A question about using a countable noun as an uncountable one and vice veresa












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It seems like that there's no strict distinction between countable and uncountable nouns sometimes and they can be used interchangeably depending on the speaker's intention.
e.g.) a food <--> food, a game <--> game, etc. basically meaning the same thing but different only in terms of how abstractly the speaker treats the word in question in a specific context

I know it sounds abstract without a specific context, but for now I just want to get a sense of the way the distinction between them is perceived by native speakers.
Any comments please.
Thanks in advance!










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    Food = food in general. A food = a particular type of food. Game as an uncountable noun normally means animals that are killed for sport before being eaten, so it doesn't mean the same as a game.

    – Kate Bunting
    yesterday
















0















It seems like that there's no strict distinction between countable and uncountable nouns sometimes and they can be used interchangeably depending on the speaker's intention.
e.g.) a food <--> food, a game <--> game, etc. basically meaning the same thing but different only in terms of how abstractly the speaker treats the word in question in a specific context

I know it sounds abstract without a specific context, but for now I just want to get a sense of the way the distinction between them is perceived by native speakers.
Any comments please.
Thanks in advance!










share|improve this question







New contributor




ancheolsu is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
















  • 1





    Food = food in general. A food = a particular type of food. Game as an uncountable noun normally means animals that are killed for sport before being eaten, so it doesn't mean the same as a game.

    – Kate Bunting
    yesterday














0












0








0








It seems like that there's no strict distinction between countable and uncountable nouns sometimes and they can be used interchangeably depending on the speaker's intention.
e.g.) a food <--> food, a game <--> game, etc. basically meaning the same thing but different only in terms of how abstractly the speaker treats the word in question in a specific context

I know it sounds abstract without a specific context, but for now I just want to get a sense of the way the distinction between them is perceived by native speakers.
Any comments please.
Thanks in advance!










share|improve this question







New contributor




ancheolsu is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.












It seems like that there's no strict distinction between countable and uncountable nouns sometimes and they can be used interchangeably depending on the speaker's intention.
e.g.) a food <--> food, a game <--> game, etc. basically meaning the same thing but different only in terms of how abstractly the speaker treats the word in question in a specific context

I know it sounds abstract without a specific context, but for now I just want to get a sense of the way the distinction between them is perceived by native speakers.
Any comments please.
Thanks in advance!







uncountable-nouns






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ancheolsu is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 1





    Food = food in general. A food = a particular type of food. Game as an uncountable noun normally means animals that are killed for sport before being eaten, so it doesn't mean the same as a game.

    – Kate Bunting
    yesterday














  • 1





    Food = food in general. A food = a particular type of food. Game as an uncountable noun normally means animals that are killed for sport before being eaten, so it doesn't mean the same as a game.

    – Kate Bunting
    yesterday








1




1





Food = food in general. A food = a particular type of food. Game as an uncountable noun normally means animals that are killed for sport before being eaten, so it doesn't mean the same as a game.

– Kate Bunting
yesterday





Food = food in general. A food = a particular type of food. Game as an uncountable noun normally means animals that are killed for sport before being eaten, so it doesn't mean the same as a game.

– Kate Bunting
yesterday










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