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Zuotengdazuo Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
Plural noun+to be+a+category?
Hey, I am wondering if this pattern works for most countable nouns?
For example,
1.Peas are a common vegetable.
2.Ants are a common insect.
3.Chocolates are a common candy.
4.Herring are a common fish.
5.Pears are a common fruit.
6.Roses are a common flower.
7.Buses are a common vehicle.
8.Screwdrivers are a common tool.
9.Thrillers are a common movie.
10.Wardrobes are a common furniture.
11.Monkeys are a common animal.
on and on
Are all the sentences and the likes of them correct?
Is it a universal pattern for most countable nouns?
For example,
1.Peas are a common vegetable.
2.Ants are a common insect.
3.Chocolates are a common candy.
4.Herring are a common fish.
5.Pears are a common fruit.
6.Roses are a common flower.
7.Buses are a common vehicle.
8.Screwdrivers are a common tool.
9.Thrillers are a common movie.
10.Wardrobes are a common furniture.
11.Monkeys are a common animal.
on and on
Are all the sentences and the likes of them correct?
Is it a universal pattern for most countable nouns?
Top answer
I would rewrite a couple of your sentences slightly: Thrillers are a common type of movie. Wardrobes are a common item of furniture. That apart, I don't see why you shouldn't create such a sentence for most concrete countable nouns.
- I would rewrite a couple of your sentences slightly: Thrillers are a common type of movie.
- Wardrobes are a common item of furniture.
- That apart, I don't see why you shouldn't create such a sentence for most concrete countable nouns.
- It might be hard to come up with a meaningful sentence of this kind for an abstract noun.
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6 Answers
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I would rewrite a couple of your sentences slightly:
Thrillers are a common type of movie.
Wardrobes are a common item of furniture.
That apart, I don't see why you shouldn't create such a sentence for most concrete countable nouns. It might be hard to come up with a meaningful sentence of this kind for an abstract noun.
Thrillers are a common type of movie.
Wardrobes are a common item of furniture.
That apart, I don't see why you shouldn't create such a sentence for most concrete countable nouns. It might be hard to come up with a meaningful sentence of this kind for an abstract noun.
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Thank you for your guidance. I make sentences like these on purpose. That's because once I have come across a sentence which goes like "Potatoes are an important crop" and I was confused as to whether the sentence is correct. Later on I was told that it was correct, so I began to think if this pattern is commonly used for countable nouns.
1.Is the structure I asked about used a lot?
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1.Is the structure I asked about used a lot?
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zuotengdazuo1.Is the structure I asked about used a lot?Yes, especially if you include categories like "important crop" or "popular drink", and so forth.
zuotengdazuo2.Do you suggest beside the two rewritten sentences, the others are ok?Yes.
zuotengdazuo3.If the others are ok, I don't see why in so
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Thank you for your further reply. But I don't quite understand why in some cases we'd better avoid using the structure I asked about?
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zuotengdazuoThank you for your further reply. But I don't quite understand why in some cases we'd better avoid using the structure I asked about?Furniture is always uncountable, so it doesn't make sense to talk about a common furniture.
When we talk about a movie we generally mean a specific movie, either a certai
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Thank you, Blue Jay. It seems we can only analyze this kind of sentence on a case-by-case basis.
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