골칫덩어리 불가산 명사 Top Five

Here’s the podcast for this lesson: EiK Podcast 7 (Uncountable Nouns)

Here are some uncountable nouns that seem to cause a lot of trouble for Koreans.

1. Luggage

There is no such word as “luggages.”  It’s just luggage.  So if you have one bag or ten bags, make sure you just say that you are carrying luggage.

예문: I am carrying a lot of luggage with me today, so as soon as I land, I’ll be heading straight home.

2. Advice

Even if a person gives you advice on many occasions, it is always just “advice,” and never “advices.”

예문: My father has given me a lot of useful advice throughout my life.
참조: advice의 동사형은 “advise”예요.  그리고 “advice”와 달리 “s”발음을 “z”처럼 말해야 돼요.

예문: My father advises (발음: advizes) me on many aspects of my life.

3. Furniture

Even if you just bought a desk, a chair, and a bookshelf, you should say, “I bought some furniture” — not “furnitures.”

예문:  His house is totally filled up with furniture; there’s almost no place to stand.

4. Knowledge

Someone may have a great depth of knowledge in a certain field, but they do not have “knowledges”

예문: He has a vast knowledge of computer programming.

5. Vocabulary

The word vocabulary is already a collective noun (집합명사) so you don’t need to put an “s” on it.  There is no such word as “vocabularies” or “vocabs.”  Vocabulary is already plural.

예문:

• I’m studying English vocabulary right now.
• I heard there is going to be a lot of very hard vocabulary on the final test.
• Part of being an eloquent speaker, is having an expansive vocabulary.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS