Questions tagged [countable-nouns]
Countable nouns can be modified by a quantity.
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fewer vs less, when concurrently describing countable and uncountable things
Which is more correct?
Requested data must be 19 characters or fewer
Requested data must be 19 characters or less
There is a comparison between the actual and expected character counts, which is a ...
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"an entertainment"
I'm reading Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death and I came across an interesting usage of the word entertainment.
"The first is that on television, religion, like everything else, is ...
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Why do I need "a" in "a mere 5 percent"?
Examples (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/mere)
Sixty per cent of teachers are women, but a mere 5 percent of women are heads and deputies.
Tickets are a mere £7.50 at the door.
...
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"Plaintiff" without an article
Garner's fourth edition reads we accord to plaintiff his due.
Why is this nominal indirect object used without any article at all?
OED: http://oed.com/oed2/00180661
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Is it idiomatic to say "there are 5 Japanese tofus on the dish" to mean "there are 5 pieces of Japanese tofu on the dish"?
When you look for an English noun in an English dictionary, sometimes you see the noun being used as an uncountable and a countable noun. And normally, we use it as an uncountable noun when we want to ...
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is sediment countable
I am using the word 'sediment' quite a lot for my research. I work in the field of river engineering and I always thought 'sediment' to be uncountable.
However, a colleague uses 'sediments' to mean ...
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Does the structure "an example of" take a plural or a singular noun or both?
For instance, are the following sentences grammatical, and do they mean the same thing or have different meanings?
Cheese is an example of protien-rich food.
Cheese is an example of a protein-rich ...
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"Weigh benefit(s) against risk(s)"
Both nouns can be either a count noun or a mass noun. I think individually benefit tends to be used countably more than it appears as a mass noun.
We list the potential benefits (count) of a thing. ...
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Countable noun for a coin or a banknote
I am looking for a countable noun which can stand for either a coin or a banknote. Currency and money are the only two words I can think of, but not being countable they don't fit what I'm looking for,...
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Does "chromatography" have plural (chromatographies)?
Chromatography is a chemical method which can be performed in different ways. Some of main types are liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, size exclusion chromatography. Oxford dictionary ...
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Is "word" in my examples countable or not?
merriam-webster.com:
(1) Word has it that the neighbors are moving next month.
My variants:
(2) Word on the street has it that the neighbors are moving next month.
(3) The word is that the neighbors ...
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History of the use of "none" for countable nouns
The concept of countable nouns seems to be rapidly disappearing from modern English (e.g. I'm seeing "the amount of people" with increasing frequency, even in reputable publications, which ...
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a + adjective + "many" + of the + plural noun
(Countable noun) [a + adjective + ~ + of the + plural noun] a large number of persons
or things:
A good many of the beggars were blind.
https://www.wordreference.com/definition/many
Is the plural ...
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Singular / plural form of the noun ‘type’ (meaning printed letters or typeface) – what are the rules?
When is the noun type (meaning typeface or text set in type) used in singular form and when is it used in plural form?
Is it referred to as a singulare tantum?
In which case is it an uncountable noun ...
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Is it correct to say we have five sense organs?
There is a difference in type of something and actual number of that thing as per my understanding.
Saying, we have five senses or five kinds of sense organs is okay, but when I say we have five ...
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Restrictions on ranges indicated by quantifiers in count usages
I've a query regarding common quantifiers used with count usages. I've searched in various resources such as online dictionaries, but I couldn't find out the fruitful solution.
Here is the problem:
...
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Do you find "only belongings of somebody" a little bit wierd?
In the sentence below, do you think it is weird to say "only belongings" for "belongings" is a collective noun.
The angry mob destroyed the man's only belongings.
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Is "foreshadowing" a countable noun or uncountable noun?
In my book review, I want to express that "I find well-plotted foreshadowings, which indicate the inevitable tragedy". Is it correct or not?
By the way, should I use the word "indicate"?
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Couture and canapé are just another Saturday night until you add a mask. [Why the singular 'canapé'?]
In an American TV show called 'Gossip Girl', here's a narration by Gossip Girl herself (YouTube video):
Long ago, when European royals grew bored with palace balls they took a page from the peons, ...
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"run for presidency" or "run for the presidency"
I have a question about "run for presidency"/"run for the presidency"
(in this case, it's about a presidential election)
He will run for the presidency.
He will run for presidency....
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In 'one-way communication' is 'communication' a countable or uncountable noun usage?
I was wondering whether 'communication' in the phrase (collocation) 'one-way communication' is a countable or uncountable usage. I've seen both usages (e.g. The Guardian leaning more towards ...
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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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Dictionary.com "amount of words"?
Dictionary.com defines wordage as "quantity or amount of words". Shouldn't it be "quantity or number of words"?
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Determiner “(a) little” with singular countable words
Page 308 of Practical English Usage reads
We use the determiner (a) little with singular (usually uncountable)
words.
What use with singular countable words is it implying?
I know it's always ...
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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 ...
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