3 – 19.10.11

46, 48, business ← do it

NOUN CLASSES

Nouns

• Proper (written with capital letter)

• Common

  • Countable (count)

    • concrete

    • abstract

  • Uncountable (non-count)

    • concrete

    • abstract

Proper Noun vs Proper Name

He thinks he is another Einstein

Einstein – proper noun – here it represents another qualities (knowledge, intelligence)

The Open University

University – common noun, not a proper noun

Not every Proper Nouns means proper name

Not every proper name contains proper noun

Proper Noun has just one reference (sth unique) Kraków

Common Noun refers to group of things (sth common) City

Proper Nouns refer to unique things the do not take articles

Uncountable noun may have only singular form or only plural form

Police – uncountable used only in plural

Knowledge – cannot say 1,2,3 knowledge(s), nor a knowledge

If something is uncountable we cannot use numerals with it

If nouns are countable, they can be used with numerals

Singular count nouns without any determiner cannot be used as a noun phrase

Concrete nouns – refer to identities which we can verified with our senses, or can be proved scientifically

Abstract noun – refer to mental processes and their products

concrete uncountable nouns:

• liquids (tea)

• gases

• substances (cheese)

• materials (wood)

abstract countable nouns:

• thoughts, ideas, believes

• names of abstract scientific notions (sentence, triangle, phrase)

Dual class membership

Reclassification – the noun which is considered to be uncountable is reclassified to countable to fulfil specific needs or another way round

Countable / uncountable policy

1. food/drinks and servings

I don't drink beer ← beer is uncountable || Another beer, please ← here beer is countable

2. foods / varieties

Although I don't care much for wine, || I found Spanish wines quite tasty.

Uncountable – some kind of liquid in general || Between certain variety

3. food / animal

Can a chicken have chicken for lunch? ← eating chicken meat

Can a chicken have a chicken for lunch? ← can one chicken invite another chicken for a lunch

4. abstracts / particular events

It is a quite an experience to climb a mountain || if you have no experience.

Particular event || abstract, describes our knowledge/skills

5. materials / products

Is an iron really made of iron?

The termite was living on a diet of book

DETERMINERS

Singular count nouns vs. singular non-count nouns

1. Both groups – this / that, the, some, possessives (my), Tom's, any / no

2. only with non-counts – (a) little, much, enough

3. only with count – a/an, one, each, every, either/neither, another,

all money

*all book

all the money

*all the book

with countable we use whole