Informations or Information? Noun Fixes for Work Emails

Priya Sharma

Priya Sharma writes English learning guides for ESL students. Pune-based language enthusiast.

Visual representation of the voice · not a photographic portrait

Quick answer: Countable nouns (report, invoice, meeting) have a plural and take a/an, many, and fewer. Uncountable nouns (information, advice, feedback, equipment) have no plural, never take a/an, and use much, less, or a piece of. Never add an s to words like information, advice, or feedback.↗ Share on X

In a professional email, a countable noun names something you can count one by one (one report, two invoices, three meetings), so it can be singular or plural and takes *a/an*, *many*, and *fewer*. An uncountable noun names something you treat as a whole mass (information, advice, feedback, equipment), so it has no plural, never takes *a/an*, and uses *much*, *less*, and *a piece of*. The fastest fix for most email mistakes is to memorize the ten uncountable nouns that show up in business writing every day and never add an "s" to them.

This article gives you that list, the right words to use with each type, before-and-after email examples, and a quick checklist to run before you hit send.

What is the difference, in plain words?

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Ask yourself one question: can I put a number directly in front of it?

• "Two reports" sounds right. *Report* is countable.
• "Two informations" sounds wrong. *Information* is uncountable.

Countable nouns have a singular and a plural form:

• one email, two emails
• one deadline, three deadlines
• one client, many clients

Uncountable nouns have only one form. You do not add "s," even when you mean a lot:

• information (not *informations*)
• advice (not *advices*)
• feedback (not *feedbacks*)

If you need to count an uncountable noun, you add a counting word in front of it: *a piece of advice*, *two items of equipment*, *a round of feedback*.

Which uncountable nouns cause the most email mistakes?

These are the words that trip up English learners most often at work. Many of them are countable in other languages, which is why the mistake feels natural.

Two notes on this table:

1. Uncountable nouns take a singular verb. Write "the information is correct," not "the information *are* correct."

2. "Work" is uncountable when it means tasks or effort. "A work" is only used for art or writing, as in "a work of art."

Which small words go with each type?

READ ALSOActive vs Passive Voice: When Each One Is the Right Choice →Much or Many? The Simple Rule, With Examples You Can Use →Prepositions of Place: When to Use In, On and At in English →

The words you put in front of a noun (called *quantifiers*, which just means "words that tell how much or how many") must match the noun type.

The safest choice when you are not sure: "a lot of," "some," "more," and "enough" work with both types. In a professional email, "some" and "more" sound natural, while "a lot of" is fine for friendly but polite emails.

Fewer or less?

This one comes up constantly in reports and updates.

• Fewer = countable: "We had fewer complaints this month."
• Less = uncountable: "We spent less time on the setup."

Many or much?

• Many = countable: "How many invoices are still open?"
• Much = uncountable: "How much information do you need?"

In positive sentences, "much" can sound stiff. "We have a lot of work this week" sounds more natural than "We have *much* work this week."

How do you count something that is uncountable?

Sometimes you need a number. Use a "unit" word before the noun:

• a piece of information / advice / equipment / feedback
• an item of news / equipment
• a round of feedback / interviews
• a set of instructions / data
• a bit of help / time (informal)
• a unit of equipment (formal)

Examples in an email:

• "I have one more piece of information to share before the meeting."
• "After two rounds of feedback, we finalized the design."
• "Please return all items of equipment by Friday."

What do real email fixes look like?

Here are four short emails with typical mistakes, followed by the corrected version.

Email 1: Asking for details

❌ Hi Maria, could you send me more informations about the new supplier? I also need an advice about the contract.

>

✅ Hi Maria, could you send me more information about the new supplier? I would also appreciate some advice about the contract.

Email 2: Giving a project update

❌ We made many progresses this week. The team finished several works and we received good feedbacks from the client.

>

✅ We made good progress this week. The team finished several tasks, and we received positive feedback from the client.

Notice the trick in the second sentence: *work* is uncountable, so we switched to *tasks*, which is countable. Swapping in a countable word is often the easiest fix.

Email 3: Reporting numbers

❌ This quarter we had less orders but more revenues.

>

✅ This quarter we had fewer orders but more revenue.

*Revenue* is usually uncountable in everyday business English, even though "revenues" appears in some financial reports.

Email 4: Arranging equipment

❌ The IT team will deliver the equipments tomorrow. Each equipment has a label.

>

✅ The IT team will deliver the equipment tomorrow. Each item has a label.

Are there nouns that can be both?

Yes. Some nouns change meaning depending on how you use them. These come up in work emails:

A common mistake on résumés and cover emails: "I have an experience in marketing." Use "I have experience in marketing" or "I have five years of experience in marketing."

What about "data," "news," and "staff"?

These three confuse even native speakers, so here is the practical rule for emails:

• Data: Most business writers treat it as uncountable: "The data shows a drop in sales." Some scientific and academic writing treats it as plural: "The data *show*." Both are accepted. Pick one and stay consistent in the same email.
• News: Always uncountable and singular, even though it ends in "s." Write "The news is good," not "The news *are* good." To count it: "a piece of news."
• Staff: Usually treated as a group. In American English it often takes a singular verb ("The staff is ready"). To talk about people one by one, say "staff members": "Three staff members are on leave."

What should you check before you hit send?

Run through this checklist in about 30 seconds:

1. Scan for an "s" on the ten danger words: information, advice, feedback, equipment, software, research, knowledge, furniture, progress, work. Remove the "s" if you added one.

2. Look for "a" or "an" before an uncountable noun. "An advice" becomes "some advice" or "a piece of advice."

3. Check the verb. Uncountable nouns take singular verbs: "the information is," "the equipment was."

4. Check "fewer/less" and "many/much." Fewer and many go with things you count.

5. When in doubt, swap the word. Change *works* to *tasks*, *equipments* to *devices*, *softwares* to *tools* or *apps*. Countable replacements are easier to use correctly.

Your next step

Open the last three work emails you sent in English. Search each one for the ten danger words from the checklist above and fix any that have an "s" or an "a/an" in front. Then write those ten words on a sticky note next to your screen. After a week or two of checking, the correct forms will start to come naturally, and you will not need the note anymore.

FAQ

Is it correct to say 'feedbacks' in an email?

No. Feedback is uncountable, so write 'a lot of feedback' or 'some feedback.' To count it, say 'two rounds of feedback' or 'a piece of feedback.'

Should I write 'fewer' or 'less'?

Use fewer with things you can count (fewer orders, fewer emails) and less with uncountable nouns (less time, less information).

Is 'data' singular or plural?

Both are accepted. Most business writing treats data as uncountable ('the data shows'), while some academic writing treats it as plural ('the data show'). Pick one and stay consistent.