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Chenyincheng Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Uncountable nouns

Hi

My company sells products that can be packed in different ways, depending on the customer's requirements. I want to tell a customer the number of packing options they have. Can I say:

We offer our products in 10 different packings/packagings.

My problem with the sentence is that the words "packing" or "packaging" are both uncountable nouns. So the sentence above is grammatically incorrect, but how can I say what I want to say??

Thanks a lot!
  

Top answer

chenyincheng My problem with the sentence is that the words "packing" or "packaging" are both uncountable nouns No, they needn't be. Your sentence is fine with both wordings, though the meanings are different: packings = arrangements of goods in the shipping container. packagings = individual packages for each item of goods.

— Mister Micawber

  • chenyincheng My problem with the sentence is that the words "packing" or "packaging" are both uncountable nouns No, they needn't be.
  • Your sentence is fine with both wordings, though the meanings are different: packings = arrangements of goods in the shipping container.
  • packagings = individual packages for each item of goods.
  • I presume that you mean the latter.
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5 Answers
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chenyinchengMy problem with the sentence is that the words "packing" or "packaging" are both uncountable nouns
No, they needn't be. Your sentence is fine with both wordings, though the meanings are different:

packings = arrangements of goods in the shipping container.
packagings = individual packages for each item of goods.

I presume tha
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Thank you, Mister Micawber, for your answer. So does that mean, depending on the situation, I can ignore what the dictionary says and use uncountable nouns as countable nouns?
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chenyincheng I can ignore what the dictionary says and use uncountable nouns as countable nouns?
I would not go so far, but the fact is that many (most?) uncountable nouns can and do appear as countables via the process of reclassification: the division of the uncountable quality into countable modified subsets: a dangerous beauty, a seductive beauty, a la
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Mister Micawber many (most?) uncountable nouns can and do appear as countables via the process of reclassification: the division of the uncountable quality into countable modified subsets: a dangerous beauty, a seductive beauty, a lamentable beauty.
Not sure what that means... but I think I get the idea. Would you care to explain it in plain English, please?
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chenyinchengWould you care to explain it in plain English, please?
Which words do you not understand (after the help of your dictionary, of course).
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