence of a determiner and the use
of
the before uncountable nouns follows a pattern similar to the absence
of a determiner and the use of
the before plural countable nouns.
The absence of a determiner and the use of The before uncountable nouns
| Use | Uncountable Nouns |
| Making a general statement | no determiner |
| Something not mentioned before | no determiner |
| Something mentioned before | the |
| When it is obvious what is meant | the |
3. The use of uncountable nouns to refer to individual things
Uncountable nouns can be used to refer to individual things by being
preceded by a countable noun and the word
of. For example:
| Uncountable Noun | Referring to an Individual Thing |
| information | a piece of information |
| wheat | a grain of wheat |
| milk | a glass of milk |
| sunlight | a patch of sunlight |
The countable nouns may, of course, be put into the plural. For example:
| Singular | Plural |
| one piece of information | two pieces of information |
| one grain of wheat | three grains of wheat |
| one glass of milk | four glasses of milk |
| one patch of sunlight | five patches of sunlight |
In sentences such as the following, it is the countable noun which is
the subject of the verb.
e.g. Fifty
grains of wheat
are required.
Two
glasses of milk
are enough.
In the above examples, the plural countable nouns
grains and
glasses
each take the plural verb
are.
In English, the names of games are usually uncountable nouns.
e.g. He plays
hockey.
Chess is a challenging game.
When it is desired to refer to individual games, the word
game must
usually be used. For example:
| Uncountable Noun | Referring to an Individual Thing |
| chess | a game of chess |
| hockey | a game of hockey or a hockey game |
See
Exercise 3.
4. Nouns which can be either countable or uncountable
Many English nouns are used sometimes as countable nouns and sometimes
as uncountable nouns. Nouns which can be either countable or uncountable
include nouns which may have different shades of meaning; normally
uncountable nouns which are used to refer to types of things; and a
few nouns which refer to places used for specific activities.
a. Differences in meaning
Many nouns are uncountable when they refer to something as a substance
or a concept, but are countable when they refer to an individual thing
related to the substance or concept. For instance,
cake is used as an
uncountable noun when referring to cake as a substance, but is used as a
countable noun when referring to individual cakes.
e.g.
Cake and ice cream is my favorite dessert.
This afternoon we baked two
cakes.
In the first sentence
cake is an uncountable noun, and in the second
sentence
cakes is a countable noun.
Similarly,
life is used as an uncountable noun when referring to life
as an abstract concept, but is used as a countable noun when referring
to individual lives.
e.g.
Life is full of surprises.
It was feared that two
lives had been lost.
In the first sentence
life is an uncountable noun, and in the second
sentence
lives is a countable noun.
b. Referring to a type of something
An uncountable noun can be used as countable noun when it refers to a
type of something.
e.g. He has
an honesty which is rare nowadays.
The
wheats of Canada differ from those of India.
In the first sentence, the usually uncountable noun
honesty is used
with
an as a countable noun to refer to a type of honesty. In the
second sentence, the usually uncountable noun
wheat is used as a
countable noun in the plural to refer to types of wheat.
c. Referring to places used for specific activities
A few nouns referring to places used for specific activities can be
either countable or uncountable. These nouns are used as uncountable
nouns when referring to places as locations where specific activities
are carried out, but are used as countable nouns when referring to the
places as objects. In the following pairs of sentences, the words
bed and
church are used first as uncountable nouns, and then as
countable nouns.
e.g. Because I was tired, I stayed in
bed.
Please help me to move
the bed.
She goes to
church.
She likes to photograph
churches.
In the first pair of sentences,
stayed in bed refers to the activity
of resting in bed; whereas
move the bed refers to a bed as an object.
In the second pair of sentences,
goes to church refers to the activity
of taking part in church services; whereas
likes to photograph churches
refers to churches as objects.
Nouns which are used in this way include:
| bed | home | sea |
| church | hospital | town |
| college | prison | university |
| court | school | |
d. Names of meals
Similarly, the word
television and the names of meals such as
breakfast,
lunch,
dinner and
supper are used as uncountable nouns when it is
desired to emphasize the activity being carried out.
e.g. They are watching
television.
We are eating
breakfast.
See
Exercise 4.
5. Infinitives used in the place of nouns
Infinitives are sometimes used in the place of nouns.
e.g.
To ski well is one of my goals.
They plan
to call us.
In the first sentence, the infinitive
to ski performs the function of
a noun, since it is the subject of the verb
is. In the second
sentence, the infinitive
to call performs the function of a noun,
since it is the object of the verb
to plan. These infinitives also
function as verbs, since
to ski is described by the adverb
well, and
to call takes the object
us.
Like an uncountable noun, an infinitive which is the subject of a verb
takes a singular verb. Unlike an uncountable noun, an infinitive
usually cannot be preceded by the word
the.
6. Gerunds
Present participles are often used in the place of nouns. A present
participle used in the place of a noun is usually referred to as a
gerund. In the following sentences, the gerunds are underlined.
e.g.
Skating is good exercise.
They like
jogging.
In the first sentence,
skating is the subject of the verb
is. In
the second sentence,
jogging is the object of the verb
like.
A gerund can perform the functions of a noun and a verb at the same time.
e.g.
Riding a bicycle is good exercise.
They like
playing hockey.
In the first sentence, the gerund
riding functions as a noun, since it
is the subject of the verb
is; and also functions as a verb, since it
takes the object
bicycle. In the second sentence, the gerund
playing
functions as a noun, since it is the object of the verb
like; and
also functions as a verb, since it takes the object
hockey.
In their role as nouns, gerunds are sometimes regarded as uncountable
nouns. Like an uncountable noun, a gerund which is the subject of a
verb takes a singular verb. Also, like an uncountable noun, a gerund
can be preceded by
the when referring to a particular thing or to
something previously mentioned.
e.g.
The skiing was excellent.
He went hunting.
The hunting was good.
In the first example,
the skiing could refer to skiing done at a
particular place. In the second example,
the hunting refers to the
hunting mentioned in the previous sentence.
7. Specific verbs followed by infinitives and gerunds
a. Verbs followed by infinitives
Many English verbs can be followed by an infinitive. In the following
examples, the verbs are underlined, and the infinitives are printed in
bold type.
e.g. They
want to succeed.
He
hopes to travel next year.
The following verbs can take an infinitive as an object, but cannot take
a gerund as an object:
| agree | demand | learn | promise |
| appear | deserve | manage | refuse |
| arrange | expect | mean | seem |
| ask | fail | need | tend |
| claim | forget | offer | threaten |
| consent | hesitate | plan | wait |
| dare | hope | prepare | want |
| decide | intend | pretend | |
Other examples of the use of infinitives with these verbs are:
They
agreed to come.
He
expected to win.
She
managed to keep the secret.
We
pretended to agree with them.
b. Verbs followed by either infinitives or gerunds
Some English verbs can be followed either by an infinitive or by a
gerund. In the following examples, the verbs are underlined, and the
infinitives and gerunds are printed in bold type.
e.g. I
like to fish.
I
like fishing.
She
prefers to ride a bicycle.
She
prefers riding a bicycle.
The following verbs can take either an infinitive or a gerund as an
object:
| attempt | like |
| begin | love |
| cease | prefer |
| commence | propose |
| continue | start |
| hate | try |
c. Verbs followed by gerunds
Other English verbs can be followed by a gerund, but cannot be followed
by an infinitive used as an object. In the following examples, the verbs are underlined,
and the gerunds are printed in bold type.
e.g. They
disliked waiting.
It
stopped raining.
The following verbs can take a gerund as an object, but cannot take an
infinitive as an object:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| keep | appreciate | admit | avoid | complete |
| practise | deplore | anticipate | defer | finish |
| risk | detest | consider | delay | quit |
| | dislike | deny | escape | stop |
| | dread | discuss | miss | |
| | enjoy | mention | postpone | |
| | loathe | recall | | |
| | mind | recommend | | |
| | regret | suggest | | |
| | resent | | | |
| | resist | | | |
| | tolerate | | | |
It should be noted that many of the verbs listed above have similar
meanings. The second column contains verbs which express feelings about
doing something; many of the feelings are negative. The third column
contains verbs which refer to thoughts about doing something. The
fourth column contains verbs which refer to negative actions with
respect to doing something. The fifth column contains verbs which refer
to ceasing to do something.
Other examples of the use of gerunds with these verbs are:
I
kept calling the office.
We
appreciate hearing from you.
He
denies following us.
They
avoid discussing the subject.
She
finished filling in the blanks.
See
Exercise 5.
