语法系列讲座9 一语法：抽象名词

抽象名词（Abstract Nouns）：表示动作、状态、品质、感情等抽象概念名词。

例如：time, work, music ,praise, courage, news, advice, information, knowledge, practice, fun, politics, physics, chemistry, biology 等。抽象名词一般无法用数目计算，属于不可数名词（Uncountable Nouns）。

1．抽象名词表示一般概念时，前通常不加冠词; 但前有定语修饰，表示某一概念的某种情况时，要加不定冠词“a或an”；后有定语修饰，表示特指时，要加定冠词“the”：

1). Do you like listening to music?  你喜欢音乐吗？

    2). We go to school to build up knowledge for our future. 我们上学是为了将来积累知识。

    3). He has a good knowledge of English. 他熟知英语。

    4). We had a good time last Sunday. 上周我们玩得很愉快。

5). The old Great Wall took on a new look. 古老的长城焕然一新。

6). She stopped crying and listened to the music on the radio. 

她停止哭泣并开始听收音机里的音乐。

2. 当抽象名词表示具体的人或物时，为可数名词，有单复数形式：

    1). Failure is the mother of success. 失败是成功之母。

2). The great writer Dickens was a success as a novelist but a failure in business.

大作家狄更斯是一个成功的小说家，但在生意场上却屡屡失败。

    3). Youth is beautiful. 青春是美丽的。

    4). He is a youth of twenty. 他是个20岁的年轻人。

  类似的词有：success (成功) --- (成功的人或事); failure (失败) --- (失败的人或事); pleasure (快乐) --- (令人快乐的事); surprise (惊讶) --- (令人惊讶的人或事); disappointment  (失望) --- (令人失望的人或事); knowledge (知识) --- (一门学问); atmosphere (大气) --- (气氛); room (空间) --- (房间); comfort (安慰) --- (令人安慰的人或事); fortune (运气) --- (财产/财富);

3. 有些抽象名词往往以复数形式出现,起到一种丰富语言感情色彩或强调某种特别状态的作用:

    1). "Congratulations!" he said to us.

    2). Here are some flowers for you, with our best wishes.

类似的词有：repairs (修理); pains (疼痛); realities (现实); troubles (麻烦事); efforts (努力); friendships (友谊); worries (烦恼); joys (快乐); praises (赞美); four freedoms 四大自由; the four modernizations四个现代化

4. 部分抽象名词的单数形式和复数形式有不同的含义：

   1). He has a lot of experience in teaching those children. 他教那些孩子很有经验。

2). To most young people, surfing and bungee jumping are exciting experiences.

对于大多数年轻人来说，冲浪和蹦极跳都是令人兴奋的经历。

3). I wanted to leave London and rest my brain. 我想离开伦敦，让大脑休息一下。

4). I suppose she has more brains than any of us. 我猜想她比我们中的任何人都更有智商。

5). No one showed the least regard for his feelings. 没有人关心他的感受。

6). Please give my best regards to your parents. 请代我向您的双亲问好。

  类似的词有：experience (经验) --- (经历); brain (脑子) --- (智慧); regard (考虑;关心) --- (问候,致意); spirit (精神,心灵) --- (烈酒); manner (态度) --- (礼貌); interest (兴趣) --- (利益); good (益处) --- (货物); force (力量) --- (军队); character (性格) --- (人物,汉字); exercise (锻炼) --- (体操，练习); time (时间) --- (时代,次数);

5. 抽象名词作主语，包括以“-s”结尾（“news mathematics physics polities”），谓语动词用单数形式：

    1). The news that you heard is true.

2). Is physics as interesting as chemistry?

6. 句型“be of great(…) +部分抽象名词”，相当于句型“be very +部分抽象名词的形容词”：

  The ancient painting is of great value. = The ancient painting is very valuable.

  这幅古画极有价值。

  That tool is of no use. =  That tool is very useless.

  那个工具无用。

  类似的词有： (important---importance;  help---helpful)

7. 介词“on, with, by等 + 抽象名词”，相当于一个副词”：

  He passed the examination with ease. (=easily) 他轻松地通过了考试。

  She knocked over the glass on purpose. (=purposely) 她故意地碰倒了茶杯。

  I took your pen by mistake. (=mistakenly/accidentally) 我错拿了你的钢笔。

8. 抽象名词可以借助单位词表一定的数量。

a piece of advice　一条建议

two pieces of information 两条信息

a piece of music 一段音乐

    a burst of laughter 一阵笑声

    a ray of hope 一线希望

in surprise惊讶地 a surprise一件令人惊讶的事
win success获得成功 a success一个(件)成功的人(事)
win honor赢得荣誉 an honor一个(件)引以为荣的(事)
have pity on sb.怜悯某人 a pity可惜的事情
with pleasure乐意 a pleasure乐事

抽象名词与a(an)连用，淡化了抽象概念，转化为似乎可以体验到的动作、行为或类别。如：
A knowledge of English is a must in international trade.
Would you like to have a walk (swim, bath, talk)with me?
It is waste of time reading such a novel.
She made an apology to her mother for her wrong doings.

普通名词是一类人或东西或是一个抽象概念的名词，如：book，sadness等。普通名词又可分为下面四类：

　 4）抽象名词（Abstract Nouns）：表示动作、状态、品质、感情等抽象概念，如：work。
个体名词和集体名词可以用数目来计算，称为可数名词（Countable Nouns），物质名词和抽象名词一般无法用数目计算，称为不可数名词（Uncountable Nouns）。归纳一下，名词的分类可以下图表示：