0
Kwon Ki Poong Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Expectation / expectaions ?

There is often a discrepancy between expectation/expectations and reality.

Sometimes I see some uncountable words come with plural form.

Is there any kind of rule?

and why do they say interest rates, instead of interest rate?
  

Top answer

Hi Kwon Ki Poong; Expectation is not a noncount noun. " Kwon Ki Poong and why do they say interest rates, instead of interest rate? Because there are many different interest rates.

— AlpheccaStars

  • Hi Kwon Ki Poong; Expectation is not a noncount noun.
  • " Kwon Ki Poong and why do they say interest rates, instead of interest rate?
  • Because there are many different interest rates.
  • g.
  • 6%.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

5 Answers
0
Hi Kwon Ki Poong;

Expectation is not a noncount noun. A very famous English writer, Charles Dickens, titled a book "Great Expectations."
Kwon Ki Poong
and why do they say interest rates, instead of interest rate?
Because there are many different interest rates. You can talk about one of them, or several of them, e.g.
The interest rate o
0
0
many thanks

but isn't expectation sometimes used as an uncountable noun?
0
0
Perhaps. Can you give an example?
0
0
As in 'there will little expectation that he will come.'

reference

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/expectation

Look at noun 6.

btw i'm Kwon ki poong who posted this question.
0
0
Yes, indeed. And you see it defined as a count noun in #5. So it can be used either way.

I think this adequately answers your original question.
Nouns can be count, noncount, or both.

Cheers,
A-
0

Related Questions