Hi, Alexander!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:   
      
   ak>>  As it is known, "fuel" is an uncountable noun.  But   
   ak>>  is it true after "such"?  Is it an error to write like   
   ak>>  this?  My tongue puts "a" involuntary. ;)   
      
   ak>>  Uraninum is such a fuel that it causes more problems   
   ak>>  than benefits.   
      
   AH>>  And my tongue agrees with yours there.... ;-)   
      
   ak>   Thanx, for such a scrupulous answer.  At once we can   
   ak>   see a teacher whose feet itching to go to school. ;)   
      
      
              IMHO the English teacher's job involves helping people clarify both   
   their thinking & their language, because the two are interdependent.  And I do   
   enjoy working with those who are receptive to the idea... [chuckle].   
      
      
      
   ak>   So, when we use "a type of/ a sort of" (or can use it),   
   ak>   we single out a notion to a special group.  In short the   
   ak>   rule is:   
      
      
              Your terminology, not mine!  It seems to me that "rules" in English   
   often have exceptions which may be confusing... [wry grin].   
      
      
      
   ak>   If we imply "a type of/a sort of" before an uncountable noun   
   ak>   we put "a" as a reminder.   
      
      
              Maybe... OTOH you've done enough reading in English by now to begin   
   detecting patterns as native speakers do.  Judging by how many of them use the   
   word "less" rather than "fewer" with countable nouns (e.g) unless they've been   
   taught not to, however, I doubt they'd be thinking as above.  While I remember   
   the less/fewer distinction being pointed out to me in school, I don't remember   
   seeing or hearing anybody use the terms "countable" and "uncountable".  You're   
   familiar with such terms because you've studied English as a foreign language.   
      
              Native speakers generally collect examples based on what they see &   
   hear around them, and draw their own (sometimes erroneous) conclusions WRT the   
   underlying principle.  I experienced similar difficulties in grade eight while   
   taking a pilot program French immersion course.  For a long time I thought the   
   teacher was referring to the back of the room when she kept saying "les belles   
   affiches"... meaning the travel posters on the wall.   
      
              With more traditional methods of learning another language you have   
   the opposite problem.  You study the explanation of the "ablative absolute" in   
   Latin class & it appears to make sense.  Then you have to answer ten questions   
   on the same topic, and by the time you get to the fourth question you've found   
   an example which doesn't fit.  I wasn't a brilliant student in Latin either...   
   but it did give me some idea where my modem buddies in Russia are coming from.   
   And I know if I've forgotten the name of a verb tense in English I can consult   
   the message somebody once posted as a joke in the RUSSIAN_TUTOR echo....  :-))   
      
      
      
      
   --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+   
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)