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Sarcandra Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

floodwaters

Could you give some guidance on when to use "floodwater" and when "floodwaters"?

Examples from a journal article on a particular flood:

The floodwater flowed freely in the channel.
To determine the total volume of floodwater, surveys were done.

Thanks.
  

Top answer

Your example talks about a specific flow in an isolated location. ) You could use the plural if you were describing the situation across a larger area: The floodwaters seemed to be rising everywhere! They may be coming from multiple sources --- following different courses.

— Avangi

  • Your example talks about a specific flow in an isolated location.
  • ) You could use the plural if you were describing the situation across a larger area: The floodwaters seemed to be rising everywhere!
  • They may be coming from multiple sources --- following different courses.
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2 Answers
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Your example talks about a specific flow in an isolated location. (a particular channel.)
You could use the plural if you were describing the situation across a larger area:
The floodwaters seemed to be rising everywhere!
They may be coming from multiple sources --- following different courses.
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