English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)
MISUSED UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
I was unhappy about her ~inactions~ (nonstandard).
I was unhappy about her *inaction* (standard).
If you refer to someone’s inaction, you disapprove of the fact that they are doing nothing. While action is a countable noun, inaction is an uncountable noun.
I don’t like people who use ~slangs~ (nonstandard).
I don’t like people who use *slang* (standard).
Slang consists of words or expressions that are informal and are used by people who know each other. It doesn’t attract “a” and cannot be pluralised.
I saw some movie stars of ~yesteryears~ (nonstandard).
I saw some movie stars of *yesteryear* (standard).
Yesteryear is an uncountable noun that means a time in the past.
GAB
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