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Ask for help > put out fire or put out fires?
put out fire or put out fires?
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lazzy
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put out fire or put out fires?
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a friend of mine ask me for such a question but i am wondering. Do we use " put out fires" in any cases in English? cause as far as i know " fire" is an uncountable noun. Please hepl me.
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14 Dec 2009
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libertybelle
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You put out fires
or you put out a fire.
Never heard of fire being an uncountable.
There are fires all over California in the Summer.
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14 Dec 2009
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Snehi
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Yes you are right, we dont use "put out fires" and it is an uncountable noun. Fire remains fire and not fires.
Just like we dont say "comb your hairs" similarly we do not use this expression.
the plural of hair is hair and ditto is the case with this one too.
I hope your doubt is clarified.
Regards,
Snehi |
14 Dec 2009
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libertybelle
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Some nouns, like the word time, beauty, fire, death, gossip can be used as either a count noun, or a non-count noun.
fire (countable and uncountable; plural fires)
- (uncountable) A (usually self-sustaining) chemical reaction involving the bonding of oxygen with carbon or other fuel, with the production of heat and the presence of flame or smouldering.
- (countable) Something that has produced or is capable of producing this chemical reaction (such as a campfire or fireplace).
- (uncountable, alchemy) One of the four basic elements.
- (countable) The, often accidental, occurrence of fire in a certain place leading to its full or partial destruction.
- There was a fire at the school last night and the whole place burned down.
- During hot and dry summers many fires in forests are caused by regardlessly discarded cigarette butts.
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14 Dec 2009
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