Countable things that become uncountable nouns.

[The apprentice]

Dear members and teachers:


Sometimes I wonder that one day you will change my username THE APPRENTICE into THE GRAMMAR CONFUSED because of my lots of grammar confusions.

1°) I have learned that HOW MUCH is used with uncountable or non-countable nouns, but I have noticed that HOW MUCH is also used with things that can be counted in cases that their amount are unknown at that moment, for intance:

Money can be counted; Jewels can be counted; furnitures can be counted, etc., but when we do not exactly know the amount of them, they are uncountable things untill they are counted or known.

1a) I don't know how much money do you have? (unknown countable things).

1b) I only have 5,00 Pounds. (known countable things).

1c) He doesn't know how much jewels she has. (unknown).

1d) She has two dimond rings and three golden chains. (known).

2°) I have learned that MUCH is used with uncountable nouns in negative sentences; however, A LOT OF is used in affirmative as well as in negative sentences, for example:

2a) That container does not have much water.

2b) That container does not have a lot of water.

2c) That container has a lot of water. (not MUCH).

2d) I don't drink much water.

2e) I drink a lot of water. (not MUCH).

2f) I don't have much money to go.

2g) He has a lot of money in his pocket. (not MUCH).


QUESTION:


1) Can MUCH alone be used in affirmative sentences?

2) In This question: I don't know how many people are in there? The people are unknown untill they be counted.

 

[Tdol]

Money cannot usually be counted. You can count dollars, pounds, etc, but can you show me two monies? It does have a plural- monies is used in legal texts, but then, while plural, you won't be able to produce two of them. The same is true of furniture- you can't count it, but you can count chairs and beds. You can count jewels, but I think you may mean jewellery- you can't usually count it, but you can count rings.

 

[The apprentice]

Excellent Tdol; thank you:


I meant JEWELLERY (JEWELRY). Now I got you, those are mass nouns, cannot take indefinite article and consequently they are uncountable nouns.


My best regards.