By weight/the dozen

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Untaught88

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Hi,

1) Eggs are sold by the dozen.
'The' is used because 'dozen' is countable.

2) Mangoes are sold by weight.
'The' is not used because 'weight' is uncountable. Correct me if I am wrong, please.
 

jutfrank

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You're wrong on both accounts.
 

SoothingDave

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"Dozen" is a unit of measure here. Units of measure would use the definite article. It's sold by weight. It's sold by the pound. It's sold by volume. It's sold by the gallon.
 

probus

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Hi,

1) Eggs are sold by the dozen.
'The' is used because 'dozen' is countable.

2) Mangoes are sold by weight.
'The' is not used because 'weight' is uncountable. Correct me if I am wrong, please.

No. It's the eggs that are countable, not the word dozen. Similarly, it's not the mangoes that are uncountable, but their weight.
 
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