Usage of the word news (It's a terrible news vs. It's terrible news)

[Liza]

Hi,

Can we say this? It’s a terrible news.

or we must say: It’s terrible news.

or: These are terrible news. (with plural, even if I’m thinking of just one piece of news).

thanks

[Jamie_K]

“News” is an uncountable noun, so we can never say “a news”, and you can’t use a plural verb with the word.

You can say, “This is a terrible piece of news.”

[Liza]

@Jamie (K)

“News” is an uncountable noun, so we can never say “a news”, and you can’t use a plural verb with the word.

You can say, “This is a terrible piece of news.”

Dear Jamie,

Thanks for your answer again.
So we always have to add ’ a piece of’? There is no way to avoid it?
e.g.: ‘It’s terrible news’ - is not correct at all?

thanks

[Jamie_K]

@Liza

So we always have to add ’ a piece of’? There is no way to avoid it?
e.g.: ‘It’s terrible news’ - is not correct at all?

“It’s terrible news,” is perfectly correct, and we say it most of the time. However, many foreigners feel a need to refer to one specific item of news, but it’s ungrammatical to say “a news”. In those situations we have to say “piece of news”.

[Yankee]

.
Just as a summary for what Jamie has already written, here are some direct responses to your original questions (inside the quote):

@Liza

Can we say this? It’s a terrible news. No

or we must say: It’s terrible news. Yes

or: These are terrible news. No (with plural, even if I’m thinking of just one piece of news).
But you can say “This/that is terrible news”.

You can also say “a little bit of news”, “some news”, “a lot of news”, “not much news”, “any news”.

You cannot say “many news”.