advice vs "a" opinion

Question

Hi,Please let me give it another shot.I've been thinking why "advice" is uncountable while "opinion" is not.  A dictionary that is suppose to tell differences among words, says, "opinion" = “This is what I think” and "advice" = “This is what I think you should do.” But this explanation doesn't help me to figure out this un/countable issue.   One thing I am getting to realize about "advice" is that the concept of the word is somewhat close to the words "information" or "news." They are collections of several small things, and so they can't be clearly outlined, and so they can't be counted. But I still don't see why one is countable and the other is not. Any tips would be appreciated.M

Fivejedjon · Accepted Answer

There are some things in English that you just have to accept with questioning, because there is no really satisfactory answer. The equivalents of 'news', 'advice' 'information' and other words happen to be countable in  some languages and uncountable in English. 'News' is plural in some languages. it is not in English. That's just the way it is.

CalifJim · Answer

mitsuwao23this explanation doesn't help me to figure out this un/countable issue. ... I still don't see why one is countable and the other is not.

There are some fairly obvious reasons why substances (water, wine, sand, meat) are uncountable and objects (table, chair, computer, house) are countable, but in the case of abstract nouns like 'opinion' and 'advice' there are usually no clear reasons why one word should be considered countable and another uncountable. Over the entire history of the language some words have come to be almost exclusively countable; others have come to be almost exclusively uncountable. There is no exact reason why this has happened.

So for some unknown reason, 'advice' has come to mean something that is amorphous like a substance, and 'opinion' has come to mean something more definitely bounded like an object.

CJ

Mitsuo23 · Answer

Thank you, fivejedjon and CJ

To CJ, (this is the last shot, I swear. I know you are highly articulate, so if you say, "no clear reason" I should definitely accept it.)

When I look at some uncountable nouns, such as information, machinery, equipment, luggage, work, wisdom, intelligence, I find they are the things that can't be clearly outlined. But the same time, if I break them down what's inside the words, I will start to see some things that is more concrete at some point. Let's say, for "information" (I know this is countable in German, but it doesn't matter. learning English words is, eventually, understanding the native's version of interpretations.), names are countable, because they share a common outline, so that you can count. So as facial expressions, addresses, words, phrases, jokes. And when you put all these words (pieces of information) together to create a word information, it is too complicated to clearly see an outline, and moreover an address and a name don't share a common outline so that it should be wrong to count them "two informations." Just like you don't say, "three luggages" to mean, "a bag and two boxes."

So using this tactic, when I break it down, "advice" seems to become a collection of many tips, but the thing is, I don't see the fundamental difference between tips, and advice.

Is there any fundamental difference in between?

Thank you, M

Anonymous · Answer

The explanation for items like this is often simply euphony.  Advices "doesn't sound right"/is difficult to pronounce, while opinions "sounds right"/is easy to pronounce.  Similarly, informations, machineries, equipments, luggages, works, wisdoms, intelligences, etc. "don't sound right"/are difficult to pronounce.

CalifJim · Answer

mitsuwao23So using this tactic, when I break it down, "advice" seems to become a collection of many tips, but the thing is, I don't see the fundamental difference between tips, and advice.Is there any fundamental difference in between?

I don't see any difference. No.

If I understand you correctly, using your methodology 'advice' should be countable, but it isn't!

CJ

Mitsuo23 · Answer

OK, thank you for the replies, people.
It seems I should accept it as one of those irregular things that English always has.

M

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