The simple answer is that it is uncountable because it was once a liquid.
The complicated answer is this: it’s both. This is because ‘cake’ has a ‘whole countable form’.
Let’s look in more detail.
This is cake. It is uncountable.
Examples:
-
Can I have some cake please?
-
I had just a little cake.
-
There was a lot of cake at the birthday party.
This is a cake. It is countable.
It is countable because it is in a ‘countable form’ (whole).
Examples
-
I ordered one cake for the birthday party.
-
There were two wedding cakes!
-
The shop had at least seven different cakes.
Countable form
Watch this and you’ll see that ‘countable forms’ are important.
One cake, two cakes, three cakes.
These are countable because they are in a ‘countable form’. Even though the material is ‘uncountable’, the form is ‘countable’.
This is the same amount of cake. It is uncountable. It is not in a countable form.
Countable = three cakes Uncountable = a lot of cake
Other countable forms of cake: piece and slice
Do not worry about the difference. In my mind ‘slice’ is for pre-cut round cake (like in shops) whereas ‘piece’ is for uncut or non-round cake. That is not a rule so you don’t need to learn it.
Eight slices Four pieces One slice
All these are countable because they are in a countable form.
Cake is on the Basic English 850 List.
Pronunciation[change]
- enPR: kāk
- IPA (key): /keɪk/
- SAMPA: /keIk/
Noun[change]
- (countable & uncountable) A cake is a sweet baked food.
- Natasha’s mum baked her a cake for her birthday.
- Would you like some cake for dessert?
- (countable & uncountable) A cake is a food that is made into a flat, usually round, shape.
- At that time of year, we make small Japanese rice cakes called mochi.
- (countable) A cake of soap or ice, is a hard piece of it.
- He took a cake of soap and started to wash.
- If something is a piece of cake, it’s very easy.
- Yesterday’s test was a piece of cake. I got twenty out of twenty.
-
A cake
-
Rice cakes
-
A cake of soap
Verb[change]
Plain form |
Third-person singular |
Past tense |
Past participle |
Present participle |
- (transitive) If something is caked, then it is coated with a layer of some material.
- His shoes are caked with mud.
“Cake” is a countable noun, but if you want to eat part of the cake, and not the whole thing, you need to quantify it: “a piece of cake.” She baked three cakes.
Is cake singular or plural?
cake Definitions and Synonyms
singular | cake |
---|---|
plural | cakes |
What word is countable?
Countable (or count) nouns are words which can be counted. They have a singular form and a plural form. They usually refer to things. Most countable nouns become plural by adding an ‘s’ at the end of the word. They have no plural forms.
Is cake a count or mass noun?
Some common nouns may be either count or non-count, depending on the kind of reference they have. For example, in I made a cake, cake is a count noun, and the a before it indicates singular number.
Is cake a thing?
cake used as a noun: A rich, sweet dessert food, typically made of flour, sugar and eggs and baked in an oven.
Is cake a collective noun?
Answer: I don’t believe there is a collective noun for cake. However, the word cake can be both a countable noun (I made three cakes today) and a non-countable noun (I prefer cake to pie.) As a countable noun, it refers to the number of cakes which one has prepared, seen, eaten, delivered, etc.
Is countable or uncountable?
A word that refers to a person, place, thing, event, substance or quality; can be either countable or uncountable. Countable nouns have singular and plural forms while uncountable nouns can be used only in the singular form. In English grammar, words that refer to people, places or things are called nouns.
Why bread is uncountable?
Bread is usually uncountable because it’s a collective noun for which individual examples can be counted. For example, I have several kinds of bread in this basket: three rolls, two croissants, and a brioche. Fruit and produce behave the same way.
Is cake uncountable noun?
You are talking about part of a cake, so the noun ‘cake’ is uncountable. Some cake. You are talking about part of a cake, so the noun ‘cake’ is uncountable. Nouns that are usually uncountable are used as countable nouns when we talk about different types or varieties.
Is lettuce countable?
Lettuce is a mass noun meaning a determiner a/an is not used. So we have to use a head of, a piece of, etc. to show quantity. For example: He bought a head of lettuce and then made a salad with a few pieces of lettuce. “Lettuce” is countable before being served at the eating table, but uncountable when you eat.
Is Cookie a countable or uncountable noun?
Countable nouns are items that can be counted like cookies or people. They’re usually tangible things we can touch and count. You can have one cookie or 12 cookies. Conversely, uncountable nouns (also called non-count nouns or mass nouns) are things that can never be quantified or aren’t normally quantified, like air or love.
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[countable, uncountable] a sweet food made from a mixture of flour, eggs, butter, sugar, etc. that is baked in an oven. Cakes are made in various shapes and sizes and are often decorated, for example with cream or icing.
Can we count cake?
It is countable. It is countable because it is in a ‘countable form’ (whole). I ordered one cake for the birthday party.
The noun chocolate cake can be countable or uncountable. In more general, commonly used, contexts, the plural form will also be chocolate cake. However, in more specific contexts, the plural form can also be chocolate cakes e.g. in reference to various types of chocolate cakes or a collection of chocolate cakes.
Is cake singular or plural?
cake Definitions and Synonyms
singular | cake |
---|---|
plural | cakes |
Is bread is countable or uncountable?
For example, we cannot usually say “two breads” because “bread” is uncountable. So, if we want to specify a quantity of bread we use a measure word such as “loaf” or “slice” in a structure like “two loaves of bread” or “two slices of bread”.
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Is a cake correct?
The general rule is to use the mass noun version when you’re talking about the general concept of cake, and use the count noun version when you are talking about a specific cake (the one I bought from the store earlier today).
Is cake noun or not?
cake used as a noun:
A rich, sweet dessert food, typically made of flour, sugar and eggs and baked in an oven. A block of any of various dense materials. A trivially easy task or responsibility, from a piece of cake.
Is a slice of cake countable or uncountable?
There are three countable forms: whole, slice and piece. ‘Cake’ is uncountable because it stays as ‘cake’ even in its smallest form.
Is ice cream countable or uncountable?
No, ice-cream is not countable such as paper is not countable. We use a scoop of ice-cream, or a brick of Vanilla ice-cream,or a cone of ice-cream and so on. To use ‘give me one ice-cream’ is incorrect.
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Can you say cheeses?
The plural of cheese, as per Merriam Webster, is “cheeses” (Definition for English-Language Learners from Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary). However, it is to be noted that cheese is an uncountable noun. Most uncountable nouns, like milk, water etc. can’t be suffixed with ‘s’.
Is cake a collective noun?
Answer: I don’t believe there is a collective noun for cake. However, the word cake can be both a countable noun (I made three cakes today) and a non-countable noun (I prefer cake to pie.) As a countable noun, it refers to the number of cakes which one has prepared, seen, eaten, delivered, etc.
Is food countable or uncountable?
Countable nouns are those, which can be used with numbers and have plural forms. Food is an example of uncountable noun because you cannot say “four foods”.
Which are countable nouns?
Countable nouns (or count nouns) are those that refer to something that can be counted. They have both singular and plural forms (e.g. cat/cats, woman/women, country/countries). In the singular, they can be preceded by a or an. Most nouns come into this category.
Are sausages countable?
(countable) A sausage is a piece of food that is made of chicken, pork and other meats.
Is chocolate a countable noun?
(countable) A chocolate is an individual candy that is made of or covered in chocolate. These homemade chocolates are delicious. (uncountable) Chocolate is a dark brown colour.
Is butter countable or uncountable?
Most uncountable nouns don’t have an ‘s’ at the end!
UNCOUNTABLE FOOD | COUNTABLE FOOD |
---|---|
milk | a carton of milk / a glass of milk |
butter | a packet of butter |
salt | a pinch of salt |
pepper | a pinch of pepper |
What is cake sentence?
[S] [T] Tom ate a piece of the cake that Mary baked. ( CK) [S] [T] I’m going to make a cake for Mary’s birthday. ( Zifre) [S] [T] Tom blew out the candles on his birthday cake. (
How do you say cake?
How To Say Cake – YouTube
What is cake slang for?
A cake is used as slang to refer to a nice ass. … The comparison is done due to cakes resembling a woman’s ass and to avoid the use of inappropriate words.
Is cake a bread?
So, is cake bread? Even though certain cakes are called breads and baked in a loaf pan, like bannana bread, they don’t contain yeast, so technically they are not breads. They are quick breads that use baking powder or soda to rise and don’t need to be proofed.
Is Sweets countable or uncountable?
Explanation: Sweet, used as a noun, is countable. A sweet is a small confection/delicacy (like a small cake).
Is cake a pastry?
“Pastry” refers both to a type of dough and certain baked products made from this dough, whereas “cake” can encompass a whole range of sweet desserts.
Is Rice a count noun?
Uncountable nouns are things we can not count. An uncountable noun has only one form (rice).
Is Apple Pie countable or uncountable?
The noun apple pie can be countable or uncountable. In more general, commonly used, contexts, the plural form will also be apple pie. However, in more specific contexts, the plural form can also be apple pies e.g. in reference to various types of apple pies or a collection of apple pies.
Is pizza a countable or uncountable noun?
We use the uncountable word “pizza” to describe the food in general. When we order specific pizzas, then we use it as a countable noun: I love pizza. (in general) I want to order three mushroom and sausage pizzas.
Is chicken countable or uncountable?
(countable) A chicken is a bird that farmers raise for meat and eggs. My father went out back, caught a chicken, cut off its head, and cleaned it for dinner. (uncountable) Chicken is the meat of a chicken.
Is fish a plural?
The most common plural form of fish is indeed fish. However, under certain circumstances, you can use fishes as the plural form of fish. … Fishes, however, usually refers to multiple species of fish, especially in scientific contexts.
What is plural of cake?
1 cake /ˈkeɪk/ noun. plural cakes.
What is the plural of ox?
noun. ˈäks plural oxen ˈäk-sən also ox.
What do we call a group of cakes?
I don’t believe there is a collective noun for cake. However, the word cake can be both a countable noun (I made three cakes today) and a non-countable noun (I prefer cake to pie.) As a countable noun, it refers to the number of cakes which one has prepared, seen, eaten, delivered, etc.
What is the collective noun for regiment?
Regiment is the Collective Noun used for Soldiers.
Is stack a collective noun?
Heap / Pile / Stack: a quantity of objects stacked or thrown together – a pile of clothes / a heap of bodies / a stack of plates. Set: a collection of things that belong together – a set of tools / a set of underwear / a set of compasses, a set of cutlery.
Is bread singular or plural?
Bread is an uncountable noun. Therefore you can’t use ‘a’ or ‘an’ with it. But you can refer to it as ‘a piece / a slice / a loaf’ of bread. Its plural form is generally ‘bread’, but while talking about the different types, you may use ‘breads’, just like in the case of ‘fish’.
Is soft drink countable or uncountable?
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishRelated topics: Drink ˈsoft drink ●●○ noun [countable] a cold drink that does not contain alcoholExamples from the Corpussoft drink• Perrier in £250m soft drink sale.
Is Snack a countable noun?
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsnack1 /snæk/ ●●● S2 noun [countable] a small amount of food that is eaten between main meals or instead of a meal I grabbed a quick snack.
Is milk countable or uncountable?
Milk is an uncountable (non-countable) noun like water, snow and rice. UNCOUNTABLE. They have little money. We can count “bottles of milk” or “litres of milk”, but we cannot count “milk…
Is glass countable or uncountable?
If you are referring to glasses that you drink from, glasses is plural and glass is countable. If you are referring to glasses such as those that appear in windows and cameras, glass is usually uncountable, but can, in some contexts, be countable.
Is cheese countable or uncountable?
Yes, the noun “cheese” is an uncountable noun.
Is peas countable or uncountable?
peas, also peas uncountable/mass noun.) In a context where the reference is to an individual ‘spherical green seed which is eaten as a vegetable Pisum sativum, ‘ (ODO) it is the countable noun. Where the reference is to the bulk, use the mass noun peas.
Is cereal countable or uncountable?
[countable] one of various types of grass that produce grains that can be eaten or are used to make flour or bread. wheat, barley and rye are all cereals.
Is grapes countable or uncountable?
(countable) A grape is a type of fruit that grows on a vine and is often used to make wine. (uncountable) A dark purplish-red colour, the colour of grapes.
Is Orange countable or uncountable?
Countable nouns (also called count nouns) are nouns that can be counted (apple, orange) and can be therefore be pluralized (apples, oranges). Uncountable nouns (also known as non-count or mass nouns) are amounts of something, which we cannot count (gunpowder, rice).
Are potatoes countable?
Potato is a countable noun. You can have a potato and potatoes. Uncountable nouns have no plurals, and cannot normally be used with a/an.
Is onion countable or uncountable?
The word ‘onion’ is a countable noun because : It can be counted as one onion, two onions, three onions etc. It has a plural form (onions)
Is rice a plural?
The plural of “rice” is “rices”.
Is banana chips countable or uncountable?
Countable or uncountable?
coffee | wine |
---|---|
cola | tomatoes |
oranges | crisps |
water | flour |
chips | bananas |
Is tea a Noncount noun?
As an example, if you wanted to count tea, you would say, “I have three cups of tea.” Tea is a noncount noun and cups is the container word.
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#1
I would like to know whether cake is considered countable or uncountable.
Do you eat a cake, or a piece of cake?
llibertat
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#3
Yep coincido con srsh. If you eat a cake that would mean that you are eating the whole thing. But if you eat a piece of the cake that means that you are eating a part of it. You can eat 2 pieces of cake, 3 pieces of cake, 4 pieces of cake. etc. hasta ad infinitum…o hasta que te mueres..jeje
¿Me sigues llibertat?
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#4
I have found somewhere else that cake can work as both countable and uncountable, depending on what the speaker is referring to. Cake is uncountable when is is considered as the mass or dough.
Thanks for your help.
llibertat
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#5
Llibertat said:
I have found somewhere else that cake can work as both countable and uncountable, depending on what the speaker is referring to. Cake is uncountable when is is considered as the mass or dough.
Thanks for your help.llibertat
Now you have the complete picture. The word is both countable and uncountable. For example:
- Last night, I baked two cakes. (+count)
- We often eat cake after supper. (-count)
I’m not completely sure what you mean when you say «considered as the mass or dough,» but your are, nonetheless, correct in saying that, depending on the use, this word can fall into either category.
Regards,
Don
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#6
When a cake is made from scratch, the ingredients are mixed to obtain what I would call a mass or a dough. Probably there is a specific word to define this better, but I don’t know it. .
llibertat
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#7
Llibertat said:
When a cake is made from scratch, the ingredients are mixed to obtain what I would call a mass or a dough. Probably there is a specific word to define this better, but I don’t know it. .
llibertat
Hola, what you called «dough» in the case of a cake is called «batter», if I’m not mistaken.
Gisele.
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#8
batter is the mix one would put on fish, vegetables or whatever before deep frying, or the mix made to make pancakes. Cake mix is ………. cake mix, although with some recipes it may be made into a dough ( fairly thick solid mass) before liquid is added. Dough is also the name for the mixture of ingredients, for bread
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#9
countable. you can say 2 cakes, three cakes, etc. you can eat a WHOLE cake, sound s weird, but you can. If you mean a portion, then you say a piece. Is it ok to say a slice of cake? :S
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#10
nikvin said:
batter is the mix one would put on fish, vegetables or whatever before deep frying, or the mix made to make pancakes. Cake mix is ………. cake mix, although with some recipes it may be made into a dough ( fairly thick solid mass) before liquid is added. Dough is also the name for the mixture of ingredients, for bread
Cake batter is correct. A cake mix comes from a box, pre-made. If you make a cake from scratch, it is cake batter.
Better butter makes better batter!
countable. you can say 2 cakes, three cakes, etc. you can eat a WHOLE cake, sound s weird, but you can. If you mean a portion, then you say a piece. Is it ok to say a slice of cake? :
Cake is both countable and non.
You eat cake.
You eat a slice of cake.
You eat 3 pieces of cake (or slices).
We have cake and icecream at birthday parties.
Saludos
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#11
I do believe, batter for a cke mix is an american English term, not British English, batter is for pancakes ( masa) and for frying ( para rebozar)
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#12
British English for cake mix is ‘cake mixture’.
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#13
jacinta said:
Cake batter is correct. A cake mix comes from a box, pre-made. If you make a cake from scratch, it is cake batter.
Better butter makes better batter!
Cake is both countable and non.
You eat cake.
You eat a slice of cake.
You eat 3 pieces of cake (or slices).
We have cake and icecream at birthday parties.Saludos
gracias Jacinta
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#14
I think cake is both, countable and uncountable. If you refer to the whole cake it’s countable (one cake, two cakes, ten cakes). Then if you just want to refer to a part of it, it’s uncountable, because the people who are going to eat it have to share the whole cake. So you say: a piece/portion of cake, two pieces/portions of cake, etc.
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#15
I just want to make it clear that when I say that
cake
can be uncountable, the main example is: I eat cake, then by adding
a piece/portion of
we «transform»
cake
into a countable noun.
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#16
Surely any item of food is uncountable under the cake examples given in this thread?
Last night, I made two cakes/sausages/pies…
We often eat cake/sausage/pie after dinner…
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#17
UNCOUNTABLE: Could I have some cake please?
How much would you like?
COUNTABLE: Just one piece, thanks, and make it small, I’m on a diet…
Or: Two pieces, for me and my husband, thanks.
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#18
Surely any item of food is uncountable under the cake examples given in this thread?
Last night, I made two cakes/sausages/pies…
We often eat cake/sausage/pie after dinner…
Hmmmm. You are making me think, MrHarry. How about «nuts»? or «crackers»? You would not say «We often eat nut/cracker?» or «May I have some nut?»
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#19
UNCOUNTABLE: Could I have some cake please?
How much would you like?
COUNTABLE: Just one piece, thanks, and make it small, I’m on a diet…
Or: Two pieces, for me and my husband, thanks.
Ah, no, there is a fundamental mistake being made here. Your uncountable example is fine. But in «two pieces of cake» it is the pieces that are countable, not the cake. The example to illustrate that cake can also be countable must use two cakes, not two pieces of cake.
By way of additional illustration: flour in its normal use is an uncountable noun. But you may ask for two XX of flour (cups, tablespoons, handfuls, etc.) That does not change flour in that instance to countable. It is not «give me two flours».
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#20
You’re absolutely right, cubaMania, that second one was a horrible example. But you could go to a store and ask for two chocolate cakes for your twins’ b-days. And that would make cake both countable and uncountable.
In the case of nuts or crackers, you would always use the words in plural, unless you’re talking about just one:
My mom makes sweets and pastries, try this one it’s a chocolate covered nut.
You can also try these bombons, their filled with nuts.
Can I have a cracker with tuna?
I’m really hungry, but all I have to eat are crackers. Do you want some too or should we go to the store and get chocolate?
That’s the best I can do, now I gotta go get chocolate…
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#21
Yes, bumblecat, no question about it: cake can be either countable and uncountable. You can buy one, two or three cakes, etc., or you can have some cake.
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#22
So far we have overlooked THE most famous quotation of all, by Marie Antionette !!
When her courtiers pointed out that the poor people had nothing to eat, not even bread, she was believed to have said ….
«Let them eat cake!!!»
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#23
uncountable: I ate cake
countable: I ate two cakes (I really ate 2 whole cakes although it’s a lot, it can happen!)
I ate a piece of cake/ 3 pieces of cake (cake is uncountable but «a piece of» transforms it in countable)
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#24
«cake» cuando refieres al concepto abstracto de un casi tipo de pan no es contable.
Pero, cuando refieres a
una porcion especifica
, si es un(os) «cake» entero(s) o una(s) pieza(s) de este «cake», es contable.
Es sencillo, de verdad.
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#25
es exactamente como lo explica «starkeclipse», coincido en que tendriamos que dejar de dar vueltas sobre el asunto, porque lo único que hacemos es complicarnos más!
It’s exactly as «starkeclipse» explains it. I agree we shoul stop discussing it because the only thing we’re doing is to complicate it more than what it really is!
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#26
«cake» cuando refieres al concepto abstracto de un casi tipo de pan no es contable.
Pero, cuando refieres a
una porcion especifica
, si es un(os) «cake» entero(s) o una(s) pieza(s) de este «cake», es contable.
Es sencillo, de verdad.
In fact, no. Here is the example from britishcouncil.org in their LearnEnglishCentral:
You cannot use a/an before an uncountable noun. Instead, you can use a measurement and the word of:
A breath of air
A grain of sand
A block of ice
A lot of wisdom
This, of course, is exactly analogous to the use of «cake» as an uncountable noun in «two pieces of cake».
You are not counting cakes, you are counting pieces. Here «cake» is singular and uncountable (i.e. used in its uncountable sense).
You can count breaths but not air (take two breaths of air, please) because air is uncountable, hence it is expressed in singular with no ‘s’.
You can count grains but you cannot count sand.
You can count blocks but you cannot count ice.
and so on…
Putting a «measurement and the word of» in front of an uncountable noun does not convert it to countable.
If that is not enough documentation, here it is from about.com’s ESL Guide to Countable and Uncountable Nouns:
Here are some more common
uncountable food types with their container / quantity expressions
:
liquids (water, beer, wine, etc.) — a glass, a bottle, a jug of water, etc.
cheese — a slice, a chunk, a piece of cheese
meat — a piece, a slice, a pound of meat
butter — a bar of butter
ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard — a bottle of, a tube of ketchup, etc.
This is how it is in English.
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#27
«Crackers» and «nuts» can be used for the uncountable forms. «All through the party season we ate only crackers, nuts, sausage, cake, and cheese.»
Cheese can be countable, but it’s relatively uncommon, because «a cheese» is the whole wheel of cheese, and most people don’t deal in such quantities. It’s like a cake or a sausage, the unit as it is manufactured is the countable form.
For cake, cheese, and sausage we don’t need to pluralize to use them uncountably. It’s idiomatic which things require pluralization to make them uncountable.
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#28
Suppose you are at a party and there are lots of cakes of different types. If you want to say that you have eaten a little of cake A and a little of cake B, is it OK to say «I have eaten two cakes» ?
I mean, you don’t want to say that you have eaten two whole cakes, you have just tried a piece of each one.
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#29
«Cake» is a countable noun, but if you want to eat part of the cake, and not the whole thing, you need to quantify it: «a piece of cake.»
She baked three cakes.
She ate three pieces of cake.
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#30
«Cake» is a countable noun, but if you want to eat part of the cake, and not the whole thing, you need to quantify it: «a piece of cake.»
She baked three cakes.
She ate three pieces of cake.
But it would be ambiguous that way, maybe she ate three pieces of the same cake.
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#31
Suppose you are at a party and there are lots of cakes of different types. If you want to say that you have eaten a little of cake A and a little of cake B, is it OK to say «I have eaten two cakes» ?
I mean, you don’t want to say that you have eaten two whole cakes, you have just tried a piece of each one.
She tried two cakes. She tasted two cakes.
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#32
Thanks, elbaciyelmo! The answer to my question was so simple… it’s implicit in the act of tasting a cake to try only a piece.
Shame on me
obz
Senior Member
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#33
it’s implicit in the act of tasting a cake to try only a piece.
No not exactly.
Cake has countable and uncountable uses. It’s not strictly either.
It’s one of those nouns that goes both way depending on context.
She baked some (2, 100, a few, several) cakes. countable
We ate some (a little, a bunch, tons, loads and loads of) cake. uncountable.
Hmm yes, that worked out well for her now didn’t it
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#34
batter is the mix one would put on fish, vegetables or whatever before deep frying, or the mix made to make pancakes. Cake mix is ………. cake mix, although with some recipes it may be made into a dough ( fairly thick solid mass) before liquid is added. Dough is also the name for the mixture of ingredients, for bread
Dough is a stiff mixture made from a starch, liquid, and may include other ingredients, that can be shaped, as in cookie dough, or that contains yeast and must be kneaded to allow it to rise as in bread dough..
Batter contains more liquid and cannot be shaped and usually can be poured, as cake or pancake batter.
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#35
If a worked in a bakery, and I were the chef, and I have sold three cakes, I would say: I sold three cakes. Am I right? And the word «cake» would take its plural form, wouldn’t it?
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#36
If a worked in a bakery, and I were the chef, and I have sold three cakes, I would say: I sold three cakes. Am I right? And the word «cake» would take its plural form, wouldn’t it?
Yes, that’s the idea.
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#37
If a worked in a bakery, and I were the chef, and I have sold three cakes, I would say: I sold three cakes. Am I right? And the word «cake» would take its plural form, wouldn’t it?
Yes, but when a customer takes the cake home, each child would ask for a slice of cake, not
a
cake, unless the cake was baked in individual servings, like a doughnut. So cake is definitely countable, until it comes time to eat it. Then it depends on the size of the cake — i.e., is it meant to be shared or is it baked in individual servings.
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#38
Cake es como cheese, generalmente noncount, pero puede decirse «two cakes» en ciertos contextos específicos.
Si digo «dos quesos», ¿en qué se pensaría?
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#39
i have another question related to uncountable nouns…If I had to say to a customer that there is mayonnaise on the table, what should I say?
THE mayonnaise is on the table.
Mayonnaise is on the table.
And if the bottle of mayonnaise was on the shelf??
THE mayonnaise is on that shelf, it is next to THE ketchup.
Mayonnaise is on that shelf, it is next to ketchup.
Uncountable nouns do not take the definite article THE.
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#40
I have another question related to uncountable nouns…If I had to say to a customer that there is mayonnaise on the table, what should I say?
THE mayonnaise is on the table.
Mayonnaise is on the table.And if the bottle of mayonnaise was on the shelf??
THE mayonnaise is on that shelf; it is next to THE ketchup.
Mayonnaise is on that shelf, it is next to ketchup.Uncountable nouns do not take the definite article THE.
This last statement is false. The definite article is compatible with both countable and uncountable common nouns.
All of these mayonnaise and ketchup sentences are meaningful, but «mayonnaise» and «ketchup» with no determiner do not refer to particular bottles of the condiments.
«Mayonnaise is on that shelf», for example, could mean that mayonnaise has been spilled on that shelf or that that shelf is where we keep any bottles of mayonnaise we might have.
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#41
thanks for the correction…but help me checking the following case:
Client: Where is the mayonnaise? Where is the ketchup?
Waiter: The mayonnaise in on the table. The ketchup is on the counter.
Did I use the article THE correctly?
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#42
thanks for the correction…but help me checking the following case:
Client: Where is the mayonnaise? Where is the ketchup?
Waiter: The mayonnaise in on the table. The ketchup is on the counter.Did I use the article THE correctly?
Yes.
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#43
Thanks. I am going to use your corrections in my class..Thanks
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#44
If I were a waiter, would it be correct to say:
Where is the ketchup? It is on that table next to the mayonnaise?
Where is the mustard? It is next to the ketchup?
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#45
The following sentence appeared on a web page:
Massage the mayonnaise into your scalp and then work it through your hair to ..
If I had to grade above sentence, I would cross out the word «the».
Am I right?
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#46
If I were a waiter, would it be correct to say:
Where is the ketchup? It is on that table next to the mayonnaise?
Where is the mustard? It is next to the ketchup?
Yes, that’s fine; the mayonnaise, the ketchup, the mustard … they are all «readily identifiable» (for example, they can be seen) and thus take the definite article
The following sentence appeared on a web page:
Massage the mayonnaise into your scalp and then work it through your hair to ..
If I had to grade above sentence, I would cross out the word «the».
Am I right?
On that webpage (or at least the web page that I saw), «mayonnaise» has already been mentioned, so the noun is now identifiable and thus takes the definite article.
Cheers
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#47
thanks..Gracias
los sustantivos incontables me están dando dolor de cabeza.
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#48
thanks..Gracias
los sustantivos incontables me están dando dolor de cabeza.
En realidad es una de las cosas que más se parece al español:
— Oye, alcánzame los aderezos.
— Bueno, pero no le pongas mucho.
Madre al mozo: — Quiero una coca cola por favor.
Hijo a la madre: — Mamá, ¿me sirves un poco de coca cola por favor?
— Me compre una torta así de grande, y comí tanta torta que me empaché.
— ¿Que estás cocinando?
— Cazuela de pollo.
— ¿Tenías pollo?
— Sí, ayer compré dos pollos.