Aid and Aids
Posted by pakguru on August 30th, 2020 | 2 responses | countability, countable uncountable, IELTS, speaking, vocabulary, writing
Receiving any aids from developed countries might be benefitial for developing countries.
OK so there is a difference between aid (countable) and aid (uncountable).
aid (countable)
This kind of aid has a specific purpose, and generally makes it easier to perform a task:
- a hearing aid (an electronic device) makes it easier to hear
- a visual aid (a powerpoint slide) makes it easier to teach or to understand an idea
- a study aid (a dictionary) helps to understand what words mean
- a navigational aid (a compass) makes it easier to find your way
aid (uncountable)
This kind of aid is generic and multi-purpose
- financial aid (funding for infrastructure projects)
- foreign aid (possibly financial, but could be in the form of education or even food)
- legal aid (possibly financial, but also in the form of human resources)
- military aid (human resources)
In our opening statement the kind of aid referred to is generic and we can assume that it is meant for a wide range of non-specific purposes. So what we need is:
- Receiving any aid from developed countries might be beneficial for developing countries.
Challenge!
In the comments, use aid (countable) and aid (uncountable) to write a sentence describing the following image!
The female standing in front of the visual aid presents how she and a non-government organization delivered aid for a remote area in South America.
Very nice, Dave! Of course there would be something very wrong if she was delivering ‘aids’!