The Use of Articles with Uncountable Abstract Nouns

Among abstract countable nouns we find: answer, belief, conclusion, doubt, effort, government, holiday, idea, job, lie, mistake, opinion, plan, principle, promise, question, reply, sentence, visit etc.

Abstract uncountable nouns: anger, beauty, curiosity, freedom, love, modesty etc.

Some abstract nouns are used as countables in one meaning and uncountables in another:

Work – работа a work - произведение

Silence – тишина a silence - пауза

Decision – решимость a decision - решение

1. Kindness – доброта/доброе дело

(an) Exercise – физическая нагрузка/упражнение

(an) experience – опыт/случай из жизни

1. Favour – милость, расположение/одолжение

1. Failure – неудача, провал/неудачное дело, неудачник

1. Society – общество/организация, кружок

1. Nature – природа/натура, характер

(an) observation – наблюдение/замечание

The following nouns function both as count. and uncount. without any change in the meaning: chance, change, difficulty, language, profit, reason, temptation, torture, trouble, war.

The following nouns are uncountable but in the following two constructions they are used with the indefinite article: comfort, disgrace, disappointment, pity, pleasure, relief, shame and some others.

1. It is a pleasure to see you.

2. What a pity!

But: I’ll do it with pleasure.

As a general rule uncountable abstract nouns are used without any article.

The definite article is used when the noun is modified by a limiting attribute or limitation comes from the context.

The definite article is also found with substantivized adjectives denoting abstract notions: the ordinary, the beautiful, the unusual, the supernatural etc.

E.g. Do you believe in the supernatural?

The indefinite article is used with uncountable abstract nouns when they are modified by a descriptive attribute which brings out a special aspect of the notion expressed by the noun (aspective function of the article).

e.g. A dull anger rose in his chest.

There was a tenderness in his voice that moved her.

I felt a certain impatience.

He had a patience which amazed his friends.

Sometimes an uncountable abstract noun is used with an attribute and yet has no article. It can be explained by the nature of the attribute or the nature of the noun:

1. In some cases attributes do not bring out a special aspect of the notion expressed by the noun. The attribute can express degree (great, perfect, sufficient, huge, tremendous, utter, complete, major etc.), quality of the noun from the point of view of time (modern, ancient, inpending, eternal, daily, contemporary, further, final, original), nationality (English etc/), geography (Moscow, world etc.), authenticity (genuine, authentic, symbolic etc.) or give social characteristic (capitalist, racial, religious etc.). e.g I have perfect confidence in him. She had great experience in her work. They talked about modern poetry.

2. Some nouns are never used with the indefinite article: admiration, advice, applause, approval, assistance, concern, encirclement, guidance, information, permission, progress, recognition, research, torture, trade, work, change (сдача), fun, health, luck, money, news, (outer) space, weather and some others.

All the above-mentioned nouns can be used with the definite article.

Note! The noun “wind” is uncountable. E.g. There isn’t much wind today. Yet it is regularly used with the definite article. E.g. He ran like the wind. But if it is modified by a descriptive attribute it is used with the aspective indefinite article. E.g. A cold wind was blowing from the north. The cold winds blew the leaves off the trees (plural for stylistic purposes).

Notice the sentence patterns with the word life.

e.g. Life goes on. They began a new life. The life he is leading now causes distress.

Sometimes the use of articles with uncountable abstract nouns is affected by the syntactic function of the noun.