0
Manh Nguyen Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Is gravitation attraction in this context countable?

The tides are a response of the waters of the ocean to the pull of the Moon and the more distant Sun. In theory, there is a gravitational attraction between the water and even the outermost star of the universe. In reality, however, the pull of remote stars is so slight as to be obliterated by the control of the Moon and, to a lesser extent, the Sun. (http://www.yeuanhvan.com/toefl-reading/1312-toefl-readings-15)
According to http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/attraction, gravitational attraction is uncountable, but in the paragraph above, it's countable. Is one of them incorrect?
  

Top answer

com/dictionary/attraction , gravitational attraction is uncountable, but in the paragraph above, it's countable. Is one of them incorrect? Of course "gravitational attraction" is countable.

— Canadian45

  • com/dictionary/attraction , gravitational attraction is uncountable, but in the paragraph above, it's countable.
  • Is one of them incorrect?
  • Of course "gravitational attraction" is countable.
  • The gravitational attractions between the earth and the moon and between the earth and the sun are not the same.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

5 Answers
0
Manh NguyenAccording to http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/attraction , gravitational attraction is uncountable, but in the paragraph above, it's countable. Is one of them incorrect?
Of course "gravitational attraction" is countab
0
0
Manh Nguyengravitational attraction is uncountable, but in the paragraph above, it's countable. Is one of them incorrect?
Depending on the context, it can be either.

Gravitational attraction is the force that keeps planets and satellites in their orbits.
The gravitational attraction between the Earth and Moon is the cause of high and low tides.
0
0
Manh NguyenAccording to ..., gravitational attraction is uncountable, but in the paragraph above, it's countable. Is one of them incorrect?
The division of nouns into "countable" and "uncountable" is a very rough guide. You should not, in fact you cannot, rely on any dictionary to provide this information for any but the most common uses of any given noun. C
0
0
Do you mean Oxford Dictionary is wrong about this?
0
0
Manh NguyenDo you mean Oxford Dictionary is wrong about this?
Obviously. But you can't expect a dictionary to predict every way that every word will ever be used in the history of the English language. That would be asking too much.
0

Related Questions