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a + uncountable noun

Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 8:35 am
by googl
Dear Alan,

'a information' is incorrect, because 'information' is uncountable. Is 'a very interesting information' correct? If yes, then could You give me some rules about putting the determiners before the uncountable nouns?

Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 10:17 am
by Alan
No, *a very interesting information is not correct.

Noncount (or 'mass') nouns cannot, by definition, be determined by a form of the indefinite article. Beware, though, that some nouns have both count and noncount forms, sometimes with subtly different meanings.

A good learners' dictionary such as Collins Cobuild should provide all the necessary information case-by-case.