2014-08-06 Evening: nouns

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk
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Homework: Grammar p. 79-81 (A, exercises 1-2)
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Part 1
1 C
2 C
3 NC
4 C
5 NC (sometimes C - "multiple intelligences")
6 NC
7 NC/C
8 NC (C in the sense of "choices")
9 C/NC
10 C/NC ("separation of church and state")
11 C
12 NC (C like "intelligences" and "discriminations")
13 C/NC
14 NC (Fields of study are almost always noncount. However, some "-ics" words may be always-plural nouns when they refer to a concrete example. "The mathematics of this problem are very complex.")
(If you can say "___ is", it's noncount. If you can say "A ___ is" or "___s are", it's count.)
"Society is not very accepting of differences."
"Different societies have different ideas about clothing."

Part 2
1 concerns
2 sciences
3 matters
4 lives
5 evil
6 goods
7 state
8 fatality
9 material
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Singular count nouns in English MUST have a determiner.
Determiners: articles, possessives, demonstratives, number
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Generic noncount and plural nouns DON'T use "the".
(generic = in general, to talk about all of something)

Oranges are high in vitamin C.
Spinach is high in iron.

"The spinach is delicious." = some specific spinach at dinner

What's a computer?
A computer is a machine used to calculate things.

The computer was invented during WWII to break codes.
("the" generics are usually inventions, species, and parts of the b
ody)
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In American English, group nouns take singular verbs.
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The native peoples of North America...
(= the various native culturues and societies, not a collection of individuals.)
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Compound nouns: noun+noun, like "grocery store", "bedroom"

nouns before the head noun (the last one) are almost always singular: grocery store, bookbag, toothbrush

(similar to compound adjectives: a thirty-year-old person)

some compounds are plural, though: teethmarks, almsgiver
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1 The outskirts of a town are the parts that are far from the center.
2 "The press" is a general term for newspapers and journalists.
3 The clergy are people such as priests and ministers.
4 Mathematics is described as the science of numbers.
5 Binoculars are used to see things far away.
6 Two weeks is sometimes called a fortnight in Britain.

"Water" is a noncount noun.
Water is a liquid at room temperature.
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fourteen nights -> fortnight

fortnightly = biweekly
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In English, the head noun (most important noun) is the last word of a noun phrase. The head noun tells you what it is that you're talking about.
quantifiers + determiners + adjectives + nouns + head noun
   some of        the           best    English   schools
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Homework: p. 76-77 of the handout