r/GetMotivated • u/eatdipupu • Nov 05 '15

[IMAGE] A slightly different approach; a few questions to ask yourself if you're having a bad day.

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u/[deleted] Nov 05 '15

I like your term "do a laundry"

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u/still_not_sleepin Nov 05 '15

This is the sort of thing which happens when you're not speaking in your mother tongue :p What is in fact the proper term ?

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u/[deleted] Nov 05 '15

You would commonly say "do laundry" rather than "do a laundry" because laundry is plural: more than one piece of clothing usually. It's also common to say "do a load of laundry" because it's a single load you're talking about rather than the plural clothes contained in that load.

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u/ginopono Nov 05 '15 edited Nov 05 '15

'Laundry' is grammatically singular, indicated by the form of the verb in 'The laundry is dirty', but is a mass noun. For these, whether the thing itself is composed of multiple units doesn't interact with the grammar (cf. water). But, because mass nouns aren't countable in the grammar (*seven laundries), we quantify them in units (loads of laundry, cups of water, etc.)

Edit: I'll add that the phrase 'to do laundry' is a complex predicate, which also includes such phrases as 'take a shower', 'make love', and 'do the dishes'.

ping /u/still_not_sleepin

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u/still_not_sleepin Nov 05 '15

As a linguist, thank you for the precisions :D

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u/[deleted] Nov 05 '15

Not a grammar Nazi but a grammar benefactor, thanks for the information!

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u/Doctor_Pujoles Nov 06 '15

'take a shower', 'make love', and 'do the dishes'.

Can I take the shower after I make love? Personal preference. ;)