Informations, advices, furnitures, newses. Every one of those is wrong, and every one of them sounds reasonable. English treats some everyday nouns as one lump you cannot count, and the s never goes on.
1. What Did the Office Send?
Kai: Did the office send anything?
Rho: Some information about the visa.
Kai: Enough to start?
Rho: The information is all on page two.
Kai: I'll print it.
2. Before You Sign
Nel: Can I ask you something?
Bo: Go on.
Nel: I need advice about the contract.
Bo: My advice is simple. Don't sign today.
Nel: That's what my sister said.
3. Word From the Hospital
Tomas: Any news from the hospital?
Ida: The news is good. She's home tomorrow.
Tomas: That's a relief.
Ida: Her news made my week.
Tomas: Mine too.
4. Moving Day
Sami: Is the flat empty?
Vera: The furniture arrives Thursday.
Sami: All of it?
Vera: Beds first. The rest of the furniture comes later.
Sami: Sleep is the priority.
5. Travelling Light
Ola: How much luggage are you taking?
Finn: One case. Hand luggage only.
Ola: For two weeks?
Finn: I wash things.
Ola: You're braver than me.
6. How's the Spanish?
Dan: How's the Spanish?
Mei: Slow progress, but progress.
Dan: You said that in March.
Mei: I can order dinner now.
Dan: That's the useful part.
7. A Quiet Road
Ana: The road's quiet today.
Luc: Fewer cars in August.
Ana: And fewer buses.
Luc: Half the timetable.
Ana: I'll walk, then.
8. A Lighter Month
Ravi: You look rested.
Suki: Less work this month.
Ravi: How much less?
Suki: Two days off a week. Less stress as well.
Ravi: Keep it that way.
Words to know
| information | never informations, and never an information — say some information or a piece of information Some information about the visa. |
| advice | one lump, never advices — to count it, say a piece of advice I need advice about the contract. |
| news | the s is part of the word, so the verb stays singular: the news is The news is good. She's home tomorrow. |
| furniture | no plural and no a — for one item say a piece of furniture or name it: a chair The furniture arrives Thursday. |
| luggage | one lump, so it takes how much, not how many One case. Hand luggage only. |
| progress | you make progress, you do not make a progress or two progresses Slow progress, but progress. |
| fewer | fewer goes with things you can count: fewer cars, fewer buses, fewer people Fewer cars in August. |
| less | less goes with the lumps you cannot count: less work, less stress, less time Less work this month. |
Quick practice
Each line below has a plural s that should not be there, or the wrong word in front. Say the whole line correctly out loud, then check the answers.
1. Not: Some informations about the visa.
Say: _______________
2. Not: I need an advice about the contract.
Say: _______________
3. Not: The news are good.
Say: _______________
4. Not: The furnitures arrive Thursday.
Say: _______________
5. Not: How many luggages are you taking?
Say: _______________
6. Not: Less cars in August.
Say: _______________
Show the answers
1. Some information about the visa. 2. I need advice about the contract. 3. The news is good. 4. The furniture arrives Thursday. 5. How much luggage are you taking? 6. Fewer cars in August.
Common mistakes
Not: Can you advice me before I sign?
Say: Can you advise me before I sign?
advice with a c is the thing you get. advise with an s is the doing word. Listen for the z sound at the end of advise.
Not: Don't loose your ticket.
Say: Don't lose your ticket.
lose with one o means you no longer have it. loose with two o's means not tight: a loose screw.
Not: There were alot of people there.
Say: There were a lot of people there.
a lot is always two words. There is no such word as alot in English.
Your turn
Say these five aloud. If an s tries to jump onto the end of a word, stop and say the line again without it.
- Ask a friend for help with a decision, using I need advice about.
- Say what news you had this week, starting with The news is.
- Say how much luggage you take for a weekend, using how much.
- Name one skill where you are making slow progress.
- Say one thing there is less of this year and one there are fewer of.
Quick review
Here is the test that works every time. Try putting two in front of the word. Two chairs is fine, so chair counts. Two furnitures is nonsense, so furniture is a lump: no s, no a, and less rather than fewer. Run the two test on information, advice, news, luggage and progress tonight.