[General] 300 head(s) of high-grade cattle(s)

LQZ said:

"I'm here in protest, and to get an apology," said Masaki Yoshizawa, who had 300 head of high-grade "wagyu" cattle on a ranch about 9 miles (14 kilometers) from the plant. ABCnews

Dear all,

Should the bold parts be "heads" and "cattles", since Mr Yoshizawa had more than one [STRIKE]cattle[/STRIKE] cow/bull? You can't say this because cattle is plural. He has more than one cow.

Could you please explain to me? Thanks.


LQZ

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freezeframe said:

Cattle is a plural noun. It refers to all the bulls and cows kept by the rancher.

Head is a plural noun when it's used in this sense (i.e. to count farm animals).

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LQZ said:

Yes, you are definitely right. M-W dictionary has proved your explanation. Thanks for your help. :-D

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fivejedjon said:

Freezeframe knew she was right, or she would not have answered your question.

If you are going to check up on our answers in a dictionary, why don't you use the dictionary first?

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freezeframe said:

Cattle is a plural noun. It refers to all the bulls and cows kept by the rancher.

Head is a plural noun when it's used in this sense (i.e. to count farm animals).

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BobK said:

:up: And I think they have to be four-legged: you don't have '100 head of chickens'. And maybe a special kind of four-legged animals - it would sound odd v. odd with dogs as the thing being counted.

b

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LQZ said:

Sorry for not expressing myself clearly.

I originally looked up "head" in Longman dictionary (head, click here). But the dictionary doesn't list head as a plural noun, not to mention that definition explained by Freezeframe. Then I start this thread to remove my confusion. After reading Freezeframe's explanation, I turned to W-M's learner's dictionary that proves what she said.

Have I made my thanks-statement clear now?

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