¿Por Qué Incredulidad?
LA ESPIRAL DE LA INCREDULIDAD IMPÍA
Did you know that not all nouns are countable in English? Knowing the difference between countable and uncountable nouns can help you in many areas of English grammar.
Countable Nouns
Countable nouns are nouns that can be counted. Most nouns in English are countable.
Examples:
• I have two dogs.
• Sandra has three cars.
• Jessie has ten dollars.
Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable nouns are not counted in English. This usually has to do with the way English speakers think of these nouns. We often picture these nouns as a single concept or one big thing which is hard to divide. Many of these words are countable in other languages, but they ARE NOT countable in English. Generally, we do not use plural forms of these words; however some of these words do end in "s", so don't get confused.
Examples:
• Mack drinks a lot of water.
• Cindy gives great advice.
• Paul enjoys politics. E NDS WITH" S " BUT UNCOUNTABLE
Uncountable nouns tend to belong to one of the following categories:
Liquids and Gases
water
coffee
milk
air oxygen
Solid and Granular Substances
wood
metal
cheese
sand
rice
Energy Words and Forces
electricity
sunshine
radiation
heat
magnetism
Subjects
French
chemistry
economics
science
math
Grouped Concepts
fruit
money
food
vocabulary
news
Information and Abstract Concepts
information
advice
education
democracy
intelligence
Uncountable Plurals
Sometimes in English, we do use uncountable nouns in plural forms. This is most commonly done with liquids and substances. It usually takes on the meaning of "cups of", "bottles of" or "types of".
Examples:
• We'll have two coffees. C UPS OF COFFEE
• I bought three waters. BOTTLES OF WATER
• The company produces two leathers. T YPES OF LEATHER
Different Meanings
There are certain words which have multiple meanings. It is possible for one meaning to be countable and the other to be uncountable. Take for example the word "light":
Examples:
• I couldn't see anything because there was no light. U NCOUNTABLE NOUN
• The Christmas tree was covered with hundreds of lights. C OUNTABLE NOUN
Generally, the rules are still the same. The first use of "light" is a form of energy. The second use of "light" means "small light bulbs", which are normal countable objects.
Even
The following is a mini-tutorial on the various uses of the word "even." After you have studied the tutorial, complete the associated exercises. If you already know how to use
"even," you can skip the explanation and go directly to the exercises.
USE
When a strong statement is made, the statement is often followed with an example containing "even." The word "even" adds shock, surprise, or excitement to the example.
Examples:
• He loses everything. He even lost his own wedding ring!
• John has amnesia and he can't remember anything about the past. He can't even remember his own name!
• He could become anything. He could even become President of the United States!
• I love that author, and I have all of his books - even the ones which are out of print.
Even Though / Even When / Even If
USE
"Even" can be combined with the words "though," "when" and "if." It emphasizes that a result is unexpected. Study the following examples and explanations to learn how these expressions differ.
Examples:
• Even though Bob studied very hard, he still failed his French tests.
BOB ALWAYS STUDIED HARD. BUT , UNFORTUNATELY , HE FAILED THE TESTS .
• Even when Bob studied very hard, he still failed his French tests.
BOB OCCASIONALLY STUDIED HARD, BUT IT DIDN ' T REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE . E VERY TIME HE STUDIED, HE STILL FAILED.
• Even if Bob studied very hard, he still failed his French tests.
BOB DIDN ' T NORMALLY STUDY VERY HARD. BUT IN THE RARE SITUATION WHEN HE DID TRY TO STUDY HARD, HE STILL FAILED THE TEST .
• Jerry is never happy. Even though you do everything his way, he is still dissatisfied.
Y OU DO EVERYTHING HIS WAY , BUT HE IS STILL DISSATISFIED.
• Jerry is never happy. Even when you do everything his way, he is still dissatisfied.
Y OU SOMETIMES TRY DOING THINGS HIS WAY , BUT HE IS STILL DISSATISFIED.
• Jerry is never happy. Even if you do everything his way, he is still dissatisfied.
Y OU HAVE TRIED DOING THINGS HIS WAY ONCE OR TWICE, BUT IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE BECAUSE HE IS
.
IMPORTANT
These expressions are not always interchangeable; the context of the sentence will affect your choice:
• "Even though" is used when something is always done or a fact is mentioned.
• "Even when" is used when something is occasionally done.
• "Even if" is used when something is rarely done or just imagined.
Examples:
• Even though the interview went terribly yesterday, Cheryl got the job. Correct T HE INTERVIEW WENT TERRIBLY , BUT SHE GOT THE JOB.
• Even when the interview went terribly yesterday, Cheryl got the job. Not Correct T HIS SENTENCE IS INCORRECT BECAUSE THE INTERVIEW DID NOT GO TERRIBLY MORE THAN ONE TIME . T HERE WAS ONLY ONE INTERVIEW SO" WHEN " IS NOT THE RIGHT WORD FOR THIS SENTENCE .
• Even if the interview went terribly yesterday, Cheryl got the job. Correct
Y OU HAVE NOT TALKED TOC HERYL SINCE HER INTERVIEW . Y OU IMAGINE THAT THE INTERVIEW WENT TERRIBLY , BUT YOU THINK SHE PROBABLY GOT THE JOB ANYWAY .
• Even though he wins the lottery jackpot, he won't have enough money to pay off his debt.Not Correct
T HIS SENTENCE WOULD SUGGEST THAT HE ALWAYS WINS THE LOTTERY .
• Even when he wins the lottery jackpot, he won't have enough money to pay off his debt.Not Correct
T HIS SENTENCE WOULD SUGGEST THAT HE SOMETIMES WINS THE LOTTERY JACKPOT .
• Even if he wins the lottery jackpot, he won't have enough money to pay off his debt.Correct
T HERE IS A CHANCE IN A MILLION THAT HE MIGHT WIN THE LOTTERY JACKPOT , BUT IT WOULDN ' T MAKE
ANY DIFFERENCE BECAUSE HE STILL WOULDN ' T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO PAY OFF HIS DEBT .
REMEMBER
The meaning and context of the sentence is very important when deciding whether to use "even though," "even when" or "even if."
Even So
USE
"Even so" is very much like the word "but" or "however." "Even so" is different in that it is used with surprising or unexpected results.
Examples:
• She is loud and unfriendly. Even so, I like her.
S HE IS LOUD AND UNFRIENDLY , SO IT IS UNEXPECTED THATI LIKE HER .
• The bed is extremely large and heavy. Even so, Jim managed to carry it into the house by himself.
I T IS UNEXPECTED THATJ IM COULD CARRY THE BED BY HIMSELF .
• Jane was sick for a couple days in Los Angeles. Even so, she said her trip to the United States was great.
I F SHE WAS SICK , IT IS UNEXPECTED THAT SHE ENJOYED HER TRIP .