Singular vs Plural for non-count nouns

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Anonymous  #128651  Fri, 19 Aug 05 09:09 PM

Can you please explain when to use non-count nouns in their plural forms.  For example:

profit vs profits

feeling vs feelings

communication vs communications

difficulty vs difficulties

skill vs skills

My difficulty is that I can't seemd to understand the concept or when to add an "s" to something that I can't count, e.g., I can't count how many profit(s), or how many feeling(s), etc.  I can count one apple or two apples.  Can you please explain.  Thank you very much.

Sunshine in DC.

  
Mister Micawber  #128761  Sat, 20 Aug 05 01:43 AM

When a non-count noun takes a plural form, it becomes a countable noun.  You have to decide whether you are speaking of the non-countable condition/quality/amount, or of multiple instances of the same.  For example, I can have many feelings during a baseball game-- elation, depression, hope, despair,etc.-- or I can decide that feeling is inappropriate for a spectator sport and I can go place a bet with my bookie.

Does this help?


  
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Anonymous  #138936  Sun, 18 Sep 05 05:13 PM
kindly give the singular of the following sentence; These trousers are expensive.
  
MrPedantic  #139137  Mon, 19 Sep 05 07:21 AM

"These shorts are expensive"?

MrP

  
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Mister Micawber  #139257  Mon, 19 Sep 05 01:33 PM

This pair of shorts is expensive?


  
Forbes  #139327  Mon, 19 Sep 05 04:06 PM

 Anonymous wrote:
kindly give the singular of the following sentence; These trousers are expensive.

There is no singular. This trouser is expensive is not Standard English.

  
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pieanne  #139329  Mon, 19 Sep 05 04:09 PM

No, indeed. The singular is a pair of ...

 

  
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