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Grammer

ahosokawa

United States

Would you please explan why there is no "a" before "surgery" when you say "undergo surgery"?   I know "surgery" can be used in a plural form as "surgeries".  But I never seem anyone write "a" before "surgery" to mean actual medical operation, even though I heard people use "a surgery" as a medical office or physician. 

Thank you for your help!

12:08 AM Oct 26 2006 |

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Jerry.ping

China

I  can give you some suggestion! as you know,"surgery" is a noun,but it is countable  when means"外科医师,手术室,诊疗室",it's uncountable when means"外科,外科学,外科手术,", Undergo surgery means "做手术",so it can't be used after "a"!

 

06:18 AM Oct 26 2006 |

ahosokawa

United States

Thank you very much for your reply.  I can read some chinese characters.  But I am not sure your last word "做手术".  Would you please translate this for me?  Thanks again!

01:35 AM Oct 30 2006 |

Jerry.ping

China

"undergo surgery" means"have operation on",a simple example:

I   underwent surgery last week(上星期我做了手术,主语是被做手术者,而并非医生)

03:34 AM Oct 30 2006 |

ahosokawa

United States

Thank you again for writing me back.  In general terms, I understand countable and non-countable forms.  I would think that "operation" is non-countable, like "surgery".  However, I understand it is correct to say "an operation".  Then, why not "undergo a surgery"?  You see my confusion? 

I also mislead you that I said I could read some Chinese characters.  My nationality is Japanese, so I use some chinese characters with total different sentence structures.  So if you could respond to me in English, I would appreciate it.  I am extremely grateful for your adivce.

01:39 AM Oct 31 2006 |

Jerry.ping

China

I  am so sorry,I made a mistake,which misled you,"undergo surgery" means "have an operation on","operation" is  countable,but"surgery" can be countable or uncountable,which depends on its meanings in the sentence or articles.

Best regards!

07:41 AM Nov 09 2006 |

Grammo Aficionado

Canada

Hi Ahosokawa!

Surgery is an uncountable noun, like experience and behavior.  However, they CAN take the plural form if the emphasis is on the different types of surgery, experience or behavior.  But operation, in the sense that you are getting treatment from a doctor in an OR, is countable.  Thus, we would say, "I have an operation tomorrow." 

Here are some examples on how some uncountable nouns work:

Experience in its uncountable form, of course:

I have much experience in this field of work.        

OR LESS FORMALLY

I have a lot of experience in this field of work.

And now in its plural form, when the focus is on different types:

I shared many of my experiences with the new staff.

So, how about surgery?

I'm undergoing plastic surgery next week.

And in its plural form:

Advancements in technology have made a large number of surgeries minimally invasive.

OR

I've undergone many cosmetic surgeries to look this damn good! 

Hope this helps to clarify any confusion you might have had! Cool

 

04:11 PM Nov 23 2006 |

ahosokawa

United States

Thanks!

09:58 PM Jan 20 2008 |

tiffintime

tiffintime

Sri Lanka

If I may add something to this discussion, I would say that the same word can be used with or without "a" or "an" (definite article). This depends on whether the word is being used in a general way or not.

If you were to walk into a bar with a friend, he may suggest "Shall we order Sake?", and you would reply "No thanks, I am having whisky." But instead, you can also say "I think I'll have a whisky", meaning that you want to drink just one whisky that evening.  

08:25 AM Jan 21 2008 |