Questions tagged [countability]
"Countability" is a property of English nouns, which reflects whether or not they have a plural form.
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“everything”: is it “it” or “they”
Which pronoun should be used with "everything"?
I tend to believe that the following is correct:
I will do everything as soon as it can be done.
but the following also makes sense, considering ...
17
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1answer
876 views
“in 60 seconds or less” or “in 60 seconds or fewer”?
Tell me please which sentence is correct.
I want you to articulate your ideas in 60 seconds or less.
I want you to articulate your ideas in 60 seconds or fewer.
The word second is a countable ...
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1answer
20 views
Are these two “Code Snippets”?
people use "Code Snippet" or "Code Snippets" everywhere.
"Code Snippet" is a term used to describe a small portion of re-usable source code, machine code, or text.
following lines of code comes from ...
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2answers
38 views
'~ and many more.' vs. '~and much more.'
We have a grammar rule here. 'many more + a countable noun' and 'much more + an uncountable noun,' Right?
But how about '~ and much more.' in the following sentence? Is it grammatically correct to ...
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28 views
Shouldn't it be “…garbage is dumped” instead of “are’?
Garbage is singular and I don't think quantity has something to do here.
Woman: Talk dirty to me!
Man: 14 billion pounds of garbage are dumped into the ocean every year. Most of it is plastic.
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migration - countable or uncountable
I found out that the word "migration" can be countable and uncountable according to oxford, but I didn't find any source explaining when to use countable or uncountable form.
For example, is it ...
3
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2answers
31 views
How much shrimps?
if i want to ask about the amount of shrimps that a person eats (kilograms) per year, should i ask
How many shrimps do you eat? - > I eat 1 kilo
a year.
Or maybe I should ask
How much ...
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3answers
24 views
“as much as” or “as many as” forty degrees?
"the temperature can vary by as much as forty degrees"
this sentence confused me, following as much as, there is plural word (forty degrees) but it was used with "as much as". Because there is a ...
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62 views
“Such plea” “such waiver”: ungrammatical legal jargon?
I have encountered the noun phrase "such plea" in a lot of legal texts. Examples:
In federal courts, such plea may be accepted as long as there is evidence that the defendant is actually guilty. ...
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2answers
57 views
How (much/many) (note/notes) did you take?
When referring to information students write down in classes/lectures, we normally use the plural form of 'note' - 'notes' tends to be used. But I am not sure whether 'notes' is countable/uncountable ...
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98 views
Does “space” require an article?
We use "the" when there is only one of something. There's only one space. Therefore we have to say:
There are millions of stars in the space.
But I've seen that "space" is used without article. ...
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35 views
Development VS A development
This a brief description of a software project I was involved in:
Project description:
Development of market analysts's applications. [These applications allow you to ...]
Is it correct to ...
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30 views
A problem regarding numbers
Meaning of the word ground is reason.
But in the following sentence
Despite governments bringing in legislation towards this end, they
have been struck down on the grounds that the additional ...
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1answer
17 views
First “numbers” count nouns is plural or singular?
So I have this line of sentence:
This only applies to the first 100 people signing up.
When I see the word "applies", I am confused, is "first 100" plural, or singular? Or it should've been "apply"...
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1answer
19 views
“a little” with a countable noun? An example from a dictionary
I was looking into the difference between the countable and uncountable versions of the word "sleep" in the Cambridge dictionary online:
[COUNTABLE] a period of sleeping:
(UK) You must be ...
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2answers
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How should I consider the word “scenery”
I think "scenery" is uncountable and the dictionary says it is.
Nevertheless the sentence "What a beautiful scenery!" sounds correct to me.
Should I rather say: "What some beautiful scenery!"
...
asked Dec 18 '18 at 18:25
Jessica Reichenbach Debons
1852 gold badges3 silver badges10 bronze badges
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64 views
“Different influences”?
Then trade would have different influence on wages and employment.
This is a line I am writing. I know that "influence" is both a count and noncount noun and that it is used mostly uncountably to ...
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2answers
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“Through critical engagement with philosophical texts” or “Through a critical engagement with philosophical texts”
Through (a) critical engagement with philosophical texts, I examine the phenomena and provide an in-depth analysis.
This is a line I am writing. The noun "engagement" seems tricky. Scrolling down ...
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2answers
174 views
“Comment on their character” or “comment on their characters”?
I would like to say a few words to comment on their character(s).
I am wondering if "character" in the sense of qualities of personality is a count noun and can be pluralized. Macmillan and Cambridge ...
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2answers
385 views
Is “prose” ever a count noun?
He writes a crystalline prose (source)
I find this countable usage of "prose" from the Oxford Dictionaries very unusual. I have never seen "prose" used countably. In contrast, several dictionaries ...
2
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1answer
2k views
“past experience” or “past experiences”?
I need to learn from past experiences.
It seems to me it makes sense to say "past experiences", since here experience refers an event that happened in the past. However, I do see a lot of occurrences ...
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64 views
Is “release” countable when used to mean “to let go” or “to make available”?
Is "release" a count noun or mass noun in the meaning of "let someone or something out of a place"? I see conflicting information from different dictionaries, even within the same dictionary.
...
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321 views
Have a good command of something – is “command” countable or uncountable?
I am confused, the following examples are from the Oxford dictionary, all from the same entry (2). Why in some cases it is "a command" and in some it is treated as uncountable?
‘he had a brilliant ...
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1answer
320 views
Can one reminiscence comprise many items?
Can a reminiscence hold many items? Example sentence:
A reminiscence I'll never forget are the days I started noticing her.
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1k views
“oil” VS “oils” [duplicate]
Today’s hair care products, typically shampoos, usually incorporate natural oil for better smoothness.
Today’s hair care products, typically shampoos, usually incorporate natural oils for better ...
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2answers
47 views
What is the rationale for inserting 'a' before the noun 'value'?
Please kindly read the example:
The Company shall not submit tender for new business having a value of less than some specific amount.
However, when the noun 'value' is used to mean how much ...
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1answer
337 views
When is “dress” a mass noun?
I find the singular/uncountable usage of "dress" strange in this sentence.
Expansive skirts on fashionable dress of the period proved the perfect blank canvas to showcase chintzes lush with ...
2
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1answer
36 views
The countability of “memoir” and “stocktaking” in this sentence
I find two nouns in this sentence from a Time article very strange.
The Atlantic columns are enriched with personal memoir, and a stocktaking, as Coates takes the reader through his own life and ...
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3answers
609 views
How to ‘guess’ if a noun is countable or uncountable?
Not all the time I have access to dictionaries. In school, I learned that abstract nouns are not countable; however, English is an ever-evolving language and nothing can be so certain here including ...
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2answers
51 views
Should “food” be considered many items or a single item in the following sentence?
Speaker A: I'll go buy some food at 7-Eleven.
Speaker B: Wait what about those/the one I bought? (sushi, rice balls,
and instant noodles)
In this case, should food be considered a single item (...
2
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2answers
299 views
“paint”: mass noun vs count noun
Jackson Pollock dropped paints on canvas seemingly at random. (Source)
I have always thought the noun "paint" is uncountable when referring to color/colored liquid/solid pigment. But the above ...
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2answers
588 views
Amount or number of books
While writing an essay, I discovered that my MacBook Ru-En dictionary suggests using amount speaking about books:
So, that is what I have in my text:
I state again that reading a lot has big ...
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1answer
80 views
“A couple of weights” Is it grammatical to use “weight” as a countable noun?
I heard a line in the movie The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Looks like you picked up a couple of weights, too, huh?
The speaker of this line apparently suggests that the other party has gained weight....
3
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2answers
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Should the number of the object “colleges” follow the number of the subject?
In this sentence:
We lost contact since we entered colleges.
Should "colleges" be in the plural form, since these two persons entered two different colleges?
2
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1answer
51 views
Conscience - when is it countable noun?
The dictionary says ‘conscience’ can be both countable and uncountable noun. Then when it should be written with article ‘a’?
“The best equipment ... is a conscience, common sense and health. ... ...
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1answer
53 views
themselves (singular or plural)?
This is the sentence I came across, it's from a game.
While Dwarven cannon were being loaded, others armed themselves with Elven steel and mail.
To my understanding, themselves is a plural word, ...
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4answers
6k views
Can “staff” ever be pluralized?
I am under the impression that the word staff is uncountable/singular when referring to a collection of employees in a company. This is corroborated by some online sources I have found: Macmillan and ...
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1answer
39 views
Is “I'm on them” a valid phrase?
When I'm working on some issue or bug, I say "I'm on it" to let others know that I'm working on it.
Can I say "I'm on them" if I'm working on multiple issues? Or do I still need to say "I'm on it" ...
3
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1answer
116 views
“A fear of something” vs “fear of something”
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the word "fear" is both countable and uncountable. So, when referring to the fear of flying, can I say:
I have fear (uncountable) of flying?
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2answers
196 views
Isn't “fog” uncountable when referring to a weather phenomenon?
I came across an example sentence on Merriam Webster:
a climate marked by heavy fogs
Isn't fog a noncount noun when used to refer to weather, according to the Cambridge Dictionary. The ODO and the ...
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1answer
71 views
Is it “human and physical capitals” or “human and physical capital”?
I am writing an essay that has this clause:
Due to the flight of human and physical capitals as a result of lower transportation costs,...
It gave me a pause because I realize "capital" in this ...
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1answer
31 views
The countability of “champion”
I saw two sentences on Google and on the Oxford Dictionaries, under the definition of "cap":
"he capped a memorable season by becoming champion" (Google, which should be getting its content from ...
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1answer
67 views
Shouldn't it be “sagas and song”?
I find this sentence from a book odd:
Their flimsy settlements consequently were soon abandoned, and their discovery was forgotten, except in Scandinavian saga and song.
According to both the ...
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1answer
155 views
Impact, countable or uncountable?
This assumption has a negligible impact on the study.
This assumption has negligible impact on the study.
Which one between the two above sentences is correct ?
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1answer
53 views
“Ties with industry” or “Ties with the industry”
Is it correct to say:
The school has strong ties with industry.
Should the definite article precede "industry"?
In order to make this question more clear: I think there's a couple of things at ...
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1answer
54 views
Premodifying adjectives and proper noun countability
Secondhand PC hardware is incomparable with brand new Raspberry Pi.
In this sentence, is it correct to say brand new Raspberry Pi without making it countable? That is, a brand new Raspberry Pi or ...
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1answer
42 views
“the idea of consequence” or “the idea of a consequence”?
I came across a sentence in an online dictionary:
[R]ather, it should be used to convey the idea of powerful, dramatic consequence.
Why is it not the idea of a powerful, dramatic consequence? ...
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1answer
231 views
Singular vs. plural in the object of this sentence
These two sentences appear on the same page of an online dictionary.
Possessive pronouns are pronouns that demonstrate ownerships.
Possessive pronouns include my, mine, our, ours, its, his, ...
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1answer
50 views
their wrath or their wraths?
When talking about a group of people, e.g. project managers, which of these is more correct:
Project managers are generally goodhearted, but here's a list of things you should avoid doing lest you ...
2
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1answer
48 views
More than one baggage is allowed or more than one baggages are allowed?
which is correct?
More than one baggage is allowed
or
More than one baggages are allowed
