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Mitsuo23 Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
simple questions with a long story.
Hi,
I will quote the definitions of three words from Longman Dictionary.
HOPE
A. [U, C] something good that you want to happen in the future, or a confident feeling about what will happen in the future
- When I first arrived in New York, I was full of hope for the future.
B. [C] something that you hope will happen:
- She told him all her secret hopes and fears.
The Definition B is fine to me, but in what kind of context can "hope" be a countable noun in the Definition A?
EFFORT
C. [U the physical or mental energy that is needed to do something:
- Learning to speak another language takes effort.
D. [U, C] an attempt to do something, especially when this involves a lot of hard work or determination:
- ?Tom’s efforts to stop smoking haven’t been very successful.
Similarly, the Definition C is comprehensible but why can "effort" be uncountable in the
Definition D?
DINNER
E. [U, C] the main meal of the day, eaten in the middle of the day or the evening:
F. [C] a formal occasion when an evening meal is eaten, often to celebrate something:
The same thing. The F is understandable, but why can the E can be countable and uncountable? No one would say, "It's time for a dinner" wouldn't they?
Thank you for your help.
M
I will quote the definitions of three words from Longman Dictionary.
HOPE
A. [U, C] something good that you want to happen in the future, or a confident feeling about what will happen in the future
- When I first arrived in New York, I was full of hope for the future.
B. [C] something that you hope will happen:
- She told him all her secret hopes and fears.
The Definition B is fine to me, but in what kind of context can "hope" be a countable noun in the Definition A?
EFFORT
C. [U the physical or mental energy that is needed to do something:
- Learning to speak another language takes effort.
D. [U, C] an attempt to do something, especially when this involves a lot of hard work or determination:
- ?Tom’s efforts to stop smoking haven’t been very successful.
Similarly, the Definition C is comprehensible but why can "effort" be uncountable in the
Definition D?
DINNER
E. [U, C] the main meal of the day, eaten in the middle of the day or the evening:
F. [C] a formal occasion when an evening meal is eaten, often to celebrate something:
The same thing. The F is understandable, but why can the E can be countable and uncountable? No one would say, "It's time for a dinner" wouldn't they?
Thank you for your help.
M
Top answer
HOPE: For me, the question is more what is the difference between B and the first part of A? As far as I can see, the countable example "She told him all her secret hopes and fears" fits both. EFFORT: Don't know.
- HOPE: For me, the question is more what is the difference between B and the first part of A?
- As far as I can see, the countable example "She told him all her secret hopes and fears" fits both.
- EFFORT: Don't know.
- ".
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4 Answers
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HOPE: For me, the question is more what is the difference between B and the first part of A? As far as I can see, the countable example "She told him all her secret hopes and fears" fits both.
EFFORT: Don't know.
DINNER: No, but you can say something like "We served twenty dinners" or "Eat up your dinners!".
EFFORT: Don't know.
DINNER: No, but you can say something like "We served twenty dinners" or "Eat up your dinners!".
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GPYDINNER: No, but you can say something like "We served twenty dinners" or "Eat up your dinners!".Would you describe with full context to say these sentences? I can't really picture them.
I appreciate your help.
M
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"We served twenty dinners" could be said by a member of restaurant staff, for example.
"Eat up your dinners!" could be said by a mother to her children, for example.
"Eat up your dinners!" could be said by a mother to her children, for example.
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