Two-way Nouns
 

"Two-way" nouns are those that can act as both countable and uncountable, though often with great diferences in meaning.

 
Ø Light is essential for photosynthesis. (uncountable = valoa)
 
Eye doctors use a light to exam the eyes in order to ensure that exterior parts of the eye are functioning correctly. (countable = lamppu)
 
 
Ø Work is defined as a force acting upon an object to cause a displacement. (uncountable = työ)
 
In copyright law, a "derivative work" is a work that is based on one or more already existing works. (uncountable = teos)
 

However, most "two-way" nouns refer to a general concept when used as an uncountable noun, and a concrete example of the same concept when used as a countable noun. This countable concrete alternative can be used to mean a type of X, an amount of X or a process of X.

 

A TYPE OF  + noun

The most common meaning of the countable form of "two-way" nouns is a type of X.

General concept (uncountable):
 
Ø Technology is changing the way we live.
 
 
Concrete concept (countable):
 
RFID is a technology (= a type of technology) that uses radio waves to transmit key information over short distances.
 
This study examines the impact of various technologies (= types of technology) on student learning.

   

AN AMOUNT OF  + noun

Another common meaning of the countable form of many "two-way" nouns is an amount of X.

General concept (uncountable):
 
Ø Speed is a scalar quantity which refers to "how fast an object is moving."
 
 
Concrete concept (countable):
 
A fast-moving object has a high speed (= a high amount of speed), while a slow-moving object has a low speed.
 
Current 3G phone network offer download speeds (= amounts of speed) of over 384 kilobits per second.

Many writers convert an uncountable abstract concept into a countable form followed by "of" when reporting numerical values, since this allows the writer to avoid overusing the verb "to be". Notice how different the focus is in the two different versions below. The first version assumes that the main topic (what we are talking about) of the text is "speed," whereas the second (and more likely) version would be "the airplane." This structure, also known as the partitive of-genitive, is always used with nouns representing concepts that are "measureable", such as volume, temperature, rate, voltage, height, width, length.

Notice in the following examples how using the partitive of-genitive allows writers to not only maintain a consistent topic but also avoid top-heavy sentences.

Overuse of the verb "to be":
 
The speed of the airplane moving towards the east was 300 km/hr.
 
 
Concrete concept (countable):
 
An airplane was moving towards the east at a speed of 300 km/hr.

 

A PROCESS OF  + noun

A less common meaning of the countable form of "two-way" nouns is a process of X.

General concept (uncountable):
 
Ø Mathematical analysis has its beginnings in the rigorous formulation of calculus.
 
 
Concrete concept (countable):
 
This study presents an analysis (= a process of analysis) of resource scheduling in LANs.
 
We have compiled threat analyses (= processes of analysis) for some of the most common viruses, trojans, spyware, worms and adware detected by our products.

 

Press the button below to read about "counters"—expressions that make uncountable nouns countable.

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