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 #2 (permalink) Sat Apr 29, 2006 10:19 am How should i know which thing does the boy really need? |
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Additional explanation:
You can say 'a toothache', but you can't buy one. Toothaches cannot be bought and don't cost anything... until you have to pay a dentist to get rid of them. :wink:
As for 'toothpaste': what you can buy is a tube of toothpaste. 'Tubes' are countable, toothpaste isn't.
The only possible (and logical !) answer here is 'toothbrush'.
EDIT(April 6, 2008):
There used to be an explanatory post before mine in this thread. I wonder where it went. :?
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Yankee
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| #3 (permalink) Sun Apr 06, 2008 20:22 pm How should i know which thing does the boy really need? |
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| good question |
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Mantser
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| #4 (permalink) Sun Apr 06, 2008 20:32 pm How should i know which thing does the boy really need? |
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Hi Mantser
The only word that works both grammatically and logically in the context is 'toothbrush'. It's as simple as that. :wink:
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Yankee
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| #5 (permalink) Sun Apr 06, 2008 21:00 pm How should i know which thing does the boy really need? |
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| Yankee wrote: |
As for 'toothpaste': what you can buy is a tube of toothpaste. 'Tubes' are countable, toothpaste isn't.
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What beats me is why we can say "buy me a beer", but cannot say "buy me a toothpaste" :) And I surmise that not long ago "beer" was uncountable too. |
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Lost_Soul
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| #6 (permalink) Mon Apr 07, 2008 5:13 am How should i know which thing does the boy really need? |
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.
Pretty weird, huh? Go figure. :wink:
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Yankee
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| #7 (permalink) Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:03 am How should i know which thing does the boy really need? |
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I'm afraid, the English language is unfigurautable, you have to feel it :wink:
By the way, do you find the word "unfigurautable" sounding natural. I made it up (from un-figure-out-able) |
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Lost_Soul
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| #8 (permalink) Tue Apr 08, 2008 15:12 pm How should i know which thing does the boy really need? |
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| Quote: |
| What beats me is why we can say "buy me a beer", but cannot say "buy me a toothpaste" And I surmise that not long ago "beer" was uncountable too. |
I think 'Buy me a beer' is something made popular by drunk guys.
They were probably too drunk to worry about uncountable and countable nouns while asking for another beer. :lol:
And you can certainly wake up and say 'Buy me a toothpaste' if you are too hung over to give a damn about uncountable and countable nouns :lol:
Hope that clears the cloud of doubt that's been hanging over you. :lol:
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Daemon99
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| usual vs. usually | Investigators vs invigilators |
