0
Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
Indefinite Pronoun
should singular indefinite pronoun be treated the same as third person singular?
eg everyone runs, nobody has a cow,
what about mass / uncountable noun? eg smoke, sugar, sand,
Let us say someone has smoked 3 cigarettes, do we say
"The smoke intoxicates him" or "The smokes intoxicate him" ?
thanks
eg everyone runs, nobody has a cow,
what about mass / uncountable noun? eg smoke, sugar, sand,
Let us say someone has smoked 3 cigarettes, do we say
"The smoke intoxicates him" or "The smokes intoxicate him" ?
thanks
Top answer
'Smoke' is uncountable whether it comes from one cigarette or a hundred. it can be countyable if are using the word as an informal word for a cigarette, or for the act of smoking.
- 'Smoke' is uncountable whether it comes from one cigarette or a hundred.
- it can be countyable if are using the word as an informal word for a cigarette, or for the act of smoking.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
3 Answers
0
'Smoke' is uncountable whether it comes from one cigarette or a hundred. it can be countyable if are using the word as an informal word for a cigarette, or for the act of smoking.
00
so the correct one would be "the smoke intoxicates him" eventhough he has smoked more than 1 cigarettes? how about if the individual drinks 3 bottle of beer, we would then say "the alcohol intoxicates him"? I just want to clarify so I can understand this as it confuses me.
00
It's the same situation. The point about nouns used uncountably is that they are uncountable - they do not have plural forms.
0
Related Questions