Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
Action vs. actions
English answer:
general action vs specific actions
Added to glossary by
Sheila Wilson
May 27, 2011 08:36
12 yrs ago
6 viewers *
English term
Richard New (X)
Action vs. actions
English
Other
Linguistics
Can anyone give me a clear definition of when it is allowed to write "action" or "actions"? According to Longman, "action" is uncountable; according to Oxford, it can be both. But the explenation in Oxford is not clear enough. I simply do not see the big difference between "the process of doing something in order to make something happen or to deal with a situation" and "a thing that somebody does".
I hope someone can help me explain the above or to present me with another and more precise explanation.
Thank you very much.
I hope someone can help me explain the above or to present me with another and more precise explanation.
Thank you very much.
Responses
| 4 +5 | general action vs specific actions |
Sheila Wilson
|
Change log
Jun 1, 2011 12:04: Sheila Wilson Created KOG entry
Responses
+5
2 hrs
Sheila Wilson
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Native in: English (Variant: British) 
Works in: English, French to English
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Selected
general action vs specific actions
It's difficult to be black and white about this, I'm afraid, but it is basically the difference between action in general (i.e. the opposite of inaction) taken for a particular purpose, and the more specific actions that are involved on a particular occasion. Some examples:
Action
The firefighters took action; I'm going to take legal action; she gave a detailed account of the nature and action of this type of chemical;
Hollywood is where the action is nowadays; 13 soldiers were killed in action; this machine is out of action; I want a slice/piece of the action; managers put ideas into action
Actions
Her action saved the boy's life (i.e. she acted) / Her actions saved the boy's life (specifically, she attended to his injuries, called an ambulance, etc)
The lawyers are preparing a whole series of legal actions against the company
The firefighters' actions involved cutting down a lot of trees to form a fire-break
Hope that helps
Action
The firefighters took action; I'm going to take legal action; she gave a detailed account of the nature and action of this type of chemical;
Hollywood is where the action is nowadays; 13 soldiers were killed in action; this machine is out of action; I want a slice/piece of the action; managers put ideas into action
Actions
Her action saved the boy's life (i.e. she acted) / Her actions saved the boy's life (specifically, she attended to his injuries, called an ambulance, etc)
The lawyers are preparing a whole series of legal actions against the company
The firefighters' actions involved cutting down a lot of trees to form a fire-break
Hope that helps
Note from asker:
| Hi Sheila That was a very helpful description containing lots of examples; exactly what I was looking for. Thank you very much, and have a very nice weekend. Best regards Richard |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Stephanie Ezrol
3 hrs
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| agree |
Jive
3 hrs
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| agree |
Yasutomo Kanazawa
: Well explained.
17 hrs
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Thanks
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| agree |
Phong Le
21 hrs
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| agree |
Thuy-PTT (X)
2 days 22 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Discussion
Have a nice weekend.
Richard
Anyway, thank you very much for your reply. I will stick to "actions" as intended. :-)
"Group action" would be the total of all actions (perhaps restricted to a particular project, area, ...).