III. Countable and Uncountable Nouns: Common grammatical errors

GRAMMAR INCORRECT TO CORRECT:

Incorrect: I want plate to serve her food.

Correct: I want a/the plate to serve her food.

GRAMMAR:

• Countable singular nouns must have a determiner like definite/indefinte articles (the,a/an).
• Countable singular nouns can also stand with other determiners like this, that, my, your, one, two, etc.
• With Countable singular noun, use "the", if you are speaking about a definite thing different from other things.
• With Countable singular noun, use "a", if it is used in general sense or when it is not distinguished from other things.

II. Countable and Uncountable Nouns: Common grammatical errors

GRAMMAR INCORRECT TO CORRECT:

Incorrect: My furnitures are too old.

Correct: My furniture is too old.

GRAMMAR:

• Furniture is an uncountable noun and uncountable noun is always singular.
• Furniture is itself a plural form.

I. Countable and Uncountable Nouns: Common grammatical errors

GRAMMAR INCORRECT TO CORRECT:

Incorrect: There is always a heavy traffic during office hours.

Correct: There is always heavy traffic during office hours.

GRAMMAR:

Traffic is an uncountable noun and cannot be used with a/an. It will always take a singular verb.


-The meaning of a noun generally indicates whether it belongs to countable noun or uncountable noun.

Meanings which are normally uncountable are:
• Anything perceived as a mass: traffic, hair, equipment, grass.
• Materials: wood, cotton, plastic, rubber, cardboard.
• Liquids and gases: water, milk, oil, air, oxygen.
• Food: bread, cheese, rice, meat.
• Concepts: knowledge, health, time, energy, noise, travel.
• Activities: reading, swimming, dancing, shopping.
• Sports and games: chess, tennis.
• Languages: English, Chinese, Hindi, French.

The name of anything which we can count is likely to be a countable noun.
E.g. a toothbrush, two tables, a plate.

I don't like books which are full of jargons.

WORD OF THE DAY:
cantankerous
adjective
bad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative.
cantankerously [adverb] / cantankerousness [noun].

She still looked frail and cantankerous.

GRAMMAR INCORRECT TO CORRECT:

Incorrect: I don't like books which are full of jargons.
Correct: I don't like books which are full of jargon.
GRAMMAR: Jargon is an uncountable noun and does not have a plural form.

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aggrandize, uncountable noun, nature

WORD OF THE DAY:

aggrandize

–verb (used with object)

1. to widen in scope; increase in size or intensity; enlarge; extend.
2. to make great or greater in power, wealth, rank, or honor.
3. to make (something) appear greater.

The electronic media take every efort to aggrandize any issue be it a petty offence or political twists and turns.

GRAMMAR INCORRECT TO CORRECT:

Incorrect: We must try harder to stop these people from destroying the nature.

Correct: We must try harder to stop these people from destroying nature.

GRAMMAR: Some uncountable nouns [here nature]are never used with the.

"English Word & Grammar" is an initiative taken by me to enrich our English in the word and in the grammar front.

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