A Hundred and One Rules in Arabic Grammar!
- The Accusative of Distinction (Revisited) ألتمييز . =========================================================
In point # 48 we mentioned that** کـَم** , which means "how many," should always be followed by an idefinite noun
in the accusative case. Arab Grammarians called this nounالتمييز العَدَدي "The Distinction of Number." Consider the following example:
**قـَرأتُ عِشرينَ** کِتاباً **خِلالَ العُطلـَةِ.**
I read twenty books during the break.
The underlined word could be articles, reports, magazines, charts, etc.
There is another form of this accusative noun which deals with kind/type. It is called .التمييز النوعي Usually it is an indefinite singular noun/verbal noun which has the meaning of "with respect to, in terms of, as to," and thus involves some level of comparison.
**هي أکثرُ الطلابِ** استِعداداً **للأمتحانِ.**
As to preparedness for the exam, she is the most among all students.
However, it is not necessary that the accusative of distinction is limited to expressing comparison. Consider the following sentence:
**مَلأتِ الأمُّ البَيتَ سَعادَةً.**
The mother filled the house (with) happiness.