[Vocabulary] Food is a good.

[emp0608]

Hi folks,

I've never seen the word 'good' used in a singular form when it means something tangible you use or buy. Do you think it's okay to say, "Food is a good," as in the following sentence.

If you go to a diner, a person cooks for you. That is a service. You also get food. Food is a good.

Thank you in advance.

emp0608

 

[Rover_KE]

No, and you don't need to worry about trying to use 'good' as a singular noun, which only occurs very rarely in specialised contexts.

Most native speakers spend a lifetime without ever encountering it.

 

[GoesStation]

Your paragraph explains what goods and services are in economics. In that context, you could use good in the singular. It would be better to avoid that unusual usage by giving an example with a plural use of goods.

 

[Tdol]

Given the context, I think a good is fine.

 

[emsr2d2]

In all honestly, I would never have considered "Food is a good" to be correct or natural even with the context. When I first saw the thread, I assumed it meant "Food is a good thing". Even though "goods and services" is a common collocation, I don't think I've ever heard "good" in the singular in that context. If I had had to write those sentences, I would have ended with "Food comes under the term 'goods'".

 

[Tdol]

Dictionaries do list it:

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/good (Meaning 3 as a noun)

There's clearly some difference of opinion on the issue, but the singular is OK to me as it balances with the singular use of service.