一、单、复数名词的正确使用
[例] They have all sorts of course. (2006陕西高考·改错 )
[析] 英语中，名词有单数、复数或不可数的形式。本题中的course是可数名词，意指“课程”，故应用复数形式courses。
二、仅以复数形式出现的名词
[例] Happy birthday, Peter, and many happy return of the day! (2000安徽春考·改错)
[析] Many happy returns of the day! 是一句固定的生日祝语，相当于汉语的“祝你年年有今日，岁岁有今朝!”returns 在此处便是约定俗成的用法。
除这一结构外，像shake hands with (= shake sb’s hand), make friends with和change seats / trains / buses等常用的结构，及thanks, cheers, congratulations, things(情况), affairs, feelings, as follows(如下), in tears, in ruins, in pieces, in chains(被囚禁), in high spirits, in one’s teens / twenties, in the 1990’s (或in the 1990s), into halves, good manners, give one’s regards / best wishes to, make contributions to, make preparations for等，也都是常用或只用复数的名词式
三、纯粹不可数名词的使用
[例] I’m glad you have made such a great progress that... (2006江西高考·改错)
[析] 在英语中，有些名词, 如advice(建议), news, information, fun, weather, progress, homework, housework等，无论在什么情况下都是不可数的，所以这些词没有复数形式，也不可把其与不定冠词连用。可见，such a great progress 使用有误(须改为such great progress)。再例： She was doing her homeworks one Sunday morning when she smelt something burning. (2004高考福建卷·改错)由于homework为不可数名词，所以，作业再多，也无复数。
四、转义名词的考查热点
[例] When you finish reading the book, you will have ______ better understanding of ______ life. (2004辽宁高考)
A. a; the B. the; a
C. 不填; the D. a; 不填
[析] 本题旨在考查考生对understanding和life这两个名词可数性的界定：understanding已为转义用法，life在此泛指“人生”，是不可数名词，故而便可正确