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Is “prose†ever a count noun?
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He writes a crystalline prose (source)
I find this countable usage of "prose" from the Oxford Dictionaries very unusual. I have never seen "prose" used countably. In contrast, several dictionaries list "prose" as a mass noun and all the examples I have seen in other dictionaries indicate that "prose" is a mass noun, e.g.:
She writes beautiful prose. (source)
A search on Google for "a beautiful prose" has only hundreds of hits and most, if not all, of them are false positives as "a beautiful prose writer/style". Can "prose" really be used uncountably? Is "a beautiful prose" idiomatic? Or is that a mistake in the Oxford Dictionaries?
uncountable-nouns countability countable-nouns
asked 1 hour ago
Deancue
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up vote
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He writes a crystalline prose (source)
I find this countable usage of "prose" from the Oxford Dictionaries very unusual. I have never seen "prose" used countably. In contrast, several dictionaries list "prose" as a mass noun and all the examples I have seen in other dictionaries indicate that "prose" is a mass noun, e.g.:
She writes beautiful prose. (source)
A search on Google for "a beautiful prose" has only hundreds of hits and most, if not all, of them are false positives as "a beautiful prose writer/style". Can "prose" really be used uncountably? Is "a beautiful prose" idiomatic? Or is that a mistake in the Oxford Dictionaries?
uncountable-nouns countability countable-nouns
asked 1 hour ago
Deancue
1,272722
1
No, it can't be counted. There's no "two proses" or "six proses". It's a non-count noun.
– BillJ
1 hour ago
@BillJ Thank you! I know some nouns are "uncountable or singular". Just so I am clear on this, "prose" isn't one of them right? Is it safe to assume it is a mistake to say "he writes a crystalline prose"?
– Deancue
1 hour ago
1
A count noun by definition is one that can combine with the cardinal numbers, one, two, three etc. You may encounter "he writes a crystalline prose", but "a" is used there to mark the noun as indefinite, not to indicate a quantity of "one prose".
– BillJ
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
He writes a crystalline prose (source)
I find this countable usage of "prose" from the Oxford Dictionaries very unusual. I have never seen "prose" used countably. In contrast, several dictionaries list "prose" as a mass noun and all the examples I have seen in other dictionaries indicate that "prose" is a mass noun, e.g.:
She writes beautiful prose. (source)
A search on Google for "a beautiful prose" has only hundreds of hits and most, if not all, of them are false positives as "a beautiful prose writer/style". Can "prose" really be used uncountably? Is "a beautiful prose" idiomatic? Or is that a mistake in the Oxford Dictionaries?
uncountable-nouns countability countable-nouns
asked 1 hour ago
Deancue
1,272722
He writes a crystalline prose (source)
I find this countable usage of "prose" from the Oxford Dictionaries very unusual. I have never seen "prose" used countably. In contrast, several dictionaries list "prose" as a mass noun and all the examples I have seen in other dictionaries indicate that "prose" is a mass noun, e.g.:
She writes beautiful prose. (source)
A search on Google for "a beautiful prose" has only hundreds of hits and most, if not all, of them are false positives as "a beautiful prose writer/style". Can "prose" really be used uncountably? Is "a beautiful prose" idiomatic? Or is that a mistake in the Oxford Dictionaries?
uncountable-nouns countability countable-nouns
uncountable-nouns countability countable-nouns
asked 1 hour ago
Deancue
1,272722
asked 1 hour ago
Deancue
1,272722
asked 1 hour ago
Deancue
1,272722
asked 1 hour ago
Deancue
1,272722
asked 1 hour ago
Deancue
1,272722
1,272722
1
No, it can't be counted. There's no "two proses" or "six proses". It's a non-count noun.
– BillJ
1 hour ago
@BillJ Thank you! I know some nouns are "uncountable or singular". Just so I am clear on this, "prose" isn't one of them right? Is it safe to assume it is a mistake to say "he writes a crystalline prose"?
– Deancue
1 hour ago
1
A count noun by definition is one that can combine with the cardinal numbers, one, two, three etc. You may encounter "he writes a crystalline prose", but "a" is used there to mark the noun as indefinite, not to indicate a quantity of "one prose".
– BillJ
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
1
No, it can't be counted. There's no "two proses" or "six proses". It's a non-count noun.
– BillJ
1 hour ago
@BillJ Thank you! I know some nouns are "uncountable or singular". Just so I am clear on this, "prose" isn't one of them right? Is it safe to assume it is a mistake to say "he writes a crystalline prose"?
– Deancue
1 hour ago
1
A count noun by definition is one that can combine with the cardinal numbers, one, two, three etc. You may encounter "he writes a crystalline prose", but "a" is used there to mark the noun as indefinite, not to indicate a quantity of "one prose".
– BillJ
1 hour ago
1
1
No, it can't be counted. There's no "two proses" or "six proses". It's a non-count noun.
– BillJ
1 hour ago
No, it can't be counted. There's no "two proses" or "six proses". It's a non-count noun.
– BillJ
1 hour ago
@BillJ Thank you! I know some nouns are "uncountable or singular". Just so I am clear on this, "prose" isn't one of them right? Is it safe to assume it is a mistake to say "he writes a crystalline prose"?
– Deancue
1 hour ago
@BillJ Thank you! I know some nouns are "uncountable or singular". Just so I am clear on this, "prose" isn't one of them right? Is it safe to assume it is a mistake to say "he writes a crystalline prose"?
– Deancue
1 hour ago
1
1
A count noun by definition is one that can combine with the cardinal numbers, one, two, three etc. You may encounter "he writes a crystalline prose", but "a" is used there to mark the noun as indefinite, not to indicate a quantity of "one prose".
– BillJ
1 hour ago
A count noun by definition is one that can combine with the cardinal numbers, one, two, three etc. You may encounter "he writes a crystalline prose", but "a" is used there to mark the noun as indefinite, not to indicate a quantity of "one prose".
– BillJ
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
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While uncountable nouns usually do not have plurals they can sometimes be preceded by an indefinite article, for example when it is desired to qualify or limit the noun’s meaning in some way. A crystalline prose, a leaden prose, a sparkling and lively prose.
Macmillan Dictionaries, the source of your second definition of 'prose', has an article:
Can the indefinite article be used with uncountable nouns?
answered 42 mins ago
Michael Harvey
9,0211723
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
4
down vote
accepted
While uncountable nouns usually do not have plurals they can sometimes be preceded by an indefinite article, for example when it is desired to qualify or limit the noun’s meaning in some way. A crystalline prose, a leaden prose, a sparkling and lively prose.
Macmillan Dictionaries, the source of your second definition of 'prose', has an article:
Can the indefinite article be used with uncountable nouns?
answered 42 mins ago
Michael Harvey
9,0211723
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
accepted
While uncountable nouns usually do not have plurals they can sometimes be preceded by an indefinite article, for example when it is desired to qualify or limit the noun’s meaning in some way. A crystalline prose, a leaden prose, a sparkling and lively prose.
Macmillan Dictionaries, the source of your second definition of 'prose', has an article:
Can the indefinite article be used with uncountable nouns?
answered 42 mins ago
Michael Harvey
9,0211723
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
accepted
up vote
4
down vote
accepted
While uncountable nouns usually do not have plurals they can sometimes be preceded by an indefinite article, for example when it is desired to qualify or limit the noun’s meaning in some way. A crystalline prose, a leaden prose, a sparkling and lively prose.
Macmillan Dictionaries, the source of your second definition of 'prose', has an article:
Can the indefinite article be used with uncountable nouns?
answered 42 mins ago
Michael Harvey
9,0211723
While uncountable nouns usually do not have plurals they can sometimes be preceded by an indefinite article, for example when it is desired to qualify or limit the noun’s meaning in some way. A crystalline prose, a leaden prose, a sparkling and lively prose.
Macmillan Dictionaries, the source of your second definition of 'prose', has an article:
Can the indefinite article be used with uncountable nouns?
answered 42 mins ago
Michael Harvey
9,0211723
answered 42 mins ago
Michael Harvey
9,0211723
answered 42 mins ago
Michael Harvey
9,0211723
answered 42 mins ago
Michael Harvey
9,0211723
9,0211723
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
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1
No, it can't be counted. There's no "two proses" or "six proses". It's a non-count noun.
– BillJ
1 hour ago
@BillJ Thank you! I know some nouns are "uncountable or singular". Just so I am clear on this, "prose" isn't one of them right? Is it safe to assume it is a mistake to say "he writes a crystalline prose"?
– Deancue
1 hour ago
1
A count noun by definition is one that can combine with the cardinal numbers, one, two, three etc. You may encounter "he writes a crystalline prose", but "a" is used there to mark the noun as indefinite, not to indicate a quantity of "one prose".
– BillJ
1 hour ago