English language learners quite often make mistakes in using articles (a/an, the). Their writings are characterised by overuse and under-use of articles and it could be due to factors such as the interference of their mother tongue or due to lack of exposure to the English language. Many words that are countable in other languages are uncountable in English. Here are some examples: advice, baggage, luggage, furniture, information, news, trouble and work. Some nouns in English can be used as countable and uncountable and such nouns have different meanings for each.
Look at these two sentences. Which is correct?
It was a pleasure to meet you
It was pleasure to meet you
The first sentence (with the indefinite article ‘a’) is more acceptable than the second one because ‘pleasure’ as a countable noun means “an event or activity from which one derives enjoyment”. Here are more examples of ‘pleasure’ as a countable noun:
It was such a pleasure to work with you.
It is a pleasure having you on our team.
Consider the popular quotes below:
“A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom.”
“What we learn with pleasure we never forget.”
“All earthly delights are sweeter in expectation than in enjoyment; but all spiritual pleasures more in fruition than in expectation.”
In the quotes above, the words ‘delight’ and ‘pleasure’ are used as countable as well as uncountable nouns. The three words are synonymous and as uncountable nouns the words mean “a feeling of happiness and enjoyment”.
When these words are used as countable nouns, the words have different meanings and refer to certain events or activities. Look at these examples:
It was a delight to be with you again
It was a pleasure to meet you
It was a joy to go through your story
In the above examples too, the words ‘delight’, ‘pleasure’ and ‘joy’ have been used as countable nouns. As countable nouns ‘delight’ and ‘joy’ mean ‘a cause or source of great happiness’. Most countable nouns have plural forms and the three words listed above also have plural forms and they are: delights, pleasures and joys.
Spending a few hours in the British Library was one
of the delights I had during my stay in London
Playing with her dog is one of her great
pleasures
He shares his joys and sorrows with me
Uncountable nouns have these characteristics:
“The news is quite interesting.”
able nouns. It is incorrect to say “an advice” or “a fur
niture” but we can say ‘a piece of advice’ and ‘a piece of furniture’.
“any”, “much”, “a lot of”, and “a great deal of” can be
used with uncountable nouns.
I got some pleasure out of watching the movie.
Her children give her so much joy.
The event provided a great deal of fun.
— rayanal@yahoo.co.uk