0
Mitsuo23 Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
brick vs bricks
Hi,
It is my understanding that the most basic criterion if a noun should be treated countable or uncountable is the presence or the absence of a contour. And here's my question.
I think the brick in the sentence below is used as a uncountable noun to refer to its material aspect but does it mean that the bricks used to build the house were smashed into tiny pieces and now lost the original shapes? Or are there possibilities that they still remain cuboids?
"a house made of brick"
Thank you,
M
It is my understanding that the most basic criterion if a noun should be treated countable or uncountable is the presence or the absence of a contour. And here's my question.
I think the brick in the sentence below is used as a uncountable noun to refer to its material aspect but does it mean that the bricks used to build the house were smashed into tiny pieces and now lost the original shapes? Or are there possibilities that they still remain cuboids?
"a house made of brick"
Thank you,
M
Top answer
mitsuwao23 It is my understanding that the most basic criterion if a noun should be treated countable or uncountable is the presence or the absence of a contour. I am not sure exactly what you mean by a contour. 'Travel' is normally uncountable; 'trip' and 'journey' are countable.
- mitsuwao23 It is my understanding that the most basic criterion if a noun should be treated countable or uncountable is the presence or the absence of a contour.
- I am not sure exactly what you mean by a contour.
- 'Travel' is normally uncountable; 'trip' and 'journey' are countable.
- How do contours work there?
- mitsuwao23 "a house made of brick" Bricks can be used in houses made of brick.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
12 Answers
0
mitsuwao23It is my understanding that the most basic criterion if a noun should be treated countable or uncountable is the presence or the absence of a contour.I am not sure exactly what you mean by a contour.
'Travel' is normally uncountable; 'trip' and 'journey' are countable. How do contours work there?
mitsuwao23"a house m
00
Hi
I think you are right to say that it is an unusual example...
- A house made of brick
A noun that is usually count becomes non-count
I can't think of an explanation, except to say that it is rare and is probably associated with natural material ...
- A forest of oak
(By the way, I'd say the usual house brick is rectanguloid!)
Dave
I think you are right to say that it is an unusual example...
- A house made of brick
A noun that is usually count becomes non-count
I can't think of an explanation, except to say that it is rare and is probably associated with natural material ...
- A forest of oak
(By the way, I'd say the usual house brick is rectanguloid!)
Dave
00
... another example is 'a brace of pheasant'
The singular can be used, but it is actually two pheasants
Dave
The singular can be used, but it is actually two pheasants
Dave
00
Thank you for the reply, Dave
The explanation that I came up with myself is "hair." It can be countable and uncountable depending on the context. Let me quote some from a dictionary.
- Her hair was short and dark.
- I’m starting to get a few grey hairs.
It seems "hair" as a uncountable noun is used when the material aspect is emphasized, when it's unnecessary to
The explanation that I came up with myself is "hair." It can be countable and uncountable depending on the context. Let me quote some from a dictionary.
- Her hair was short and dark.
- I’m starting to get a few grey hairs.
It seems "hair" as a uncountable noun is used when the material aspect is emphasized, when it's unnecessary to
00
That's a different situation. We often use a non-plural form when we are speaking of game animals.
00
mitsuwao23 It seems "hair" as a uncountable noun is used when the material aspect is emphasized, when it's unnecessary to pay attention to each hair. And the same rule could be applied to the word "brick." What do you think?Nice in theory, but it doesn't always work in practice.
00
0
mitsuwao23does it mean that the bricks used to build the house were smashed into tiny pieces and now lost the original shapes? Or are there possibilities that they still remain cuboids?Good heavens, no! The bricks are stacked and cemented with mortar when building the edifice
Here is a picture and link.
00
Hi
Yes, it's true of hair. Perhaps it's not as rare as I thought
- Did you take all the papers to the meeting?
- Yes, I was weighed down with paper!
Dave
Yes, it's true of hair. Perhaps it's not as rare as I thought
- Did you take all the papers to the meeting?
- Yes, I was weighed down with paper!
Dave
00
dave_anonDid you take all the papers to the meeting?- Yes, I was weighed down with paper!DaveOnce again, this is slightly different. The countable word does not refer to sheets of paper. If I am holding two sheets of paer in my hand, I cannot refer to them as 'papers'.
0
Related Questions