Questions tagged [countability]

"Countability" is a property of English nouns, which reflects whether or not they have a plural form.

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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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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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"She spoke in broad Yorkshire dialect." — Why is "a" not used here? — I mean: "She spoke in a broad Yorkshire dialect."

an example from "Extra Examples" on oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com: (1) She spoke in broad Yorkshire dialect. As far as I understand, "dialect" in (1) is uncountable since it's ...
2 votes
3 answers
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1) "My weight is 150 pounds"; 2) "The runner's speed was 6 kilometers per hour" — Are "weight" and "speed" countable or not?

britannica.com says "weight" is uncountable here: (1) My weight is 150 pounds. But a user on ell.stackexchange.com says "speed" is countable here: (2) The runner's speed was 6 ...
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Why is "admission" countable in "Museum admission is $5."?

cambridge.org: one of the meanings of "admission": Admission is also the price paid to enter a place. an example for this meaning: (1) Museum admission is $5. Dictionary says "...
2 votes
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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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167 views

"I have two good news for you."

Maybe the same as This is a good news. This is good news, or News for plural, but I found "I have two good news for you." in https://math.stackexchange.com/a/4780391/1230831, making me ...
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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" [duplicate]

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 ...
1 vote
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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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Article in the question "do you like". With or without articles

Do you like hamburger or do you like a hamburger ? Do you like orange or do you like an orange ? Which one of these above is correct ? Do we have to use a / an/ the articles after "like" or not ?
3 votes
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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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1 answer
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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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Why say "student life" and not "the student life"?

The Culture subsection of the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary's entry for "campus" begins with The popular image of student life is of young people with few responsibilities enjoying ...
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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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1 answer
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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 ...
1 vote
1 answer
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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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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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1 answer
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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. ...
1 vote
2 answers
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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 &...
1 vote
1 answer
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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 ...
3 votes
1 answer
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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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422 views

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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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. ...
2 votes
2 answers
865 views

Is the counting nouns such as "a cup of" "a bottle of" virtually dead?

I am wondering especially when I travel internationally, some native speakers do not say "a cup of" or "a glass of", for example, "a cup of water” or "two cans of beers&...
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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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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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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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"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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2k views

"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 ...
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3 answers
1k views

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 ...
2 votes
1 answer
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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?
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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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5k views

"There has been a vast amount..." vs. "There have been a vast amount..."

In recent years, there has been a vast amount of debates. or In recent years, there have been a vast amount of debates.
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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 ...
4 votes
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721 views

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 ...
2 votes
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4k views

As much as - as many as

Can anyone help me with this question about Error Identification. As many as 50 percent of the income from motion pictures produced in the United States comes from the films abroad. The key is "...
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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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1 answer
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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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12k views

homework vs. a homework

When is it acceptable to use "a homework?". As an ESL practitioner, I had to look it up, and found a source which says "a homework" is only acceptable among native speakers. So, ...
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1 answer
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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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"Distance" vs "a distance"

I would like to understand in which cases the word "distance" is a mass noun and in which it is not. Indeed, distance is something that one can measure, so for me it looks like it should be ...
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1 answer
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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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4k 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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Which is correct: "no issues", "not an issue", "some issues", or "some issue"?

Is the noun "issue" used in singular form, or is it fine to use it in plural form? example: no issues. not an issue. I had been facing some issues in the past which now are resolved. I had been ...

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