[Grammar] antenna and a better reception

[Silverobama]

Hi.

This sentence is from my old notebook but the source and author are not known now.

He climbed up to the roof to adjust the antennas for a better reception.

My question is, do I need to use the plural along with plural and singular with singular. As in:

He climbed up to the roof to adjust the antenna for a better reception.
He climbed up to the roof to adjust the antenna for better receptions.

Or perhaps:

He climbed up to the roof to adjust the antenna/antennas for a better reception/better receptions. Any of the parallels is okay.

 

[tedmc]

The plural of antenna is antennae

Whether to use singular or plural depends on how many antennae you have. But reception is an uncountable noun.

 

[emsr2d2]

The plural for antenna is antennae.

That's true but the vast majority of native speakers use "antennas", particularly when talking about the TV reception equipment on the roof. "Antennae" is more likely to be used when talking about insects' body parts.

In the UK, most people refer to their TV aerial.

 

[Silverobama]

That's true but the vast majority of native speakers use "antennas", particularly when talking about the TV reception equipment on the roof. "Antennae" is more likely to be used when talking about insects' body parts.

In the UK, most people refer to their TV aerial.

I appreciate your help. Which one do you think is the best, emsr2d2?

1) He climbed up to the roof to adjust the antennas for a better reception.
2) He climbed up to the roof to adjust the antennas for better receptions.
3) He climbed up to the roof to adjust the antenna for a better reception.
4) He climbed up to the roof to adjust the antenna for better receptions.

 

[Rover_KE]

Did you not notice that Ted said that reception is uncountable?

I'd say He climbed onto the roof to adjust the aerial for better reception.

(Always number your sentences, please.)

 

[Silverobama]

Did you not notice that Ted said that reception is uncountable?

I'd say He climbed onto the roof to adjust the aerial for better reception.

(Always number your sentences, please.)

I didn't notice it, sorry. Now I see it.

Thanks a lot for your sentence, Rover. If I want to choose from my sentence, I wonder if the following two are okay.

1) He climbed up to the roof to adjust the antennas for a better reception.
3) He climbed up to the roof to adjust the antenna for a better reception.

 

[Tarheel]

Try:

He climbed to the roof to adjust the antenna for better reception.

Use "antennas" if he's going to work on more than one.

You will notice that I left something out of your sentence.

 

[jutfrank]

But reception is an uncountable noun.

Not always. It's perfectly fine to use a better reception. I think it works well here, for instance.

 

[GoesStation]

Not always. It's perfectly fine to use a better reception. I think it works well here, for instance.

Not for me. In American English only better reception is possible.

 

[Silverobama]

Not for me. In American English only better reception is possible.

I hate to disagree with you, GS. But I asked a very nice native speaker of AE and he proofread this sentence, he said it's okay. He was a very professional editor and now he's retired. I didn't understand the plural and singular form so I asked the grammar question here.

Maybe, "a better reception" is getting popular? I looked it up at Google and I found many "a better reception" for cell phone context though.

 

[GoesStation]

I hate to disagree with you, GS. But I asked a very nice native speaker of AE and he proofread this sentence, he said it's okay. He was a very professional editor and now he's retired. I didn't understand the plural and singular form so I asked the grammar question here.

Maybe, "a better reception" is getting popular? I looked it up at Google and I found many "a better reception" for cell phone context though.

No. Only "better reception" is possible. "A better reception" is fine when you're talking about how you were received somewhere.

 

[GoesStation]

Maybe [no comma] "a better reception" is getting popular? I looked it up [STRIKE]at[/STRIKE] on Google and [STRIKE]I[/STRIKE] found many examples of "a better reception" [STRIKE]for[/STRIKE] in a cell phone-related context though.

A huge share of English-language web content is written by non-native speakers. It's full of unnatural and ungrammatical text.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'm going to throw my hat into the ring too. In that context, "reception" is definitely uncountable so it cannot take the indefinite article. There are only two possibilities here, depending on how many aerials are involved.

He climbed onto the roof to adjust the aerial for better reception.
He climbed onto the roof to adjust the aerials for better reception.

 

[Tarheel]

I think I remember when both terms were used here (aerial and antenna).

 

[jutfrank]

In American English only better reception is possible.

I'm pretty sure this doesn't have anything to do with different varieties. It's about meaning.

I think that what people disagree on is the acceptability of using a reception in an uncountable sense in this context.

 

[GoesStation]

I'm pretty sure this doesn't have anything to do with different varieties. It's about meaning.

I think that what people disagree on is the acceptability of using a reception in an uncountable sense in this context.

To be clear, when "reception" refers to the quality of receiving radio waves, it's not countable. It is countable in some other meanings.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'm pretty sure this doesn't have anything to do with different varieties. It's about meaning.

I think that what people disagree on is the acceptability of using a reception in an uncountable sense in this context.

I assumed we were talking only about the context in post #1 and I maintain that, in that context, "reception" is uncountable and therefore can't take an article. I think (hope) we all agree that no one would say "I can't get a good mobile phone reception in my bedroom".

 

[jutfrank]

I assumed we were talking only about the context in post #1 and I maintain that, in that context, "reception" is uncountable and therefore can't take an article.

Yes, I disagree with that. For me, the following countable use sounds fine and makes good sense:

He climbed up to the roof to adjust the antenna for a better reception.

 

[emsr2d2]

Yes, I disagree with that. For me, the following countable use sounds fine and makes good sense:

He climbed up to the roof to adjust the antenna for a better reception.

Interesting. So would you say "I can't get a reception when I'm on the bus" rather than "I can't get any reception when I'm on the bus"?

 

[GoesStation]

Interesting. So would you say "I can't get a reception when I'm on the bus" rather than "I can't get any reception when I'm on the bus"?

That sounds like the speaker was expecting a receiving committee! I can't imagine anyone saying it about cell/mobile (AmE/BrE) reception.