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Youngbuts Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
unbelief vs an unbelief
Hi, everyone.
I have looked up some dictionaries to know if "an" unbelief, not unblief without "an" is possible. All dictionary say the noun unbelief is uncountable nouns along with "disbelief". However the noun "belief" could be countable or uncountable. Although I was not able even to figure out where and why the noun "belief" is a countable or an uncountable, I could not understand why "disblief" and "unbelief" can not be a countable noun while "belief" can be both.
So, I googled them. I found some sentences containing "an unbelief". The below is one of them.
"I am not bothered by a unbelief in God as much as I am the complete hatred of a deity. Why do atheists hate something that is not there?"
As you see, I guess the sentence has a small mistake in that it say "a unblelief" instead of "an unblief". I don't even know whether it comes from a native speaker or from a non-native speaker. Anyway, I could not completely believe the grammar of the sentence and don not dare to dream of understanding the principles of the articles of English. However, I would like to know whether "an unbelief" could be possible in a English sense of native speakers and whether even native speakers sometimes need to look up dictionaries to know whether a new noun is countable nouns or uncountable nouns, or you just know it without any reference by an instinct.
I hope my questions would not sound too silly though they are somehow stupid.
Thanks in advance.
Best wishes.
I have looked up some dictionaries to know if "an" unbelief, not unblief without "an" is possible. All dictionary say the noun unbelief is uncountable nouns along with "disbelief". However the noun "belief" could be countable or uncountable. Although I was not able even to figure out where and why the noun "belief" is a countable or an uncountable, I could not understand why "disblief" and "unbelief" can not be a countable noun while "belief" can be both.
So, I googled them. I found some sentences containing "an unbelief". The below is one of them.
"I am not bothered by a unbelief in God as much as I am the complete hatred of a deity. Why do atheists hate something that is not there?"
As you see, I guess the sentence has a small mistake in that it say "a unblelief" instead of "an unblief". I don't even know whether it comes from a native speaker or from a non-native speaker. Anyway, I could not completely believe the grammar of the sentence and don not dare to dream of understanding the principles of the articles of English. However, I would like to know whether "an unbelief" could be possible in a English sense of native speakers and whether even native speakers sometimes need to look up dictionaries to know whether a new noun is countable nouns or uncountable nouns, or you just know it without any reference by an instinct.
I hope my questions would not sound too silly though they are somehow stupid.
Thanks in advance.
Best wishes.
Top answer
youngbuts However, I would like to know whether "an unbelief" could be possible in a English sense of native speakers and whether even native speakers sometimes need to look up dictionaries to know whether a new noun is countable nouns or uncountable nouns, or you just know it without any reference by an instinct. Your questions are neither silly nor stupid; they are perfectly valid. There is no reason why 'unbelief' cannot be made countable, for instance via reclassification: He flaunted an abrasive unbelief in *** that alarmed all of us.
- youngbuts However, I would like to know whether "an unbelief" could be possible in a English sense of native speakers and whether even native speakers sometimes need to look up dictionaries to know whether a new noun is countable nouns or uncountable nouns, or you just know it without any reference by an instinct.
- Your questions are neither silly nor stupid; they are perfectly valid.
- There is no reason why 'unbelief' cannot be made countable, for instance via reclassification: He flaunted an abrasive unbelief in *** that alarmed all of us.
- I don't think that native speakers use dictionaries very often except to check spellings and new word meanings.
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youngbuts However, I would like to know whether "an unbelief" could be possible in a English sense of native speakers and whether even native speakers sometimes need to look up dictionaries to know whether a new noun is countable nouns or uncountable nouns, or you just know it without any reference by an instinct.Your questions are neither silly nor stupid; t
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