cherishing不可数名词. UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

2021年1月19日发(作者：yoice)
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


Making a general statement

Something not mentioned before

Something mentioned before

When it is obvious what is meant


3. The use of uncountable nouns to refer to individual things

Uncountable Nouns


no determiner

no determiner

the

the

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


information

wheat

milk

sunlight

The countable nouns may, of course, be put into the plural. For
example:

Singular


one piece of information

one grain of wheat

one glass of milk

one patch 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.
Plural


two pieces of information

three grains of wheat

four glasses of milk

five patches of sunlight
Referring to an Individual Thing


a piece of information

a grain of wheat

a glass of milk

a patch of sunlight



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

hockey


See
Exercise 3
.



4. Nouns which can be either countable or uncountable


a game of chess

a game of hockey
or
a hockey game

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

church

college

court



home

hospital

prison

school

sea

town

university


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.