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Taka Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

simple question, I guess

(1) It causes you trouble.
(2) It causes you a trouble.

Do they both sound equally natural or not? If one sounds more natural than the other, why?
  

Top answer

(1) It causes you trouble. Fine (2) It causes you a trouble. No - "a trouble" is not correct usage.

— BarbaraPA

  • (1) It causes you trouble.
  • Fine (2) It causes you a trouble.
  • No - "a trouble" is not correct usage.
  • "
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10 Answers
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(1) It causes you trouble. Fine
(2) It causes you a trouble. No - "a trouble" is not correct usage.

You can have "trouble" in the plural (Tell me your troubles) but not "a trouble."
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Grammar Geek(1) It causes you trouble. Fine
(2) It causes you a trouble. No - "a trouble" is not correct usage.

You can have "trouble" in the plural (Tell me your troubles) but not "a trouble."
OK, but why is it not correct?
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Because you can't have "a trouble."

Trouble isn't generally countable. Many different TYPES of trouble can afflict you - money, job, men - so you can have troubles, but I can be in trouble, experiencing trouble, have trouble - a line in a famous musical goes "Oh you got trouble - but you don't have A trouble.
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Grammar Geek
Because you can't have "a trouble."

And yet we can Googlingly say:

"300,000 - "many troubles".
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Hmm...it's like saying 'Men and man are OK, but a man is not. The reason? Because it's not correct!"

What an enigma...
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I believe I stated that it could be in the plural.
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TakaHmm...it's like saying 'Men and man are OK, but a man is not. The reason? Because it's not correct!"

What an enigma...
Not all language use is "because". Some usage is "just because".

We say such:





CAUSE DIFFICULTIES



CAUSE HARM



CAUSE DAMAGE



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TakaHmm...it's like saying 'Men and man are OK, but a man is not. The reason? Because it's not correct!"

What an enigma...
Trouble, like happiness, information, advice, and other uncountable nouns, doesn't take a singular. Man is a countable noun. A man, two men.

If you have different TYPES of trouble, you can have troubles, in the plur
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Grammar GeekTrouble, like happiness, information, advice, and other uncountable nouns, doesn't take a singular.
Yeh, but happiness, information, and advice don't take the plural form either, right?
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And:

CAUSE A BREACH



CAUSE A CHANGE



CAUSE A REDUCTION



CAUSE A LOSS



CAUSE A PROBLEM



CAUSE A DETERIORATION



CAUSE A DELAY



CAUSE A DISPLACEMENT



CAUSE A RUN



CAUSE A SHIFT



CAUSE A SENSATION
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