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YoY
To figure out if a noun is countable/ uncountable
Hello,
I have a question about a good way for English learners to check in an English dictionary if a word is countable or not. Usually, I depend on online dictionaries like Merriam-Webster and Oxford dictionaries.
For instance, I checked the word "notice" to see if the noun form is countable or not.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notice
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/notice
There are definitions of the word in noun and verb forms which are quite useful. However, as a English learner, I would like to know, at first, if the word is countable or uncountable since I still have difficulty to understand which vocabulary is countable or not. The fact that some words have different meanings depending on singular or plural forms is always scaring me.
In the Ox-dictionary, there is a mention of "mass noun." Could it be a sign to see the word is uncountable?
Thank you very much for your time and help in advance.
Oct 20, 2014 2:28 AM
Answers · 4
1
Yes, 'mass' and 'unit' nouns are alternatives terms for 'uncountable' and 'countable'. They are used in Britain, the US and elsewhere, and are - in some ways - clearer terms than 'countable' and 'uncountable'. They obviously come from maths/science, and if you think of 'rice' as a mass noun ( a pile of rice, for example) and 'a packet of rice' as a unit noun (three packets, for example), this actually makes a lot of sense.
October 20, 2014
1
Hi
You need to use a dictionary that tells you clearly if it is countable or uncountable. "mass' does, I believe, mean uncountable - I think this is the American English word for it.
Try this link http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/notice_1
October 20, 2014
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YoY
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