sport v. sports

Hi


Please help me understand the difference between "sport" and "sports". I know that there is a matter of singular and plural, but are there any more things I should know about this difference?



Thank you very much.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by teia_petrescu

Hi
Please help me understand the difference between "sport" and "sports". I know that there is a matter of singular and plural, but are there any more things I should know about this difference?
Thank you very much.

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The primary thing to remember is that 'sport' may be both a quantifiable and a non-quantifiable noun, depending on context. This can be confusing.

For example:
1) "I play sport."
2) "I play a sport."
3) "I play sports."

In 1), 'sport' is a non-quantifiable noun, which takes no article. This is a general reference to 'sport' as an activity - you might say "Sport is good for you", but you would be unlikely to say "Sports are good for you", because 'sports' is always the quantifiable form of the noun.

In 2) and 3), 'sport' is a quantifiable noun (singular in 2) and plural in 3) of course) that refers to a particular sport, or particular sports.

Note also that 'sport' may be both an intransitive and a transitive verb:
1) "Do you sport with me, sir?"
2) "My car sports a fine set of wheels."

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Coffa

The primary thing to remember is that 'sport' may be both a quantifiable and a non-quantifiable noun, depending on context. This can be confusing.
For example:
1) "I play sport."
2) "I play a sport."
3) "I play sports."
In 1), 'sport' is a non-quantifiable noun, which takes no article. This is a general reference to 'sport' as an activity - you might say "Sport is good for you", but you would be unlikely to say "Sports are good for you", because 'sports' is always the quantifiable form of the noun.
In 2) and 3), 'sport' is a quantifiable noun (singular in 2) and plural in 3) of course) that refers to a particular sport, or particular sports.
Note also that 'sport' may be both an intransitive and a transitive verb:
1) "Do you sport with me, sir?"
2) "My car sports a fine set of wheels."

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Thank you very much Coffa


Regards,