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Sentence Structure: Countable or uncountable?



 
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ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
Poem: "Once in a golden hour" | Error identification
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Sentence Structure: Countable or uncountable? Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:59 am  Sentence Structure: Countable or uncountable?
 

Hi

I would like to know if "sentence structure" is countable or uncountable. Which of the given sentences sound correct to you?

1- It is an incorrect sentence structure.
2- It is incorrect sentence structure.


Tom
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Article Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:35 am  Article
 

Hi Tom,

You've raised an interesting point. It is becoming more and more common (at least in the UK) for articles to be omitted particularly when the noun is qualified. People are saying: That's good idea I had very interesting experience the other day. (Sentence) structure is technically a countable noun but both sentences are acceptable.

Alan
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Sentence Structure: Countable or uncountable? Thu Oct 12, 2006 16:20 pm  Sentence Structure: Countable or uncountable?
 

Quote:
when the noun is qualified


Many, many thanks, Alan.

Could some more light be shed on the line quoted above? What is a qualified noun?

Tom
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Qualified Thu Oct 12, 2006 19:05 pm  Qualified
 

Hi Tom,

An adjective is said to qualify a noun as an adverb qualifies a verb. In other words qualifies suggests giving more information about something. A good book - good qualifies book - running quickly - quickly qualifies running.

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Article Thu Oct 12, 2006 20:06 pm  Article
 

Alan wrote:
People are saying: That's good idea.
I had very interesting experience the other day.

Hi Alan
Those sentences are downright hair-raising to my American ears. Especially the first one.

Amy
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Sentence Structure: Countable or uncountable? Thu Oct 12, 2006 22:22 pm  Sentence Structure: Countable or uncountable?
 

Hi Amy,

The fact remains it's heard more and more or rather the articles aren't heard. A Professor of English from a Welsh University has actually written a paper on it. I could give you the title of the paper but my books are in such a chaos, I can't lay my hands on it.

Alan
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Sentence Structure: Countable or uncountable? Fri Oct 13, 2006 1:25 am  Sentence Structure: Countable or uncountable?
 

.....downright hair-raising to my ears too, almost like fingernails scraping across a blackboard!
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