uncountable
/ʌnˈkaʊntəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /ʌnˈkaʊntəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌən-ˈkau̇n-tə-bəl How to pronounce uncountable (audio)/ (ame, mw)
uncountable — 形容詞
- uncountablepositive
- more uncountablecomparative
- most uncountablesuperlative
1. describing a type of noun in grammar that cannot follow the words 'a' or 'an' an
不可數的
不能加a/an、無複數形
describing a type of noun in grammar that cannot follow the words 'a' or 'an' and does not have a separate form for more than one
Mert learned that 'information' is an uncountable noun in English class.
Mert 在英文課上學到 information 是不可數名詞。
learn + that-clause for discovering grammar rules
The teacher reminded the class that 'furniture' is an uncountable noun even though it covers many separate items.
老師提醒全班，furniture 雖然涵蓋許多單獨的物品，但它是不可數名詞。
Luggage is an uncountable noun, so the exchange student corrected her friend who said 'a luggage'.
Luggage 是不可數名詞，所以那位交換學生糾正了說 a luggage 的朋友。
In English, 'advice' is an uncountable noun, so we cannot say 'an advice'.
在英文中，advice 是不可數名詞，所以不能說 an advice。
Hana made a list of uncountable nouns like 'water', 'rice', and 'knowledge'.
Hana 列出了一些不可數名詞，例如 water、rice 和 knowledge。
- mass
the alternative term used in some grammar systems, as in 'mass noun'
- countable
the opposite grammatical category; nouns that can take 'a'/'an' and have a regular plural form
用法筆記
Frequently placed before the noun it describes, as in 'uncountable noun'. Also called 'mass noun' in some grammar books. Unlike countable nouns, uncountable nouns use quantifiers such as 'some', 'much', or 'a little' instead of numbers.
常見錯誤
2. present in such huge numbers that it is impossible to count them all
無數的
數量多到無法計算
present in such huge numbers that it is impossible to count them all
Beatriz saw an uncountable number of stars in the desert sky.
Beatriz 在沙漠的夜空中看到數不清的星星。
uncountable number of + plural noun
The uncountable grains of sand stretched for miles along the coast.
數不清的沙粒沿著海岸延伸了數英哩。
Folake received uncountable emails after her speech at the conference.
Folake 在會議上演講之後，收到了無數封電子郵件。
The old library held an uncountable collection of books from around the world.
那間老圖書館收藏了來自世界各地的無數書籍。
Anong thought about the uncountable hours she had spent learning Chinese.
Anong 回想起自己花了無數小時學習中文。
- countless
more common in everyday speech; less formal than 'uncountable'
- innumerable
similar formality level, but often suggests an amount too large to grasp rather than literally impossible to count
- numberless
mainly used in literary or poetic contexts
用法筆記
More formal and literary than 'countless' or 'too many to count'. Often used in descriptive writing to create a vivid impression of vastness. Unlike sense 1, this sense can modify plural countable nouns directly, as in 'uncountable stars'.