Noun Test Flashcards
Divide the following into two categories:
i. Those whose plural form is pronounced /s/ or /z/
ii. Those whose plural form is pronounced /iz/
Knife / lunch / move / orange / top / wedge / wish
i. Knives / moves / tops /
ii. Lunches / oranges / wedges / wishes
What rule underlies your choices?
The singular form of the words in ii. All end in one of the sounds which is followed by /iz/ in the plural form.
Divide the following nouns into three categories:
A. Plural form pronounced /z/
B. Plural form pronounced /s/
C. Plural form pronounced /s/ or /z/
Bath / cough / hearth / mouth / pin / room / cloth / growth / lock / pillow / pit / scruff
A. Pins / pillows / rooms /
B. Locks / pits / coughs / cloths / scruffs / growths /
C. Hearths / mouths / baths /
What rule underlies your choices?
The singular form of the words in “A” ends in a voiced sound (accompanied by humming in the throat)
Those in “B” end in a voiceless sound.
Those ending in (th - type sound) have two possible endings /s/ or /z/
For each noun decide whether it is:
A. Generally countable
B. Generally uncountable
C. Both.
Fish / exposure / meat / steak / breast / lamb
(C) - breast
(U) - meat
(B) - fish / exposure / lamb / steak
For each noun decide whether it is:
A. Generally countable
B. Generally uncountable
C. Both.
Unhappiness/ dissatisfaction / understanding / soil /
Society / life / misunderstanding /
(U) unhappiness / dissatisfaction / understanding / soil / meat /
(B) society / life / misunderstanding
If you answered “both” for any of the words, how is the meaning affected by whether the use is countable or uncountable.
Life / fish / lamb / steak / misunderstanding are all closely related either way.
A society is quite different from society
An exposure is different from exposure
Name all the nouns in the text and whether used (C) or (UC)
“Grilling is a fierce and uncompromising technique, since the food is cooked by direct exposure to intense heat. Only prime cuts of meat can stand up to this barrage of heat and still emerge tender and juicy”
(C) technique / cuts / barrage /
(UC) grilling / food / exposure / heat / meat /
Name all the nouns in the text and whether used (C) or (UC)
“Thus steaks, chops and cutlets are the obvious choice, although a cheaper cut like breast of lamb can be braised first, then grilled, to give a crisp exterior.
Fish presents no such problems, however, since it is never tough. Even the cheaper, oily fish such as sardines and mackerel are good cooked in this way.”
(C) steaks / chops / cutlets / choice / cut / exterior / fish (2nd instance) / problems / sardines / way /
(UC) breast / lamb / fish (1st instance) / mackerel
Name all the nouns in the text and whether used (C) or (UC)
“Many therapists believe that the unhappiness over which patients come to therapy is not socially caused, but is self created, that the patients are at least partially responsible for the dissatisfaction that is felt.”
(C) therapist / patients /
(UC) unhappiness / therapy / dissatisfaction
Name all the nouns in the text and whether used (C) or (UC).
The therapist will often state that he or she is not in a position to alter society, to change a patients past, or to intervene in the life of the patient. What the therapist claims to offer is understanding.
(C) position / patient / past / life /patient / therapist / offer /
(UC) society / understanding
Name all the nouns in the text and whether used (C) or (UC)
“But implicit in this offer is the belief that the understanding is an internal one, an understanding of what the patient has brought to the situation to create unhappiness or at least to intensify it. Here we have a rich soil for creating deep and lasting misunderstandings, and even greater misery.”
(C) offer / belief / understanding x 2 / patient / situation / soil / misunderstandings /
(UC) unhappiness / misery /
Conclusion:
Some of the countable nouns are clearly countable being in plural form or preceded by a/an.
Some of the uncountable nouns are clearly uncountable because they are followed by a singular verb but not preceded by “a or an”.
Others are not clear e.g
The food / this barrage / this offer /
Also
The 2nd instances of “fish” and “belief” have been classified here as countable - but it could be argued that they are uncountable.
