50 Science Research Writing 4 X is (collected/substituted/ adjusted etc.) as you can see in Fig. 1, but it was collected/ substituted/adjusted etc. by me Move to the active (We collected/adjusted/substituted etc.) if you can or make sure that you come out of the Present Simple passive when you stop describing the fi gure 5 X is (collected/substituted/ adjusted etc.) by me in the procedure/work that I carried out, but my fi eld requires authors to write procedural descriptions in the Present Simple tense. (Th is is quite common in pure mathematics) Either move to the active ('We collect/adjust/substitute etc.) or add words or phrases such as here/in this work/ in our model or use a 'dummy' subject such as Th is experiment/Th e procedure SINGULAR COUNTABLE NOUNS NEED A DETERMINER A determiner is a word like the, a, my, this, one, some. It's a diffi cult rule to operate successfully because two problems need to be solved before you can use it. Firstly, it's hard to know exactly which nouns are countable and, secondly, even when you know, how do you decide whether to use a or the? Let's look at the fi rst problem. Deciding which nouns are countable nouns and which aren't isn't as easy as it looks. Many nouns which are oft en 2.2.2 Use of 'a' and 'the' Th is is one of the most problematic areas of English grammar and usage. Many languages do not have separate words for a and the, and even if they do, these words may not correspond exactly to the way in which they are used in English. Students studying English as a second language are oft en given the following useful, but sometimes confusing, rule:
Methodology — Grammar and Writing Skills 51 considered uncountable can actually be used 'countably'. Nouns like death or childhood, for example, can occur in the plural: Th ere have been three deaths this year from pneumonia. Our childhoods were very diff erent; I grew up in France and she grew up in China. and so can nouns like industry: Many industries rely on fossil fuels. Even names of materials like steel can occur in the plural: Some steels are used in the manufacture of medical instruments. In the following list of uncountable nouns, mark those which can also be used in the plural, i.e. countably. Th e way you use a noun determines whether it is used in its countable or uncountable form. So when you use a noun like industry, stop and think — do you mean industry in general (uncountable) or a particular industry (countable)? Check your answers in the Key. absence access analysis advice age agriculture cancer art atmosphere beauty behaviour duty capacity childhood calculation concern economy death democracy depression design environment earth education electricity energy evidence equipment existence experience failure fashion fear fi re health food freedom history growth independence heat help insurance ice knowledge industry information machinery intelligence light