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Nouns #12: "Countable" Forms of Uncountable Nouns, by Dennis Oliver
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Nouns #12:
"Countable" Forms of Uncountable
Nouns
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Sometimes you will see
uncountable
nouns used with a / an
or an -s. This
seems to be wrong, but
it can be
correct when
the meaning is a type / types or
a kind / kinds
of
the
uncountable noun.
Here are a few examples:
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example |
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meaning |
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a money /
monies |
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a
type
(kind) /
types
(kinds) of
money (yen,
(won,
baht, dollar,
pound, etc.) |
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an oil /
oils |
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a
type
(kind) /
types
(kinds) of
oil (olive oil,
safflower oil, corn oil,
sesame seed oil, etc.) |
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a flour /
flours |
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a
type
(kind) /
types
(kinds) of
flour (rye flour,
whole
wheat flour,
bleached
wheat
flour,
rice flour, corn flour, etc.) |
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a bread / breads |
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a type
(kind)
/ types
(kinds) of
bread (white,
dark
rye, whole wheat,
oatmeal, etc.) |
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a fruit /
fruits |
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a
type
(kind) /
types
(kinds) of
fruit (apple,
pear,
cherry, peach, etc.) |
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a meat /
meats |
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a
type
(kind) /
types
(kinds) of
meat (beef,
lamb, chicken, pork, etc.) |
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Special Notes:
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A similar process can be used
to make countable
nouns
uncountable:
A tomato is one
whole tomato, but if you cut
or mash the
tomato until you can no longer count
the pieces,
it becomes some tomato / a cup of
tomato, etc.
An onion
is one
whole
onion, but if you cut
or chop the
onion until you can no longer count
the pieces,
it becomes some onion / a tablespoon
of
onion,
etc.
An
egg is one
whole egg, but if
you mix one
or more eggs
until you can no longer tell how
many eggs
you have, it becomes some egg /
a
bowl of egg, etc.
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| 2. |
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For many kinds of food and
drink, the "countable"
form of an
uncountable noun means a portion /
serving / container of the uncountable
noun:
A
coffee
/ a hot chocolate
mean a cup
of
coffee or hot chocolate.
A beer / a white
wine / a whiskey
mean
a can (bottle, glass) of beer
/ a glass of white
wine
/ a glass (shot) of
whiskey.
A candy means a
piece of candy.
etc.
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