陳燁

一般來說，具體名詞可數(shù)，抽象名詞不可數(shù)。但由于實際表達(dá)的需要，它們也可以相互轉(zhuǎn)化。以下就這種情況做一些歸納。

1. 許多表示動物名稱的名詞可數(shù)，但在表示食品時則不可數(shù)。如：

There is some fish on the plate.

Which do you like best， chicken， duck or goose？

2. 當(dāng)介詞by表示“乘（交通工具）”，in 表示“用（表達(dá)方式或材料）”時， 其用作賓語的名詞表示抽象意義。如：

Did they come to the city by plane？

Please complete the form with the information of yours in pen.

3. 表示頭銜、職位的名詞，如chairman， president， captain， manager， head， director， monitor等在句子作主語補(bǔ)足語、賓語補(bǔ)足語、表語或同位語等時，其前面不用冠詞，表示抽象的職位概念。如：

Henry was made captain of the ship.

They elected Lao Liu director of the factory.

4. 當(dāng)一天內(nèi)的時辰名詞，如day， morning， noon， afternoon， evening， night等表示天色時，系抽象名詞。如：

Evening came when I got home.

Day had now broken， and he cast his net for the last time.

5. 當(dāng)word作“消息、音信（news， information）”，space作“太空（the sky）”講時，不可數(shù)。如：

Word came that you were wanted at the office.

We know nothing about him， for no word has came yet.

6. 在“kind/sort of”結(jié)構(gòu)中，of后面的可數(shù)名詞抽象化。如：

What kind of bike do you like best？

I have never seen such kind of person.

7. 當(dāng)單數(shù)可數(shù)名詞用于as， though引導(dǎo)的讓步狀語從句位于句首時， 該名詞就抽象化了， 其前不用冠詞修飾。如：

Young child as Jack was， he asked lots of questions.

Old man of over eighty as he is， the professor thinks quickly.

8. 當(dāng)單數(shù)可數(shù)名詞在獨立結(jié)構(gòu)中作邏輯主語時， 其前面不能加冠詞， 即成為不可數(shù)名詞。如：

I climbed in， sword in hand.

Sweater stolen， he had to buy another one.

Cigarette in mouth， he sat there， reading a newspaper.

9. 某些表示運動、娛樂的名詞與play連用時，它們就抽象化、物質(zhì)化了。如：

Many children like playing football.

Sometimes they played mahjong to kill time.

10. 某些部門、機(jī)構(gòu)、公共場所或事物名稱，如office， school， class， court， church， market， cinema， theatre， hospital， table， bed， sleep等，在與某些介詞連用時失去了具體意義，而表示與該名詞意義相關(guān)的動作活動或情況。如：

The turners were at table.

Did Mrs. Smith go to church every Saturday？

Anyone who refused to bow was thrown into prison.

You can discuss the problem after class.

11. 某些詞組中的可數(shù)名詞表示抽象意義。如：on TV， at noon， by hand， lose heart， all day long， night and day， year by year， experiment after experiment， hand in hand， from dawn till night等。

1. 當(dāng)抽象名詞，如history， knowledge， experience， help， danger， failure等，有定語修飾，且表示具體含義時，前面可以加不定冠詞表示具體含義。如：

He has a wide knowledge of geography.

A knowledge of English is a must for young people today.

Living on a deserted island for a night can be quite an experience.

Chica is an ancient civilized country with a history of over 5000 years.

In the past few years， there has been a steady increase in agriculture and industry.

Having an English-Chinese dictionary at hand is a great help to the learners of English in China.

2. 某些抽象名詞用來表示具體的行為、事件與現(xiàn)象時表示具體含義。如：

Students are a great joy to me.

What a surprise to see you here.

The Great Wall is one of the wonders of the world.

It is an honor for me to be asked to give a lecture here.

In learning a foreign language， various forms of practice are good disciplines （訓(xùn)練方法）.

3. 某些表示動作的抽象名詞與have， take， give， make等動詞連用時，可表示一個短暫的具體動作。如：

What a nice watch ！ Let me have a look at it.

“You have just made a nice throw.”

4. 某些表示性狀、動作的抽象名詞，如success， failure等，在表示具體的“某一……”概念時， 可以加上不定冠詞，表示具體含義。如：

As a singer， he was a success.

She turned out to be a success at marketing.

China has a population of about 1.2 billion.

The experiment turned out to be a great success.

Reading is a skill while writing is another skill.

Everybody wants to be a success； that is to say， nobody wants to be a failure.

Why do you think it a waste of money to buy this kind of computer？

5. 某些表示時空、天氣的名詞，在表示整體時是抽象的，但在表示局部時卻是具體的。如：

Towards morning， a cold rain began to fall.

Did you have a good time in the park yesterday？

Our country has a history of more than 5000 years.

6. 某些抽象名詞，如joy，delight，sorrow，shock，pity，shame，pleasure，comfort，relief，disappointment等，前加不定冠詞表示對某種情況的感受，這類名詞本身就是表示人的感覺類的形容詞的名詞形式。如：

Its a relief that his health is picking up now.

That he stole the necklace was a shame to his family.

The news that out team won the match is a delight to everybody.

What a pity it is that you should miss the party this weekend！

[練習(xí)]

1. One way to understand thousands of new words is to gain _____ good knowledge of basic word formation.

A. 不填 B. the C. a D. one

2. “What ______ great surprise to meet you here！” She said in surprise.

A. 不填； 不填 B. a； 不填

C. 不填； the D. a； a

3. It is often said that teachers have _____ very easy life.

A. 不填；不填 B. 不填；a

C. the； 不填 D. the； 不填

4. He developed _____ deep interest in insects when he was at _____ age of 8.

A. a； a B. the； the C. a； the D. the； a

5. She tried to make the children live _____， which is _____ great comfort to her.

A. in comfort； a

B. in comforts； 不填

C. in a comfort； a

D. in comfort； 不填