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Hoa Thai Posted 19 years ago
Grammar
Articles (a, an)
I was told that a or an should not be used to mark noncount nouns, sush as water, gold, etc.. That is simple until I encounter abstract nouns! For instance, give me an advice is incorrect since advice is an abstract noun. However, an online search shows that both give me advice and give me an advice are used by many people. Moreover, opinion is also an abstract noun; but many people would prefer give me an opinion over give me opinion. A satisfaction is another abstract noun that seems to violate the rule, but is often used (again, the count from online search data shows that). So does the rule have many exceptions? If so, how would an ESL learner like me be able to make the distinction? Please help. Thanks and Best Regards - Hoa Thai
Top answer
Hoa Thai I was told that a or an should not be used to mark noncount nouns, sush as water, gold, etc.. That is simple until I encounter abstract nouns! For instance, give me an advice is incorrect since advice is an abstract noun.
- Hoa Thai I was told that a or an should not be used to mark noncount nouns, sush as water, gold, etc..
- That is simple until I encounter abstract nouns!
- For instance, give me an advice is incorrect since advice is an abstract noun.
- However, an online search shows that both give me advice and give me an advice are used by many people.
- Moreover, opinion is also an abstract noun; but many people would prefer give me an opinion over give me opinion .
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26 Answers
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Hoa ThaiI was told that a or an should not be used to mark noncount nouns, sush as water, gold, etc.. That is simple until I encounter abstract nouns! For instance, give me an advice is incorrect since advice is an abstract noun. However, an online search shows that both give me advice and
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First, thank you for your reply. Now if you can help me a bit further, I would appreciate very much.
If advice is an uncountable abstract noun, then advices must be wrong, right? (Yesterday, my father gave me his advice. Today, my mother gives me hers. I don't like the two advices at all!)
Now, how could opinion be countable? I certainly cannot physically se
If advice is an uncountable abstract noun, then advices must be wrong, right? (Yesterday, my father gave me his advice. Today, my mother gives me hers. I don't like the two advices at all!)
Now, how could opinion be countable? I certainly cannot physically se
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Hoa ThaiFirst, thank you for your reply. Now if you can help me a bit further, I would appreciate very much.
If advice is an uncountable abstract noun, then advices must be wrong, right? (Yesterday, my father gave me his advice. Today, my mother gives me hers. I don't like theirtwoadvic
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Hello Hoa Thai, and welcome to the forums.
You seem to think that any noun that is abstract is also a non-count noun, and that seems to be causing you some trouble.
Opinion is a good example - it's countable. One opinion, two opinions. Advice, however, is not countable. You get "advice" not "an advice."
As YL said, examples that refer to "advices" are nonstandard.
You seem to think that any noun that is abstract is also a non-count noun, and that seems to be causing you some trouble.
Opinion is a good example - it's countable. One opinion, two opinions. Advice, however, is not countable. You get "advice" not "an advice."
As YL said, examples that refer to "advices" are nonstandard.
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Shouldn't there be a source, from which we, ESL learners, can learn abstract nouns' nuances?
Thanks
Hoa Thai
Google for 'abstract nouns' and you should be able to find whatever you want to know about abstract nouns.
Thanks
Hoa Thai
Google for 'abstract nouns' and you should be able to find whatever you want to know about abstract nouns.
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Thank you all for your answers. With your advice and after hours of studying various sentences from Google search, I come to the following conclusions:
1. Many people, including English speaking natives, do use nonstandard English to express their thoughts.
2. As English language keeps evolving, nonstardard usages from a large community may become acceptable. So correct context is be
1. Many people, including English speaking natives, do use nonstandard English to express their thoughts.
2. As English language keeps evolving, nonstardard usages from a large community may become acceptable. So correct context is be
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Hi Hoa Thai,
So advice can actually take a plural form as many people believe it should be treated to separate thoughts from different sources (Google search shows almost 6,000,000 entries that use advices).
Generally speaking, I think your last post is reasonable, except with regard to 'advices'. I don't have time to look at 6 millions
So advice can actually take a plural form as many people believe it should be treated to separate thoughts from different sources (Google search shows almost 6,000,000 entries that use advices).
Generally speaking, I think your last post is reasonable, except with regard to 'advices'. I don't have time to look at 6 millions
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I wholeheartedly agree with Clive.
I googled "an advice" and got 1,250,000 hits. I only looked at a few of the results, but the ones I looked at fell into two categories:
1- The word advice had been correctly used as an adjective (e.g. an advice column)
2- The words "an advice" had been incorrectly used by a non-native speaker of English
I googled "an advice" and got 1,250,000 hits. I only looked at a few of the results, but the ones I looked at fell into two categories:
1- The word advice had been correctly used as an adjective (e.g. an advice column)
2- The words "an advice" had been incorrectly used by a non-native speaker of English
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Hello Clive,
Thank you for your input. However, I now feel uneasy.
If some uncountable abstract nouns can become countable depending on context and some cannot (i.e., forever stay uncountable), then what is the trick or the rule of thumb that I can use to separate them ?
If Google hits certainly contain errors; then what sources can we, ESL learners, rely on ?
If
Thank you for your input. However, I now feel uneasy.
If some uncountable abstract nouns can become countable depending on context and some cannot (i.e., forever stay uncountable), then what is the trick or the rule of thumb that I can use to separate them ?
If Google hits certainly contain errors; then what sources can we, ESL learners, rely on ?
If
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Hoa ThaiThank you all for your answers. With your advice and after hours of studying various sentences from Google search, I come to the following conclusions:
- Water takes a plural form, waters, to signify the water drawn from different sources. The same idea is apllied for satisfaction as pointed by Yoong Liat. So advice can actu
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