Words for Groups of Individual Items

Words for Groups of Individual Items

Other noncount nouns include words that represent groups of individual items. The individual items can be counted, but the word that represents the entire group cannot.

Furniture	Mail	Jewelry	Money	Information	Trash
bed	advertisement	bracelet	dime	brochure	boxes
chair	bill	earrings	dollar bill	notice	packaging
desk	letter	necklace	five	pamphlet	used items
dresser	postcard	pin	nickel	report
nights tand	penny
sofa	quarter
table	ten
	twenty
For a Desk	For Cooking	Hardware	Medicine	Makeup	Entertainment
paper	pan	hammer	capsule	blush	game
pen	pot	nail	drop	eyebrow pencil	movie
pencil	spatula	pliers	pill	foundation	party
scissors	spoon	screw	tablet	lipstick	radio
tape		screwdriver		mascara	show
		wrench		powder	television

• There is some furniture.


• You have a little mail.


• She has a lot o/jewelry.


• He has a little money.


• We got some information.


• There is too much trash.


• There are three chairs.


• You have two letters and a postcard.


• She has five necklaces, four bracelets, and twenty pairs of earrings.


• He has a ten, a five, and three quarters.


• We got a brochure and two reports.


• There are boxes, old clothes, broken toys, worn-out tires, and broken dishes.

wish

1 We can use wish + infinitive to mean want. Wish is more formal.

• I wish to see the manager, please.

2 We can also use wish to express regrets — to say that we would like things to be different.
We use a past tense with a present meaning in this case.

I wish + subject + past tense

• I wish I was better-looking.
  


• I wish I spoke French.
  


• I wish I had a yacht.
  


• I wish it wasn't raining.
  

In a formal style, we can use were instead of was after I wish.

• I wish I were better-looking. (formal)

We can say I wish . . . would (but not I wish . . . will).

• I wish she would be quiet.


• I wish something interesting would happen.

To talk about the past, we use a past perfect tense (had + past participle).

I wish + subject + past perfect

• I wish I had gone to university.


• I wish I hadn't said that.

If only is used in the same way.

3 We do not use wish in progressive tenses.

• I wish I knew why. ( NOT I am wishing . . .)