THE USE OF ARTICLES WITH UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

It is sometimes difficult to draw a line of division between countable and uncountable nouns.
Many nouns which are generally uncountable can be also countable in certain contexts. (They are often referred to as
‘dual class’ nouns because of their ability to operate in two different ways.)
 Some nouns are uncountable when we talk about the substance, material or abstract concept but countable when we
talk about one specific item: chicken/ a chicken, stone/ a stone, education/ an education, hair/ a hair
e.g. I’m very interested in education. - It is important that she receives a good education.
 Some nouns which are uncountable when we talk about the material and countable when we refer to a specific thing
have a particular meaning as countable nouns. For example, glass refers to a material, while a glass refers to an item
that we drink from which is made of glass. It does not refer to a piece of glass:
paper/ a paper, iron/ an iron, cloth/ a cloth.
 Some nouns which are usually uncountable can be countable when we refer to a particular variety:
wine/ an excellent wine, cheese/ a strong cheese, fruit/ a very sweet fruit
 In informal English, drinks and some types of food which are normally uncountable can be counted, particularly when
we are making an order in a café or restaurant: tea/ three teas, coffee/ a coffee, soup/ two soups
 Some dual-class nouns referring to mental states can be used with a/an but cannot be used in the plural.
These include anger, bitterness, courage, determination, hatred, knowledge, patience, pride, resistance, etc. When
used with a/an, such nouns are often modified by an adjective bringing out a special aspect of the notion expressed
by the noun (occasionally it may be used without an attribute: e.g. There was a warmth between them /= a certain warmth/. )
e.g. if you talk about 'a sudden violent hatred', you mean a particular kind of hatred which is sudden and violent.
...a passionate hatred of feminists, ...a passing anger, ...a certain quaint charm.
Compare this with their use as uncountable nouns when there are no adjectives:
How long can hatred last? ...in a voice choked with anger. He had neither charm nor humour.
Instead of adjectives before the noun, you can have some form of qualification after it, for example a clause beginning
with 'that': ...a charm that contains heavy doses of boyishness.
 Some of the nouns that generally tend to be uncountable are in certain constructions regularly used with the indefinite
article. Here belong pleasure, pity, disappointment, comfort, relief, shame, disgrace, etc. They appear with a/an when they
are used as predicatives after “the formal subject it”: It is/was ____ (a) or after exclamatory What… (b):
a) It is a pleasure to see you. It was a relief to know that she was safely home.
b) What a disappointment! What a pity!
But: I’ll do it with pleasure. She gave a sigh of relief. She felt pity for the poor child.

UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS COUNTABLE NOUNS

work – робота a work - твір
silence – тиша, мовчання a silence - пауза
decision - рішучість a decision - рішення
kindness - доброта а kindness – добра справа, послуга
experience - досвід an experience – випадок у житті
favour – милість, прихильність а favour - послуга
failure – невдача, провал, неспроможність a failure – невдала справа, невдаха
society – громадськість, суспільство a society – організація, гурток
nature - природа a + /adj./ + nature – натура, характер
grammar – граматика (наука) a grammar- підручник з граматики
observation - спостереження an observation - зауваження
e.g. to walk in silence – гуляти мовчки after a long silence – після довгої паузи
to speak with decision – говорити рішуче to take a decision - приймати рішення
to adopt to society – адаптуватися до суспільства to found a society - заснувати гурток

Exercise 1. Write “a” before the nouns which are used as countable nouns
1. a) _—_ Beauty is subjective.
b) She’s __a__ real beaty.
2. a) I am fortunate to have had _______very good education.
b) ____education does not just take place at school.
3. a) You’ve been _______ great help to me.
b) I’m sorry to ask you but I desparately need _____help.
4. a) I don’t usually drink coffee.
b) I’ll have two teas and ___ coffee, please.
5. a) Sometimes ________ love can be painful.
b) She has _______ great love of music.
6. a) You’ll get better at the job as you gain ____ experience.
b) It was ____ unpleasant experience and he didn’t speak of it.
7. a) The house is built of ________ stone.
b) This is _________ beautiful stone.
8. a) ________ fear is a perfectly natural human feeling.
b) He has _________ terrible fear of height.
9. a) He was so hungry that he ate ________ whole chicken.
b) I don’t like red meat but I do eat _______ chicken.
10. a) You shouldn’t drink ______ wine on an empty stomach.
b) This is ________ very nice wine.