the word "detail", countable or uncountable? I found these sentence in an article on detailed reporting of crime. 1. The media has long reported on crime. The right of the media to do this is rarely

April

the word "detail", countable or uncountable? I found these sentence in an article on detailed reporting of crime. 1. The media has long reported on crime. The right of the media to do this is rarely disputed, but the way in which it does this often comes under criticism. One issue that has been discussed a lot recently is THE AMOUNT OF DETAIL that should be published. 2. Those who believe that as MUCH DETAIL as possible should be published point to the demand for such information from the public and the principle of freedom of information. 3. There are two main reasons why the media should not be given MANY DETAILS of crimes. Question: is "detail" sometimes countable, sometimes uncountable? how to distinguish? Thank you very much!

Feb 3, 2012 12:58 PM

Answers · 6

"detail" is one of those slippery words that could be countable or uncountable. What is important is the words you use with it. "Amount of" and "much" refer to something uncountable. "Number of" and "many" refer to something countable. I can turn the sentences around One issue that has been discussed a lot recently is THE NUMBER OF DETAILS that should be published. "Those who believe that as AS MANY DETAILS as possible...." "should not be given A LARGE AMOUNT OF DETAIL of crimes" Also, sometimes, you can definitely count the number of details: "Two details need to be resolved..." Why choose one or the other? Fewer words at times, sometimes a sense that it is impossible to count the exact number of details. Sometimes just the way the writer feels.

February 3, 2012