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Yogi2005 Posted 21 years ago
Grammar

countable or uncountable?

hello,

Please, could you tell me when the nouns 'lettuce' and 'cake' are used as countable and uncountable nouns? as my dictionary says that they can be both.

thank you in advance
  

Top answer

I baked a cake. Lettuce is a mass noun meaning a determiner a/an is not used. So we have to use a head of, a piece of, etc.

— My2sense

  • I baked a cake.
  • Lettuce is a mass noun meaning a determiner a/an is not used.
  • So we have to use a head of, a piece of, etc.
  • to show quantity.
  • For example: He bought a head of lettuce and then made a salad with a few pieces of lettuce.
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11 Answers
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I baked a cake.

Lettuce is a mass noun meaning a determiner a/an is not used. So we have to use a head of, a piece of, etc. to show quantity. For example: He bought a head of lettuce and then made a salad with a few pieces of lettuce.
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"Lettuce" is countable before being served at the eating table, but uncountable when you eat.
(EX) They grow cabbages and lettuces in the field.
(EX) Do you prefer lettuce in your salad, or cabbage?

"Cake" is countable before being cut into pieces but after then it is uncountable.
(EX) Mother is baking a cake for my birthday.
(EX) Would you like to ha
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Paco2004"Lettuce" is countable before being served at the eating table, but uncountable when you eat.
(EX) They grow cabbages and lettuces in the field.
(EX) Do you prefer lettuce in your salad, or cabbage?

"Cake" is countable before being cut into pieces but after then it is uncountable.
(EX) Mother is baking a cake for my birthday.
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Hello My2senses

Whatever kind of lettuces they are, I can count lettuces, saying "one lettuce, two lettuces, three lettuces, ...". It would be because I am good at arithmetic. How about you?

paco
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Paco2004Hello My2senses

Whatever kind of lettuces they are, I can count lettuces, saying "one lettuce, two lettuces, three lettuces, ...". It would be because I am good at arithmetic. How about you?

paco
Horrible at arithmetic but the plural of lettuce is lettuce. I can count 1 head of lettuce, 2 heads of lettuce and so on.
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My2senseHorrible at arithmetic but the plural of lettuce is lettuce. I can count 1 head of lettuce, 2 heads of lettuce and so on.
You can count lettuces that way. But I would come to get a HEADache when I hear it.

paco
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I think what we have here is a difference between American English and British English. From what my British colleagues tell me they buy 2 lettuces and from what I know being a speaker of American English is that we buy 2 heads of lettuce.

Result is: it can be used either way.
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I think you are right.

paco
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0 What nonsense - whether in England or America - the singular is Lettuce and the plural is Lettuce...I have a lettuce, I have two lettuce, I have two heads of lettuce...all are correct - but the word Lettuces does not exist and it is quite incorrect to suggest this is the plural form of lettuce! 0-
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0whatever is 'correct' or not, everyone I know in Britain says 'lettuces' when we are counting whole lettuce(es). 05000 We would say 'three boxes of lettuce' 'three leaves of lettuce' but 'go down the shops and buy me three lettuces'.010id2
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