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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > Coffees or cup of coffee?
Coffees or cup of coffee?

Anitinha
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Coffees or cup of coffee?
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Can I use coffees instead of cups of coffee? I�m in doubt about it.
Tks  |
16 Mar 2011
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Purunchi
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I don �t think so, I �ve never heard that. |
16 Mar 2011
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om aziz
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Me too I have the same opinion!coffee is uncountable so it has only singular form.
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16 Mar 2011
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Hanni9
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Coffee is uncountable noun. So you can �t add "s" You can say a cup of coffee or coffee beanS.
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16 Mar 2011
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swissprof
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I think I have heard my English mother-in-law say two coffees . According to me you can say two coffees.
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16 Mar 2011
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nixx63
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As pointed out, the word coffee is uncountable, which means that it can �t be used in the plural.
Therefore, if we want to use it in general we have to say
I like coffe not I like a coffee
If we want to refer to a quantity, we can use quantifiers like some, any, a lot of, much, a little ecc...
I �d like some coffee or Would you like some coffee?.
It �s possible to rend it countable through the use of the phrase �a cup of... �, as it follows
I usually have a cup of coffee
However, as it usually happens, in everyday conversation people tend to save �energy � and use �shorter � forms. It �s quite common to here people say
I �d like a coffee,
which clearly stands for �I �d like a (cup of) coffee.
Nic
<<<i �
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16 Mar 2011
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swissprof
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Two coffees a day doubles risk of miscarriage, says US study
� American advice: cut out caffeine in early months � Warning extended to include tea and chocolate
extracts from newspapers
Two Coffees with Heart Design in Foam in Car Cup Holders |
16 Mar 2011
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edrodmedina
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I don �t drink coffee myself but I �ve heard people ordering coffee this way: "I �ll have two regular coffees and one decaf, please" |
16 Mar 2011
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teachertonyinchina
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As a native speaker I �m not sure, I will think about it while I drink a coffee. |
16 Mar 2011
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kaz76
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Yes you can say coffees. When you are in a cafe or restaurant you would say �can I have 2 coffees please? � rather than 2 cups of coffee. We use coffees as the short form of cups of coffee. |
16 Mar 2011
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Jayho
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agree with Kaz - coffees is common usage
When you order two coffees they are for two people in your group - when you order 2 cups of coffee then it might be assumed that they are for you. Most NS will say coffees when ordering more than one. Same goes for other drimks e.g. two cokes, three lemonades, three beers, etc |
17 Mar 2011
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