Pain vs. hurt

[Guest]

Test No. incompl/elem-21 "Remove the Spoon", question 4

Well, I get a ......... in my right eye every time I drink a cup of tea.

(a) hurt
(b) shoot
(c) feel
(d) pain

Test No. incompl/elem-21 "Remove the Spoon", answer 4

Well, I get a pain in my right eye every time I drink a cup of tea.

Correct answer: (d) pain

Your answer was: incorrect
Well, I get a hurt in my right eye every time I drink a cup of tea.
_________________________

Why is pain, not hurt
Thanks

[Mister Micawber]

.
In common use, pain is a single sharp and distinct feeling; hurt is an injury. I suppose it would help if you had actually gotten a pain in your eye from drinking tea or eating ice cream.
.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Hamed]

Hello
"Pain is asingle sharp and distinctfeeling" what's mean this sentence?
Please explain what is different between pain and hurt.

[Kitosdad]

Hamed. Mr.Micawber has explained.

The pain has been caused to the eye by the spoon in the cup. It is momentary. It stops when the spoon moves away from the eye.

The hurt continues long after the pain has dissipated.
_________________
If you need me, I'm here.

[Romashka]

I have caught the difference between 'pain' and 'hurt', but why do we have the indefinite article 'a' before 'pain'? Is 'pain' countable?

[Kitosdad]

Is 'pain' countable?

Not normally, but one can be "in lots of pain".
_________________
If you need me, I'm here.

[Hamed]

Very thanks for your explain Mr Kitosdad.

[Romashka]

[Alan]

Hi Romashka,

Yes, you can use 'pain' without 'a' when you are talking about it in general terms. Look at this:

Charlie has a fear of heights.

Charlie experiences fear sometimes in the course of his duties.

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Book Expressions

[Romashka]

Thank you, Alan.
It's a bit difficult to me to realize the distinction.. Because I thought that we don't use 'a' for abstract and uncountable nouns.
From your explanation I see that 'a fear of heights' is something between 'fear in general' and 'the fear of these heights' on a definition scale Am I right?

Sincerely,
Roman

[RussianBear]

Hi!

I've entered this topic to ask the same question the indefinite article. It seemed a bit odd to me here.

[Alan]

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Hi RB,

Some nouns have a dual purpose. They can be looked at as something abstract or as something specific. Some examples are: pain/fear/pleasure/joy and so on as in these sentences:

She experienced a severe pain in the left side of her head.
Some people can tolerate pain for long periods

He has a fear of lifts and always walks up the stairs.
Firemen have to suppress fear when they go into a blazing building.

It is a real pleasure to see you again after all this time.
Work unfortunately often has to come before pleasure.

For older people it is a joy for them to see their grandchildren grow up.
The poet Wordsworth expresses the sense of joy he experiences at the onset of Spring.

In your sentence you can insert or omit the article before 'pain' depending how specific you consider it to be.

Alan
_________________
English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story Phrasal Verbs/bring

[GraceFu]

xie xie!! thank you Alan! =))

[RussianBear]

Hi Alan,

Thank you for the detailed explanation.

[Thanh Ha]

Hi Alan,

You explanation is very clearly. Thank a lot.