uncountable nouns in plural form

[Abc123]

Hi,

As I know, uncountable nouns can be used in plural, meaning different categories of that thing. Is that right? And is there any limit/restrictions in using uncountable words that way?

Eg.
Equipments: various kinds of equipments
Fruits: various kinds of fruit

Thank you very much.
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[Alan]

Hi,

That is a very broad question and it would be difficult to offer a catch all answer. In your examples it works.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Present Simple

[Abc123]

Hi Alan,

Mm... I know it's quite a broad question. For some times I came across cases in which I don't know whether I should use the uncountable nouns that way, but now I can't remember them. So could you give me an example in which it doesn't work?

Thanks again :)
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Please help correct my mistakes whenever you see them. Many thanks :)

[Mordant]

There are tons of examples that wouldn't work.

*Happinesses
*Arrogances
*Poignances

The list is really inexhaustible.

[Abc123]

So you mean it only include nouns that describe feelings or characteristics?
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Please help correct my mistakes whenever you see them. Many thanks :)

[Mordant]

I am not saying that. They are among the likeliest candidates, though. I hope the following list will cause you to look at this more broadly.

Other examples:
Memorization
Prioritization
Adolescence
Puberty
Cooperation
Logic
Illogic
Comprehension
Nonsense
Common sense
Hyperbole
Neglect
Negligence
Peace
Violence
Insulin
Urine
Mucous
Blood
Podiatry
Acne
Myopia
Dyslexia
Spanish
French
Discord
Dissension
Assent
Emaciation
Assonance
Dissonance
Consonance
Feedback
Miscegenation
Racism
Sexism
Malice
Decadence
Effeminacy
Masculinity
Femininity
Protestantism
Catholicism
Islam
Hinduism
Buddhism
Judaism
Anemia
Adulation
Adoration
Conciliation
Appeasement
Abatement
Intermittence
Concealment
Prescience
Knowledge
Foreknowledge
Euthanasia
Polygamy
Polyamory
Monogamy
Honesty
Good-fellowship
Telepathy
Tact
Etiquette
Likelihood
Malaise
Individualism
Totalitarianism
Egalitarianism
Escapism
Housework
Obliteration
Eradication
Decimation
Nostalgia

[Alan]

Hi,

I'm not quite sure whether that list is untended to show nouns that are uncountable or not. It could be a dangerous step to start any list, which is why I sidestepped the question from Abc initially. All that can be said broadly is that the uncountable noun is accepted as a finite entity in whatever field it appears. At the same time English is so flexible that pluralising some words that are traditionally regarded as uncountable can often be successful. To take just one word in the list at random 'Spanish', now I know no Spanish at all but I am sure that there are different Spanishes spoken in different parts of the world in the same way as there are different Englishes.

Alan
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English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story Progressive Forms

[Haihao]

I like this topic. :)

I'd think under certain conditions "it's possible that nothing is impossible" in terms of the flexibility of English. "Cat" could be uncountable while "happiness" countable. It seems to me that only one thing could be regarded as "relatively absolute": "a happiness" or "happinesses" does not legitimate "*one happiness or *two happinesses".

[Mordant]

It was supposed to show there is no simple, neat pattern for the types of words that can go behind "of" and then take "s" or "es."