Introduction

You already know the difference between countable and uncountable nouns. The concept is not new. What is harder — and what this lesson is about — is knowing which words belong in which category.

Some nouns that appear regularly in professional English are uncountable in ways that can catch you out. They look as though they should take a plural. They look as though they should work with a or an. But they do not — and using them as countable nouns is one of the most common errors in written and spoken professional English.

The good news: once you have internalised a word as uncountable, the right form starts to feel natural. This lesson focuses on three words that are worth getting right.

The Three Words

Feedback

Feedback is uncountable. It does not take a plural form, and it does not work with a or an.

The common error

Learners often say a feedback or feedbacks — particularly when referring to a single piece of feedback from one person or one source. In Japanese, the logic feels natural: one comment, one piece of input. In English, the noun does not work that way.

Professional example sentences

The client provided feedback on the proposal yesterday.

We received a great deal of feedback from the survey.

Her feedback was detailed and constructive.

Could you share your feedback before the meeting on Thursday?

How to count it when you need to

If you need to refer to a specific piece of feedback, use a quantifying expression:

She gave me one piece of feedback that I found particularly useful.

We received several items of feedback from the panel.

Information

Information is uncountable. It follows the same pattern as feedback: no plural, no article.

The common error

An information and informations appear regularly in professional emails and reports written by Japanese speakers. The error is understandable — in many contexts, information refers to something specific and bounded, which makes it feel countable. In English, however, the noun itself is always uncountable.

Professional example sentences

Please send me the information I requested last week.

The report contains important information about the merger.

We do not yet have enough information to make a decision.

All the information you need is in the attached document.

How to count it when you need to

Could you send me one piece of information before the presentation?

We gathered several pieces of information during the interviews.

Research

Research is uncountable. This one surprises many learners, particularly those in academic or scientific fields where the word appears constantly.

The common error

A research and researches both appear frequently in academic English produced by Japanese writers. The plural form researches is particularly common, and it is always incorrect in modern standard English. Whether you are referring to one study or fifty, the noun stays the same.

Professional example sentences

The research suggests a clear link between the two variables.

We conducted research into consumer behaviour across three markets.

Her research on urban planning has been widely cited.

The team published their research in a peer-reviewed journal.

How to count it when you need to

We carried out a piece of research that produced some unexpected results.

The department has completed several research projects this year.

Note: a research project, a research paper, and a research study are all correct — the quantifying noun (project, paper, study) is what takes the article, not research itself.

Practice

Exercise 1: Spot the error

Each sentence contains an error. Find it and write the correct version.

1. The manager gave us a very useful feedback after the presentation.
2. We received many informations from the client during the meeting.
3. She has published three researches on the subject of workplace communication.
4. Do you have an information about the new policy?
5. The feedbacks from the team were mostly positive.

Exercise 2: Complete the sentence

Choose the correct option (a or b) for each sentence.

1. We need more ___ before we can proceed. a) informations    b) information
2. The ___ from last year’s study is still relevant. a) research    b) researches
3. She asked for ___ on her writing from three different colleagues. a) feedbacks    b) feedback
4. Can you send me ___ about the conference schedule? a) an information    b) some information
5. The panel provided ___ that helped us improve the product significantly. a) a feedback    b) feedback

Exercise 3: Write your own

Write three sentences of your own — one using feedback, one using information, and one using research — based on your own professional or academic context. Pay attention to articles and plural forms.

Answer Key

Exercise 1

1. The manager gave us very useful feedback after the presentation. (remove a)*
2. We received a great deal of information from the client during the meeting. (remove many*; replace* informations with information)*
3. She has published three research papers on the subject of workplace communication. (replace researches withresearch papers or similar)
4. Do you have any information about the new policy? (replace an information with any information)*
5. The feedback from the team was mostly positive. (remove s from feedbacks*; adjust verb if needed)*

Exercise 2

1. b) information
2. a) research
3. b) feedback
4. b) some information
5. b) feedback

More words in this category

The nouns below are also uncountable in standard English. You may encounter them in professional or academic contexts. If you are unsure how to use any of them, the same principle applies: no plural, no a or an, and a quantifying expression when you need to refer to a specific amount.

advice · knowledge · evidence · progress · equipment · behaviour · work · travel · news · damage