- •The noun
- •Semantic characteristics
- •Certain Kinds of Nouns Are Usually Uncountable:
- •Exercises
- •4. Choose the correct form of nouns underlined.
- •Morphological composition
- •Morphological characteristics
- •The category of number
- •Regular plurals
- •Irregular plurals
- •Loans of Greek origin
- •Plural in compound nouns
- •Exercises
- •Invariable nouns
- •Singular invariable nouns
- •5. Names of languages:
- •Plural invariable nouns
- •Exercises
- •Ways of showing partition
- •Exercises
- •Collective nouns
- •Collective nouns standing for people
- •Collective nouns standing for animals
- •Collective nouns standing for birds
- •Collective nouns standing for insects
- •Collective nouns denoting a group of objects thought of as a whole
- •Miscellaneous
- •Exercises
- •Revision Exercises on Subject-Verb Agreement
- •The category of case
- •The form of the possessive/genitive case
- •The use of the possessive/genitive case and of-phrase
- •Exercises
Ways of showing partition
Many uncountable nouns combine with a set of nouns showing some part of material or abstract notion. Here are some typical partitives for material and abstract nouns:
specific items or amounts:
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a bar of chocolate/soap/metal a blade of grass a block of marble/ice/wood a box of matches a book of stamps a breath of air a bar/cake of soup a cloud of dust a crust of bread a cube of ice a dash of soda a drop of oil a flash of light a grain of corn a jar of jam a jet of water a loaf of bread a lump of coal/sugar a pat of butter a clap of thunder a pile of earth a pinch of salt a portion of food a puff of smoke a role of paper a sip of tea a speck of dust a slice of bread/cake a sheet of paper a stick of chalk a strand of hair/wool a sliver of cheese a chunk of cheese a hunk of meat a segment of orange a cube of sugar a square of chocolate an ear of wheat a grain of rice/barley/wheat a crumb of cake a grain of sand a chip of china a shred of cloth a splinter of wood a sliver of glass a slice of bread/cake a piece of wood/furniture/paper/glass/chalk/information/wisdom a rumble/bolt of thunder a flash of lightning a gust of wind a shower of rain a spot of rain a cloud of smoke a puff of smoke a clap of thunder |
containers:
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a barrel of beer a basket of fruit a bottle of milk a packet of cigarettes a glass of water a jug of water a mug of cocoa a tin of soup a tube of paste a bag of flour a box of matches a cup of coffee a packet of biscuits a pot of tea a basket of fruit a bottle of milk a can of beer a carton of cigarettes a vase of flowers |
*** Most of these can be re-expressed as compounds: e.g. a jam-jar, a matchbox, a teapot, to describe the container itself. Thus a teapot describes the container (which may be full or empty), while a pot of tea describes a pot with tea in it.
games:
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a game of billiards/bridge/cards/chess/darts/cricket/darts/squash/tennis/etc. |
measures:
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a gallon of petrol an ounce of gold a pint of beer/milk a spoonful of medicine a yard of cloth a kilo of sugar a liter of oil a pound of coffee |
types/species:
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a species of fish a type of drug a variety of pasta a sort of cake |
abstract nouns:
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a bit/piece of advice a bit of knowledge a grain of truth a spell of work a wink of sleep a spell of weather the dead of night a fit of jelousy a pack of lies a storm of protest a stroke of luck a wealth of information a period of calm a branch of knowledge a piece of research a piece/an article of furniture a piece/an item of news a burst of applause |
pairs:
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a pair of boots/shoes/braces/glasses/jeans/pants/pyjamas/scissors/shorts/ socks/stokings/tongs/trousers/etc. |