News, Language Tip of the week

This week’s language tip from Mcmillan gives advice on the noun news:

Although the word news has an -s on the end, it is an uncountable noun, so:

•   it is never used in the plural
•   it does not follow a

✗ She now lives in exile, but the good news are that her words are heard over the world.
✓ She now lives in exile, but the good news is that her words are heard over the world.
✗ For too long we have ignored these news.
✓ For too long we have ignored this news.
✗ In 2007 Hong Kong banned smoking in restaurants. This was a good news for non-smokers.
✓ In 2007 Hong Kong banned smoking in restaurants. This was good news for non-smokers.

Q: How can I refer to a single item of news?
A: You can use news on its own, or say some news or, less frequently, a piece of news.

• He was in a meeting when he heard news of the crash.
• I’ve got some news that may cheer you up.
• I’ve had a surprising piece of news.