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MeggPhaggSioux Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Proper Procedure

1. "Plant workers didn't always follow proper procedure."
2. "Plant workers didn't always follow a proper procedure."
3. "Plant workers didn't always follow proper procedures."

Dictionaries have both count and non-count versions of "procedure". Could all three be correct?
  

Top answer

1. is most usual. 2.

— CSnyder

  • 1.
  • is most usual.
  • 2.
  • would be unusual.
  • If you wanted to use the singular you would use "Plant workers didn't always follow the proper procedure for X".
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3 Answers
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1. is most usual.

2. would be unusual. If you wanted to use the singular you would use "Plant workers didn't always follow the proper procedure for X".

3. would be acceptable, though you'd usually see "Plant workers didn't always follow proper procedures for doing X, Y, and Z".
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What meanings are embedded in the uncountable "proper procedure" that the countable "a proper procedure" lacks?
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None that I can think of, though, as I said, you wouldn't see "a proper procedure" but rather "the proper procedure".
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