Writing Challenge: Uncountable Nouns

Welcome to the first Writing Challenge of 2012! This year we will be focusing on some specific problems that I noticed in your writing in 2011. Each month I will challenge you to become an expert in a certain aspect of the English language.

This month we are going to work on uncountable nouns. Do you ever catch a friend using the word informations? What about the word advices? These are not English words. Information and advice are uncountable nouns. They don't have plural forms and we treat them as singular. Can you think of some others? Write them down! Then you will be ready to take this month's challenge.

Image by @cgoodey via ELTpics

Your Task

1. Review this lesson on uncountable nouns. Come up with at least five uncountable nouns that you want to use. (Ten would be great!)

2. Open up a blog post. Use the title Writing Challenge: Uncountable Nouns

3. Write a letter to a MyEC friend using your uncountable words. Highlight all of the words that are uncountable. Be careful. There are a few words that can be both countable or uncountable.

4. Share your letter with your friend, and challenge him or her to answer with uncountable nouns.

5. Share a link to your letter in the comments below.

My Example

Dear Karenina,

Welcome back to MyEC! We missed you so much. You are a member who is admired for your knowledge and beauty. When you were gone everyone wrote to me. They said, "Where's the lovely Karenina?". You are a MyEC celebrity because you treat people like royalty*. In fact, you are the K in this ABC's of EC video! You always give people great advice for living and learning. Sometimes I think I can hear your laughter in your comments.

Your friendship is very important to me. I wish we could get together for tea. Do you take milk and sugar? I prefer honey. Should we have an online tea party?

Well, I guess I should get going. I need to put the rice on. We're having a stir fry for dinner. I'm waiting for some furniture to arrive. My kids are getting new dressers. They are graduating from their plastic storage bins!

Bye for now,

Love Tara

PS-Karenina: Will you accept this month's writing challenge? Write back using 5-10 uncountable nouns. Post your response on your blog following the instructions above.

*royalty in this case is used collectively to refer to members of a royal family. When do we use the plural "royalties"?

Tags: uncountable-nouns, writing-challenge

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Comment by Chandra on March 8, 2012 at 16:44: Hello, Tara. Do you mean that abstract nouns are similar to uncountable nouns?

Comment by Atika on February 8, 2012 at 17:04: Here is my blog as reply to Nadiyah's one, that was a great challenge,,

http://my.englishclub.com/profiles/blogs/writing-challenge-uncounta...

Mod Comment by Robbie on February 7, 2012 at 12:27: Hi teacher Tara,

I like the first writing challenge for this year. Here's my participation. I hope I'm not too late for joining the challenge. : )

Comment by Ilham on February 4, 2012 at 20:01: Hello Ms Tara,

Here is my Writing Challenge.

Thank you!

=)

Comment by bluerose on February 3, 2012 at 3:00: hi dear Tare this my blog ,I try but I do not write well

http://my.englishclub.com/profiles/blogs/writing-challenge-uncounta...

Admin Comment by Tara Benwell on February 2, 2012 at 18:04: Hi Faris,

I'm not sure how words like "fruit" and "foods" became countable, but I think it has something to do with modern grocery shops. In Canada there is a grocery shop called Whole Foods. Funny, huh? There are so many types of fruit and food available that somehow they became countable. I think it is still important to teach basic uncountable nouns when using these in general terms. Introduce exceptions later when your beginners understand the concept. "Fruits" is a tough one. Sometimes it sounds right. Other times it sounds wrong. Stick with uncountable if you are unsure.

You are right, "international waters" is a very common term. English is such a strange language sometimes.

Mod Comment by Nadiyah on February 2, 2012 at 2:51: Dear Tara,

I entered to your writing challenge this month :)

Here is mine : Writing Challenge : A Letter to Atika

SpamBuster Comment by Yasemin on February 1, 2012 at 17:32: I wrote a letter to Syubi.

My challenge is here.

:)

Comment by selma on February 1, 2012 at 12:01: Woow, great challenge,, I miss lot of thing, when studying pronunciation :((

SpamBuster Comment by Syubidupapap on February 1, 2012 at 10:51: Here is the revision of the sentence:

I never feel the need celebrating valentine of celebrating Valentine's, but I am always happy when every time this day come comes because there will be a lot of romantic movies on TV, LOL.

http://my.englishclub.com/profiles/blogs/writing-challenge-uncounta...

Thank you.