Questions tagged [countability]
"Countability" is a property of English nouns, which reflects whether or not they have a plural form.
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"an example of [countable noun]" v. "an example of a [countable noun]"
Which one would be correct English:
The tiger is an example of feline species.
or
The tiger is an example of a feline species.
It may be related to one of my previous questions titled 'One type of ...
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"I want a cup of coffee" vs "I want a coffee"
As far as I'm concerned, the sentence "I want a cup of coffee" sounds natural, but what about "I want a coffee"? Is it correct?
I used Google search to find the number of times ...
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Is it right that common nouns after "the whole" are countable and after "the whole of the" are uncountable?
Trying to understand when I need to use "the whole" before common nouns and when "the whole of the", I came across the following rule on wordreference.com:
If a singular common ...
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Could anyone explain why is the article used before percentage? Is there any grammatical rule regarding this?
Could anyone explain why is the article used before percentage? Is there any grammatical rule regarding this?
Most countries would be very happy with a 7% growth in this environment. Link
But ...
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When can I use "math class" with an article?
I am searching for the information about countability of class, but cannot find it.
The situation where I would like to use "math class" is like this: You are looking at your school ...
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Is "some of the fruit" plural or singular in this case?
Is "some of the fruit" plural or singular?
We are familiar with the verse from the bible "She took some of the fruit and ate it.". Here "some of" refers to a piece of a ...
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"It’s one of the greatest American literature." Is this sentence correct?
It's a quote from a material of an online English school.
https://eikaiwa.weblio.jp/information/speaking-material/conversation-material/expert-literature-and-art
"It’s one of the greatest ...
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Would it be wrong if you don't add the article "A" and still use the auxiliary "IS" with the word "SHEEP"?
I researched the word sheep, and its special singular and plural features. I understand plural and singular is the same and it can take "is" or "are" and the word will not change. ...
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"a lot of" preceding a singular countable noun
I'm wondering whether "much of" can be replaced by "a lot of" to mean "a large proportion of" when the following noun is singular and countable. Many nouns have both ...
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"(an) unusual flavor"
I thought we should use an article with the noun phrase "adjective + flavor", but I saw the phrase "a dish with unusual flavor" which has no article before "unusual flavor&...
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Why is "citrus" uncountable in one dictionary and countable in another?
Why is the word "citrus" uncountable in the Oxford dictionary:
[uncountable]
fruit belonging to the group of fruit that includes oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit:
citrus trees
citrus ...
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"You have high IQ" VS "You have a high IQ"
Are these sentences interchangeable in a context where I want to tell a person s/he has high intelligence.
You have high IQ.
You have a high IQ.
Collins dictionary and Cambridge dictionary say &...
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“on hiatus” VS “on a hiatus”
In dictionaries (example 1, example 2) it says that “hiatus” is a countable noun which is usually singular, but I see it being used as an uncountable noun as well in phrases like
Two of my colleagues ...
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What is the difference between 'ambitions' and 'ambition'?
I found a sentence below:
When guided by a sense of moral purpose, they were able to channel their ambitions and summon their talents to enlarge the opportunities and lives of others.
(Extract from ...
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Can noun "land" be countable when it refers to a certain plot?
The noun land is considered uncountable, at least for most cases. However, to my opinion, there is a situation when this word would appear more natural being countable noun. I mean plots of land, i.e. ...
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three police; four cattle
There is a group of the nouns that have only plural form and don't have an "-s" at the end. I know three words from this group:
people, police and cattle.
As I've already found out, we can ...
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Fish - countable or uncountable
I've heard people saying How much fish or How many fishes, so I don't know whether fish is countable or uncountable.
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Why is a singular noun, 'war', used in 'war was inevitable'?
In the 2nd explanation of the word 'thesis' in the Cambridge Dictionary online, an example sentence goes as 'their main thesis was that war was inevitable'.
Why does it use a singular noun 'war' alone?...
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Is "town" a countable noun? [closed]
Is the noun "town" a countable or uncountable noun? Since the plural of "town" is "towns" it seems it is a countable noun.
On google it said that is countable and ...
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Should there be an article before "rebound" in "a need for (a) rebound"? [closed]
Consider this sentence:
He admits that the reason he initially contacted her was a need for a rebound.
Is it better to avoid the second "a" and just leave it "a need for rebound"?...
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Is it natural to use the plural form of tea?
According to Oxford Dictionary, tea is uncountable. However, there's a countable form i.e. a cup of tea. Is it natural to leave out a cup of and just say two teas please, for example?
I saw a sentence ...
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Which one is correct for general ideas? [closed]
Which one is correct?
When I was a kid
or
when I was kid
Kid is a general idea there. So should it be without the identifier? And also
I sleep during a day
or
I sleep during day
Isn't day a ...
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the usage of 'many', 'much', 'few', and 'little' as a pronoun
As far as I know, all the words can be used as a pronoun. 'many' and 'few' occur with countable nouns, while 'much' and 'little' with uncountable nouns. There are two confusing sentences, which I saw ...
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"A healthy food" or "healthy food"
Is a required before healthy food in my sentence?
I like fast food, but it's not a healthy food.
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The sum of uncountable things and countable things
There are red colour, yellow colour and three pencils. Could I say “there are five things (2 qualities + 3 objects)”?
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Can “berries” refer to types of berries?
We call milk, water and wine “many liquids” when describing types of liquid. Likewise can we call blue berries, raspberries and strawberries “many berries” referring to types of berries?
user139825
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Is the article necessary in "The phone has 'a' good battery backup", and if so how is "backup" countable?
The phone has a good battery backup
or
the phone has good battery back.
Is the article necessary? If necessary, how is the word "backup" countable here?
The party is going to be outdoors,...
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How can a noun be countable and uncountable at the same time?
How can a noun be countable and uncountable at the same time?
For example 'shock'.
You can get a shock.
I'm suffering from __ shock.
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"Two or less/fewer"
Couple can mean "two (or more)''. Pair will almost always mean "two (or less).''
Why is less used here? What's it mean?
LESS https://oed.com/oed2/00132077 , FEW https://oed.com/oed2/...
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'at very high altitude', 'at very high altitudes': both are okay in this sentence?
I'd like to know and ask whether both the sentences below are correct.
At very high altitude you will have difficulty breathing.
At very high altitudes you will have difficulty breathing.
My ...
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Are there any rules for placing a noun after a preposition?
I still cannot master which form of nouns (singular or plural) should be placed before and after the preposition "of".
For example, if I want to refer to one book of each student, which one ...
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Apples in the pie
I came across an example in the book Oxford Discover by Emma Wilkinson.
What was in the pie?
Apples and sugar.
I have learnt that when we can no longer count an ingredient, or when the amount of end ...
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Do people have multiple heads?
I know every person has their own head.
-> Each person has a head above the neck.
I can see other people's headS in the crowd.
-> I can see lots of headS among the crowd.
I know people have ...
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Such Business vs Such a Business? Which one is correct?
Singular nouns use an indefinite article (managing a business) and plural nouns use a definite article or no article (Managing the businesses or Managing businesses.)
I have heard (not sure if read) ...
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Is "in fiction" right?
It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction.
Why not use in fictions?
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Could you please suggest the correct article usage here?
In the following sentence, do I need an article before "external influence"?
The juvenile being more vulnerable to (an?) external influence such as numerous marketing campaigns tend to be ...
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Countability of the word “gameplay”
I have searched all the online dictionaries, and they all say that the word “gameplay” is uncountable. The problem is that they don’t have the up-to-date meaning of the word “gameplay”.
Can we use the ...
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Do you pluralize the word 'garment'?
For example, do you say: 'I want to buy cloth garment', or 'I want to buy cloth garments'? I more specifically would like to know the answer to cases like this, when it's getting multiple or all of ...
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Is a determiner, some or four, needed?
If there are 5 boys, 4 boys eat chicken, and 1 boy doesn't eat chicken, is saying just 'boys eat chicken' wrong?
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Theoretically, can I count something several times?
As a picture above shows, we say 'there are three spotlights' even though the three spotlights meet in one point and make an one circle. Isn't only 'there is one spotlight' correct?
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What statement is needed to hear
To hear someone describe it as '16 triangles,' from '1 triangle,' what should I say? I guess, 'how many triangles are there more exactly or more specifically?'
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Why doesn't 'half' only modify countable nouns? [closed]
Why doesn't 'half' only modify countable nouns? According to the definition, isn't 'half' also number?
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Are 'complexity' and 'performance' countable or noncountable?
First of all, I am sorry to ask a question that is worth asking a lot of people, but I could not find an answer that was right for me, so I am posting a new question.
In many scientific journals, e.g.,...
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Can I express counting like this? [closed]
If there are 2 but there aren't 4, is 'half 4' valid phrase to express 2? Otherwise, is it valid only when there are 4?
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Is “stock” used both countable and uncountable?
I learned that the word “stock” is uncountable when used to mean “the goods or merchandise kept on the premises of a business or warehouse and available for sale or distribution“ as in “This item is ...
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"shorthand" - uncountable or not?
Cambridge dictionary lists "shorthand" as an uncountable word.
(https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/shorthand)
However, I see a lot of its usage with the indefinite article. ...
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Does decline have plural form?
Does decline have plural form?
Is it correct to say there were declines in the amount of fish and beef consumed in the UK?
One of my students asked me this question in an IELTS Writing class, but I ...
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A single line of 'code' or 'codes'?
What and why should I use, a single line of 'code' or 'codes'?
Example sentence: Today we don't need to write a single line of codes
to do anything
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"All hopes are gone!"
Is there any grammatical problem using 'hope' as a plural noun? Can't we say:
All hopes are gone
I wrote in a sentence but the Grammar software marked it incorrect. It says it has to be:
All hope ...
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Is "Load" countable or non-countable?
Which one is correct:
We notice that they may incur load to the box.
Or,
We notice that they may incur a load to the box.
EDIT: the load means computing load.
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