Questions tagged [countable-nouns]
Countable nouns can be modified by a quantity.
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3answers
42 views
Why do U.S. Americans say “a good value” (using indefinite article “a”)
Take this example from the Airbnb website: "What would have made this listing a better value?"
This souds absolutely horrible and incorrect to my Australian ears (I would omit the "a"). I've also ...
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0answers
41 views
Is “bit of oil” countable or uncountable? [migrated]
If it is countable why do we say
a little bit of oil
and can I say the following?
a little quantity of seeds
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2answers
44 views
What meaning of/phrase based on the verb to call is used in “I call [noun]” (for instance bull****) and considerations with count nouns?
Sometimes you hear people say something like "I call [noun]", mostly with bullshit ("I call bullshit"; and there's also a question on the site with shenanigans). It feels like an opinionated statement ...
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1answer
39 views
Is “you have so many double standards” idiomatic and if not, why and what would be?
The noun double standard is countable. Looking at some ngram you can see the plural form used for titles (to mean something like the topic of...) or when there's a number preceding it (i.e. referring ...
2
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2answers
45 views
Since 'few' is used for countable nouns and 'less' is for uncountable nouns
Since 'few' is used for countable things and 'Less' is for uncountable things then why do we say;
I have less than 2 days/months/years.
?
Yes, time is an uncountable concept but we sure can count ...
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2answers
38 views
Translation, rotation, scalation?
I'm programming a math library and it never ocurred to me before now that most mathematicians say "translation, rotation, scale" to refer to these transformations. Problems arise when I want to ...
22
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9answers
6k views
Why is it correct to say “fewer calories” when calories are continuous? [duplicate]
This question, "Discrete Units of a Continuous Quantity", asks whether units of a continuous quantity should be spoken of as discrete or continuous.
The top answer states
The rule is simple, and ...
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1answer
15 views
Question on “work” follows with a verb
I am writing to inquire the correctness of the following sentence:
both work rely on this technique
Or
both work relies on this technique.
While the first one seems more grammarly correct, I do ...
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1answer
32 views
Is “…taken to be scholarly authority” missing a preposition or an article?
The sentence is from Harold Bloom's book Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human.
This chronology, necessarily tentative, partly follows what is generally taken to be scholarly authority.
I find ...
3
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2answers
276 views
Glasses - countable or uncountable noun?
Is word glasses countable or uncountable?
Are these sentences correct?
These glasses (referring to one pair of glasses) are my favourite!
I have quite a few glasses in my drawer, however, my favourite ...
2
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3answers
115 views
Is 'public' a mass noun?
Does anyone know which kind of noun 'public' is?
Is it a common noun or a collective noun?
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1answer
45 views
When is “culture shock" uncountable?
According to Oxford Learner's, Wiktionary, and Cambridge dictionaries, “culture shock" is both countable and uncountable, but I've never seen or heard the word used in a way which shows it to be ...
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1answer
158 views
Nouns that can be both count and noncount nouns
I would like to ask how people who are familiar with English interpret these sentences regarding the nouns that can be both count and noncount nouns.
(1) I have to make more cake/cakes to offer a ...
0
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3answers
37 views
How much or many the scores [closed]
Is the below sentence correct? Grammarly does not take it a mistake.
"There you can see how much the scores will change."
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2answers
48 views
“Nuance” as a mass noun?
To my knowledge the noun "nuance" is a count noun. I just lighted upon this sentence from an article by Anne McClintock. Is "nuance" ever a mass noun? Or should it simply be pinned on editing?
...
2
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1answer
165 views
Is “king” an adjective or a mass noun in this usage? [duplicate]
I have been curious about a usage of the word "king".
a country where football is king (Oxford Dictionaries Online)
In mergers and acquisitions, cash is king. (Cambridge)
This is a very ...
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2answers
77 views
(When) should I use the countable or uncountable Life?
The problem came up when I wanted to make some corrections to one’s paper.
… when someone is successful in their lives, …
Which I thought it should be life.
Here are some examples from ...
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5answers
2k views
Do native speakers of major English varieties actually say “a software” or “softwares”?
So I've looked up the word "software" around, and I've learned that -ware words are uncountable, and there's even a claim at the Wiktionary entry for this word that "a software" or "softwares" are a ...
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4answers
223 views
Not specifying the amount that you eat/drink
You don't need to specify the amount that you eat/drink for some things:
I drink cranberry juice.
I eat fried chicken.
I eat bread with butter.
You can't do this for other things:
I ...
0
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1answer
56 views
“news in letters” Is this a countable phrase?
......As a result, the news in letters was already out of date when people received it.
1) Is it better to use "were" in this case as we are talking about news in several letters?
2) also should I ...
1
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2answers
213 views
When did “learnings” become an accepted countable noun?
"Learnings"? In 2006, it was a joke word, meant to suggest crude ESL.
In 2007, it's actually being used in the New York Times. Was that the black day when it changed over?
NYT excerpt:
“We’re ...
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0answers
25 views
get all of the space / get all space / get the whole space?
Which one should be used when talking about say cloud storage, but with a poetic allusion to outer space.
The noun space has more than one meaning, some of them are countable and some uncountable ...
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2answers
169 views
Is the word “vandalism” countable?
I am a regular editor on Wikipedia and one of the things I do often is dealing with so-called "vandalism". I do this on many different language versions of Wikipedia and found out that in these other ...
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2answers
388 views
cake as countable noun [closed]
I’ve always had trouble with noncountable nouns.
I understand that cake, bread, food can be either noncountable and noncountable depending on the context.
I’m writing about different professions and ...
1
vote
1answer
458 views
“Quota” - “how much” or “how many”?
If something is countable (e.g. disk space) but is limited by some quota. What you will ask: "how much" or "how many" quota do I have?"
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1answer
1k views
My favorite food is apples. Is it ok? [duplicate]
My favorite food is apples.
Or my favorite food are apples.
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1answer
3k views
Is traffic a countable noun or an uncountable noun?
Example sentence:
"Not much/many traffic passes this way."
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1answer
77 views
Why is it grammatically incorrect to say 'I watch much television' although it is an uncountable noun (in this context)?
In the grammatically correct sentence, 'I watch a lot of television', the noun 'television' is an uncountable noun. However, it is grammatically incorrect to say 'I watch much television' with the ...
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4answers
620 views
Is “potential” a countable noun?
Is "potential" a countable noun? Consider these sentences:
The teachings are dispensed according to the audience's potentials?
The teachings are dispensed according to the audience's levels of ...
0
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1answer
154 views
Is “power politics” countable or uncountable?
My sentence is
The Cold War period in South-Asia was a period marked by changing power dynamics and a large amount of power-politics
My grammar check tool says that I should use "a large number ...
1
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1answer
183 views
Can I say I'll have “a tea”? [closed]
I know it's perfectly grammatical for native speakers to say "I'll have a latte/ a beer / a coke" etc. But is "tea", typically served in a cup, also countable?
5
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3answers
171 views
Why is it “the loss of American life” as opposed to “the loss of American lives”?
The noun life when denoting "a way or manner of living" (MW) or "living things considered together" is used in singular, but when it means "the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being ...
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1answer
2k views
'There are' or 'there is' [duplicate]
OK so I was writing a sentence to explain that there are three holes at the same angular position on a wheel (different radii).
I started to write; 'there are more than one hole at each angular ...
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1answer
2k views
Countable/uncountable nouns Rice vs Stars [closed]
How is rice and sugar uncountable while star is not? Counting grains of rice and crystals of sugar is not practical, yes. But isn't counting stars nearly impossible?
3
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2answers
2k views
Is “surroundings” a plural noun or a mass noun that just happens to take the form of a plural?
I personally interpret “surroundings” as at least a plural-only noun but possibly just a noun whose plural form is much more common than its singular form in modern usage.
But on a forum I frequent, ...
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1answer
64 views
-ness words as count nouns?
I came across this sentence in a book:
He was astonishingly humble, exhibited great charitableness and such a sweetness and meekness that he would often shed tears at a sad story.
It seems strange ...
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1answer
341 views
Is “Positive manner” a countable noun?
Developing mental strength is about improving your ability to regulate your emotions, manage your thoughts, and behave in a positive manner, despite your circumstances.
Is "positive manner" a ...
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1answer
983 views
Is the word 'space' a countable noun? [closed]
There's some space in the parking lot
There's a few spaces in the parking lot
Would this make space countable?
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4answers
300 views
Is WTF singular? uncountable?
More specifically, can someone analyze grammar of and recommend which of the following is correct:
One WTF less
vs.
One WTF fewer
If it matters, the intention was to imply that if one instance ...
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2answers
87 views
Trying to pair amid/among properly with sound/sounds
I want to make sure that I'm using amid and among properly. As I understand it, amid is for uncountable nouns, and among is for countable nouns.
My sentence was originally:
The three enjoyed their ...
0
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1answer
129 views
Scientific “control” as uncountable noun
I am wondering if the scientific control can be used as an uncountable noun.
For example,
One tube was used as control while the other received 0.1 pg/ml of PMA.
vs
One tube was used as the ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views
“Eat more fruit(s) and vegetables” Is there a BE and AE difference?
This earlier question Is using “fruits” as the plural of “fruit” acceptable? has a number of answers as to whether fruit can be in the plural form fruits.
The consensus of the answers there seems to ...
0
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1answer
232 views
If a word comes with 'a' or 'an', does it mean it's a countable noun? [duplicate]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_articles#Indefinite_article
The indefinite article of English takes the two forms a and an. Semantically, they can be regarded as meaning "one", usually ...
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1answer
337 views
Countable vs Uncountable: “charge” and “payment”
I've noticed that the word 'charge' is marked in the Macmillan Dictionary as both countable and uncountable in the same meaning:
charge [COUNTABLE/UNCOUNTABLE] an amount of money that you have to ...
-1
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1answer
45 views
“Solution for business” or “Solution for businesses” [closed]
I'm wondering which slogan for a business is more correct:
"Solution for business" or "Solution for businesses"?
For example, in a company that created an innovative security product:
"Security ...
1
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1answer
1k views
How much vs how many
Is the usage of "how much" in this context, correct?
And if it isn't, is this expression "this is too much car for me to handle?" correct?
So when can "how much" be used with countable nouns and vice ...
2
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0answers
213 views
Can countable nouns become uncountable by usage? [closed]
The words speaker and hearer are countable nouns according to the Cambridge Dictionary. And a countable noun should either used plural or be with an article.
But I see many use these words without ...
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1answer
50 views
Using “The” in an example - usage rules
This was written in a recent political debate on social media - I took the meaning, but several others did not understand the meaning.
"If the NFL Owner asks his employees to stand, that's it"
The ...
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2answers
835 views
Does English have any singularia tantum besides mass nouns?
Singularia tantum and pluralia tantum are, respectively, nouns that have only a singular form and nouns that have only a plural form.
In English, we have a handful of pluralia tantum that are mass ...
2
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1answer
225 views
Mixing countability; how to correctly say “there is plenty of rice, earthquakes and typhoons”?
In this question I wrote the following sentence, knowing full well that it has problems.
Where I live right now there is plenty of rice, earthquakes and typhoons.
Both earthquake and typhoon are ...
