We’re not entirely sure who decided that first countless should not be used as a noun. Somewhere along the way, someone has ruled that it is best an adjective, but we’re here to tell you that simply isn’t true. countless is a noun, and if someone tells you otherwise, please print this article and throw it in the wrong hands.
There are countless reasons.
Sometimes one will find manuals (professional and otherwise) specifying that countless should not be followed by a belong to, which is another way of saying it’s just an adjective. The problems with this idea, however, are both historical and contemporary. The earliest evidence we have of the word dates from the mid-16th century, and at that time it already existed solitary as a noun.
As we said at the beginning, your saintesses will later nooryshe countless cubs of your chekin vnder wynges.— Peter Martyr (translated by R. Eden), Newe Worlde’s Decade1555
The smashing of 300 earthen pots, was a clever trick to get so many Myriades to flee and one to kill another.— John Aylmer, A Harrowe for Faithfull and Trewe . objects1559
The word did not begin to appear in any adjective sense until the 18th century, nearly 150 years after it was first recorded as a noun. And at this final stage countless took on this new part of speech only because poets had their hands on it (poets have been messing with words and their meanings for centuries).
In chiari Too brave in the face of a fearful enemy, unlike Gauls brave host, By Myriad-Heaps below to post; Or I’m withdrawing from Oglio!—Joseph Harris, Leighton-Stone-Air1702
Nothing, no exemption; countless minimal race
Incomprehensible in the midst of ethereal space…— Henry Brooke, Global beauty1735
It’s not simply a matter of us rummaging through our dusty files for contradictions. countless has been in common use as a noun for nearly five hundred years.
Since that Easter, a major change has occurred to Florence’s outlook; and just as the tree has innumerable flowers, each bud with its fruit depends on the main cycle of the sap, so Tito and Romola’s fortunes depended on a number of great social and political conditions. created an epoch in Italian history.— George Eliot, roola1863
Sweet melancholy walls with traces of a voluptuous past. Countless tiny glass pendants pierce the atmosphere on their javelin points.— Djuna Barnes, two women drinking tea1923
The guards’ interest in them was limited to scrutinizing their faces and reactions. Unsure, he decided to take the same spot, covering the entire length of the hallway and countless doors.— Eddie Iroh, Siren in the night1982
Of course, everyone has a right to be passionate about language and to cultivate a personal nest of geeks and language aversions. However, as linguists, we are forced to point out that if ‘MYRIAD CAN ONLY BE AN ADJUST!!!’ is the hill you chose to die on….you might want to look for a bigger hill.
Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn
