English countable and uncountable nouns

[ele]

Test No. incompl/advan-80 "GMAT Words", question 3

He finds himself in a very difficult situation since you could say he's ......... a rock and a hard place.

(a) against
(b) between
(c) across
(d) over

Test No. incompl/advan-80 "GMAT Words", answer 3

He finds himself in a very difficult situation since you could say he's between a rock and a hard place.

Correct answer: (b) between
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hello I need your help I'm teaching english countable and uncountabl nouns and a i need funny resources for children please help me as soon as possible
tanks

[Alan]

This topic is better dealt with in the forum for Grammar and Vocabulary. Any modern grammar will cover that topic. Have a look at Learning English World Service and in the search window type in countable nouns.

www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/
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[FrankU]

Hello Alan,

Can you please tell me if food is countable or uncountable? Or can it be both? Thank you.
Frank
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[Alan]

Hi FrankU,

Yes, it can be used as countable and uncountable as in: You can eat really good food in this restaurant as they use foods from all over the world.

Alan
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[Shyone]

The sentence goes:

'He finds himself in a very difficult situation since you could say he's between a rock and a hard place.'

But should it not read:

'He finds himself in a very difficult situation since you could say he is caught between a rock and a hard place'
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[Lisa Sennhauser]

Alan,

You said food can be treated as a countable and as an uncountable noun.

Is it correct to say;

Her favourite foods are pizza, spaghetti and chocolate. (and if so, what is the rule?)

or

Her favourtie food are pizza, spaghetti and chocolate.

or Her favourite food is pizza, spaghetti and chocolate.

Thanks for clarifying.

Lisa

[Mister Micawber]

He's between a rock and a hard place.
He is caught between a rock and a hard place.

Both phrasings are common, Shyone-- the idiom is 'between a rock and a hard place', but the rest of the sentence may vary.

Her favourite foods are pizza, spaghetti and chocolate.

You have listed three distinct dishes, Lisa, so the plural countable is appropriate.
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