a before admiration

[notletrest]

If I understand you, these are possible structures, so a/an + adj + admiration does not mean that if there's an adjective, we must use the indefinite article. It's not a rule, just a possibility- we can have more than one pattern.

Thanks for your understanding, but you still don't give me a key to turn in the lock.I am sorry you avoid answering my questions.My real aim is to discuss in verbial phrases including an uncount noun the use of the indefinite article ,it refers to an adjective.The word admiration is just an example I want to discuss.I hope you would give me some help in this respect.

[TheParser]

I came up with as follows
1.t.v.+ (adjective) +admiration :
have, express, feel admiration,for,/of...win wide-spread admiration, express great-admiration, excite,awsken universal admiration
2.,t.v.+a+adjective+admiration:
cherish a profoud admiration,have a deep /great admiration
Please explain the phenomenon. By the way can we say like this: have an admiration for ,have deep admiration for...,If they are possible,give some examples , please in detail!Thank you very much!

********** NOT A TEACHER **********

Hello, Notletrest.

(1) I have been following your thread with great interest because I,

too, want an answer.

(2) IF (IF!!!) I understand you correctly, you (and I) want to know the

difference between:

I feel great admiration for your country.

I feel a great admiration for your country.

(3) Sadly, I have not been able to find an answer that satisfies me,

but I have found a few ideas to share with you:

(a) admiration is a mass noun that does not take the plural.

(b) One expert says that non-count nouns take an indefinite

article when modified or qualified:

(i) (His example) a deep happiness. (I guess that deep modifies the mass

noun happiness.)

(ii) (His example) an admiration for those fellow students. ( I guess that

for those fellow students qualifies admiration.)

(4) One teacher told me that there is no difference between "I feel great

admiration for" and "I feel a great admiration for." He said it is a matter of

the speaker's choice.

(5) I personally feel (until I get more information) (of course, I could be

100% wrong) that there is a difference.

(a) I detect that there is an emphasis or specificity with a/an.

(i) I feel a great admiration for your countrymay (may!!!) mean

something like:

As far as your country is concerned, I feel a great admiration/ an

admiration that knows no limits/that I feel for no other country/that

is hard to explain, etc.



I say this because of point no.6.


(6) In researching this topic, I discovered this expert's words:

In German, as in English, it is normal (my emphasis) to use any

abstract noun with the indefinite article when it is qualified by

an adjective or an adjectival clause. We do not speak of a despair, but

we do say He was filled with a despair that grew from day to day.

Thank you

P. S. Please let us know if you find more information.

[notletrest]

********** NOT A TEACHER **********

Hello, Notletrest.

(1) I have been following your thread with great interest because I,

too, want an answer.

(2) IF (IF!!!) I understand you correctly, you (and I) want to know the

difference between:

I feel great admiration for your country.

I feel a great admiration for your country.

(3) Sadly, I have not been able to find an answer that satisfies me,

but I have found a few ideas to share with you:

(a) admiration is a mass noun that does not take the plural.

(b) One expert says that non-count nouns take an indefinite

article when modified or qualified:

(i) (His example) a deep happiness. (I guess that deep modifies the mass

noun happiness.)

(ii) (His example) an admiration for those fellow students. ( I guess that

for those fellow students qualifies admiration.)

(4) One teacher told me that there is no difference between "I feel great

admiration for" and "I feel a great admiration for." He said it is a matter of

the speaker's choice.

(5) I personally feel (until I get more information) (of course, I could be

100% wrong) that there is a difference.

(a) I detect that there is an emphasis or specificity with a/an.

(i) I feel a great admiration for your countrymay (may!!!) mean

something like:

As far as your country is concerned, I feel a great admiration/ an

admiration that knows no limits/that I feel for no other country/that

is hard to explain, etc.



I say this because of point no.6.


(6) In researching this topic, I discovered this expert's words:

In German, as in English, it is normal (my emphasis) to use any

abstract noun with the indefinite article when it is qualified by

an adjective or an adjectival clause. We do not speak of a despair, but

we do say He was filled with a despair that grew from day to day.

Thank you

P. S. Please let us know if you find more information.

=========================
Thanks for your concerns.In your thread there is something important as follows:

"One expert says that non-count nouns take an indefinite

article when modified or qualified

One teacher told me that there is no difference between "I feel great

admiration for" and "I feel a great admiration for." He said it is a matter of

the speaker's choice.

I discovered this expert's words:

In German, as in English, it is normal (my emphasis) to use any

abstract noun with the indefinite article when it is qualified by

an adjective or an adjectival clause."

I hope we should discuss questions seriously.Don't use a teacher or an expert says and so on.Our examples should be from publising.My examples are all from publising or dictionaries.Some important conclusions must be quoted from books.I think you are serious enough. I wil give you an example to turn down your conclusion.I have never come up with "to take active part in activities" so far.Have you?So we should go deeper.In my study I met with thousands upon thousands of such uncount nouns,admiration is only an instance.In my eyes it seems there is no rule in this respect.I am so dispaired that I think this is a matter of vocabulary ,not a matter of grammar.