Is this OK?

Question

Hello guys.Well, my doubt is this, because I heard "I have great news for you" (The plural form) "Some news".In spanish we have a singular form for "News" but in english it doesn´t exist.How must I say if I have only 1 "News" for you?Is this OK? --------- I have a news for you "To mean that I have only 1"Thanks in advance, Good Luck!

Cool Breeze · Accepted Answer

Hi Hector

If you really want to underline the fact, you can say "I have a/one piece of news for you."

If you just need an indefinite article, you can say "That's an interesting news item / an interesting piece of news.

People usually just say "I have [some] news for you."

CB

Delmobile · Answer

Sorry, but you can't say "I have a news." Nobody's counting; it's fine to say, "I have news for you-~~school has been cancelled tomorrow." Actually, "some news" can refer to a single item as well: "I have some news for you, buddy~~-your mother doesn't work here. You have to clean up your own mess."

If you want to emphasize that you only have one thing to share, you could say, "I have a piece of news for you," or "I have a news item for you." If it's gossip, you might say, "I have a tasty bit of news for you."

Think of it like "pants," I guess. You can't say, "I have a pants for you." If you say, "I have some pants for you," it could mean one pair---"I have some pants for you to wear for the job interview," or many pairs---"They've got some pants on sale at Pull and Bear." There is probably some fancy linguistic term for this, the Permanent Plural or something, but I don't know it.

NewPhilologist · Answer

It's difficult to add anything to what Delmobile said, but I do know the fancy linguistic term: such words are called a "plurale tantum" <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Delmobile · Answer

Oh, you just now made that up  <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/2.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/2.gif' alt='Emotion: big smile'/>

Hector9 · Answer

Thanks a lot guys! You really helped me a lot

I understood everything what you said

NewPhilologist · Answer

DelmobileOh, you just now made that up

Back when I was in grammar school, the elderly woman who taught us Latin was completely obsessed with that term. She would write it on the blackboard every now and then, and insist that we find a plurale tantum in the week's required reading.

Can you see that that was traumatising?

Delmobile · Answer

LOL!

I am reminded of that wonderful http://daliverse.com/groby.htmlabout rushing to school with an example of the Container for the Thing Contained, which I was lucky enough to find on the internet just now:

Cool Breeze · Answer

DelmobileThere is probably some fancy linguistic term for this, the Permanent Plural or something, but I don't know it.

Hi Delmobile

Pants is plural but news, despite the s, is an uncountable singular noun.

These pants are...
This news is...

CB

Delmobile · Answer

So pants is an example of the plurale tantum, but news isn't. Like gymnastics.

Is this OK?

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