Is the word "lettuce" an uncountable noun or countable noun ?
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2It depends on the context. Please supply some.– LawrenceSep 30, 2018 at 11:22
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1Also, when you edit your question, please include what you found when researching in dictionaries (there are a number available online).– Andrew Leach ♦Sep 30, 2018 at 11:52
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1 Answer
Lettuce is an uncountable noun. Its most common classifiers are "heads of lettuce" and "leaves of lettuce."
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4But I can buy "a lettuce" from the supermarket. It might be that that’s a colloquialism or a contraction of "head of lettuce" or it could be context dependant as suggested in the comments. Do you have any references that would clarify? (Welcome to ELU, by the way!).– PamSep 30, 2018 at 11:50
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1I don't think I've ever heard anyone say "a lettuce" before (AmE). It's always "a head of lettuce" (or "a bag of lettuce," "some lettuce," "a lettuce leaf," etc.) Sep 30, 2018 at 12:22
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3Lettuce is used countably in British English. We can say 'there are five lettuces on the table'. During a shortage, The Times reported that "Tesco stores are displaying notices that say customers can buy only three lettuces. " Sep 30, 2018 at 12:36
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As a Brit, I don't understand what "head of lettuce" means. I assume it means a single lettuce?– TrevorDSep 30, 2018 at 18:06
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@TrevorD I think it is the part that's above ground (i.e. not the roots). I added a source to show that it can be used as an uncountable or countable noun. So, technically the answer is correct (it doesn't say it cannot be use countably).– JJJOct 1, 2018 at 6:19