Grammar question

[BigV]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

How about "advice", I was just thinking about that word, is that plural or singluarey?

"I got lots of advice"

"I got one person's advice"

but one wouldn't say "I got a good advice from my friend"

Originally Posted by glatt

same with "water" and "smoke"

"This is my advice."
"These are my advice."

"This is the water."
"These are the water."

"This is smoke."
"These are the smoke."

In each case, these words ring singular to my ear. So, since there isn't a plural form of these words, that makes them singulare tantum. Additionally, they are examples of mass nouns. Ones that can't be quantified by a number, in contrast to collective nouns, as Cloud identified "evidence" earlier, in error I believe. I think evidence is another mass noun.

Also, in the examples quoted above, the change in subj/verb agreement was happening with the count modifier. "This is the (one)" "These are the (several)". The very fact that you attach this counter is because they're uncountable. What you are counting is not advice, it's "lots" or "person".