Too much of a risk means the same thing as too much risk - which is not to say they are interchangeable. What distinguishes the expressions is the use of the variable noun risk. A variable noun is a noun that combines the behavior of both count and uncount nouns. An uncount noun can be used without determiner. When saying too much risk, we use the uncount form of the noun risk. If risk had been a regular count noun, it wouldn't have worked. For example: Too much of a dream to be real vs. Too much dream to be real, the second instance being ungrammatical.Can anyone tell me the difference between, for example the phrases below:
too much of a risk
and
too much risk
Are they interchangeable? Is the phrase too much of a an idiomatic expression and on what situations (phrases) can i use it?
thanks EStjarn...I really appreciate your answerToo much of a risk means the same thing as too much risk - which is not to say they are interchangeable. What distinguishes the expressions is the use of the variable noun risk. A variable noun is a noun that combines the behavior of both count and uncount nouns. An uncount noun can be used without determiner. When saying too much risk, we use the uncount form of the noun risk. If risk had been a regular count noun, it wouldn't have worked. For example: Too much of a dream to be real vs. Too much dream to be real, the second instance being ungrammatical.