Here’s an interesting grammar puzzler asked by Forum member English Maiden:
“I always thought that uncountable or abstract nouns like ‘jewelry,’ ‘news,’ ‘information,’ ‘beauty,’ and ‘anger’ can’t be preceded by the indefinite article ‘a’ or ‘an.’ But recently, I read in an English grammar and usage book that uncountable nouns can occur with the indefinite article when they follow an adjective, as in this sentence: ‘There’s
a terrible sadness in her eyes.’ Is that correct? Can I also similarly construct sentences with other uncountable nouns like ‘information’ and ‘scenery’? But sentences like ‘I have
an amazing news for you’ and ‘I’ll show you
a very beautiful jewelry’ don’t sound and look right to me.
“In an essay of yours in the Forum, however, you did use the indefinite article with some uncountable or abstract nouns in these sentences:
“‘(1) Some stock phrases in English are inherently undesirable because they are too wordy and only tend to give
a false depth and emphasis to what is being said.’
“‘(2) Of course, the problem can be remedied by simply dropping the extraneous words in the repeater phrase, but we need to cultivate
a strong sensitivity to the repetition that often hides so well in such phrases.’
“Your sentences seem all right to me, but the other examples I presented don’t. Why is that? Aren’t all the nouns in my examples and the ones in your essay in the same category? Please help me understand.”
My reply to English Maiden:Yes, an indefinite article can be used to precede an adjective that premodifies an uncountable noun denoting an emotion or state, as in this example of yours: “There’s
a terrible sadness in her eyes.” Below are five more examples of that usage involving uncountable nouns denoting an emotion, condition, or state: “There’s
a certain magic in the way she sings.” “
An enigmatic joy appeared on her face.” “She always feigned
a forceful laugh that irritated everyone.” “He displayed such
an open admiration that bordered on obsequiousness.” “I could sense
a brutal coldness in the way he looked at me.”
This usage doesn’t generally apply to all uncountable nouns, though. It doesn’t apply in particular to an uncountable noun that’s grammatically singular but notionally plural, like “news.” This explains why this sentence of yours isn’t right: “I have
an amazing news for you.” Instead we say “I have
amazing news for you,” and, for two or more news items, “I have
some amazing news for you.”
“Jewelry” is also an uncountable noun that’s grammatically singular but notionally plural, so we can’t say “I’ll show you
a very beautiful jewelry.” Instead, we say “I’ll show you
a very beautiful jewelry collection” or “I’ll show you
five pieces of very beautiful jewelry.”
The modes of modification for uncountable nouns vary depending on their nature and specific attributes. The uncountable nouns in the sentences you cited from my essay are these: “depth,” “emphasis,” and “sensitivity.”
“Depth,” a noun denoting state, is grammatically and notionally singular in the phrase “
a false depth to what is being said,” but it’s countable and notionally plural in this sentence using “depth” as a generic measure: “For technical reasons, this device won’t work at depths of 60 feet and 100 feet.”
“Emphasis” is, of course, an abstract noun that’s singular both grammatically and notionally, so it’s modifiable by an adjective preceded by an indefinite pronoun in this usage of mine, “
a false emphasis to what’s being said.”
“Sensitivity” is another uncountable noun denoting state, so it’s modifiable way in the same way here: “
a strong sensitivity to the repetition that often hides so well in such phrases.”
I hope this discussion has cleared up your confusion on how to modify the various kinds of uncountable nouns.
This essay, 1,099th of the series, appeared in the column “English Plain and Simple” by Jose A. Carillo in the Campus Press section of the July 5, 2018 issue (print edition only) of The Manila Times
, © 2018 by the Manila Times Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.(Next:
Can a modifier dangle legitimately under some circumstances?) July 12, 2018
