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worksmart
Joined: 11 May 2006
Posts: 88
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 Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 2:42 am Post subject: material and materials |
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How do I use material as countable and uncountable? In what situations do I use countable materials and when do I use the uncountable form material?
Thanks! |
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+Immune+
Joined: 06 Jan 2006
Posts: 83
Location: Warsaw/Poland
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| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:46 am Post subject: Re: material and materials |
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| worksmart wrote: |
How do I use material as countable and uncountable? In what situations do I use countable materials and when do I use the uncountable form material?
Thanks! |
You use a countable form of a noun "material" if you mean a physical substance which things can be made from.
e.g.
building materials such as stone
or
Raw (= basic) materials such as crude oil are used for making plastic.
The word "materials" also has a different meaning which is an equipment that you need for a particular activity. It is not a countable noun though but a plural one.
e.g.
teaching materials
or
"Do we need any writing materials?" "Only a pen and a pencil."
material, as an information (information used when writing something such as a book, or information produced in various forms to help people or to advertise products) can be either used as a countable or uncountable noun ( [U] most often), unlike the uncountable word "information" .
e.g.
I'm in the process of collecting material for an article that I'm writing.
"material" is also an uncountable noun if used in a sense of ideas or notes that a finished work may be based on.
e.g.
The material of the story resembles an incident in his own life.
The last meaning I can come up with is a piece of cloth which can be used to make things such as clothes.
e.g.
How much material will you need to make this skirt?
_________________
"Understand that hapiness is not based on possesions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect"
Well, um.. "Never open the refrigerator when you're bored"  |
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worksmart
Joined: 11 May 2006
Posts: 88
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 10:21 am Post subject: |
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| Oh I see. Thanks! |
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