“A Good News” or “Good News”? Correct Version (+Examples)

Words like ‘scissors,’ ‘pants,’ or ‘news’ are confusing, especially with singularity and plurality rules. It’s even more of a headache when dealing with determiners like ‘a.’ Take as an example, is it ‘a good news’ or just ‘good news?’ Let’s see and find out.

Is It ‘A Good News’ or ‘Good News?’

‘Good news’ is the appropriate and grammatically correct phrase. The word ‘news’ acts as a singular but uncountable noun. Despite being singular, you can’t say one news, two news, as we cannot count or divide ‘news.’ It is simply ‘news’ collectively. Thus, saying ‘a good news’ is wrong.

a good news or good news

Saying ‘a good news’ is equivalent to saying ‘one good news.’ This doesn’t work because ‘news’ is uncountable and there is no standard for how much news is ‘one news.’ However, saying ‘a bit of good news’ or ‘a piece of good news’ works because we’re not quantifying ‘news,’ instead, ‘a bit of’ and ‘a piece of’ act as a determiner that specifies what part, or what bit is the good news.

Take a look at the examples below.

  • Correct: We have good news for you.
  • Correct: We have a piece of good news for you.
  • Incorrect: We have a good news for you.

The first and second sentences are correct because it does not quantify ‘news.’ Even in saying ‘a piece of good news,’ ‘a’ here quantifies ‘piece,’ meaning that the person has ‘one piece of good news.’ However, in the third sentence, ‘a’ quantifies ‘news,’ making the phrase mean ‘one good news’ which is wrong since ‘news’ is not quantifiable.

Is ‘I Have A Good News’ Correct?

‘I have a good news’ is grammatically incorrect and inappropriate in all contexts. Saying ‘a good news’ will always be wrong because ‘a’ quantifies the word ‘news’ and ‘a good news’ is equivalent to saying ‘one good news.’ This is wrong because ‘news’ is not quantifiable or countable.

There should never be an article ‘a’ before ‘good news’ or ‘news’ because we cannot count news as one news, two news, and so on. An alternative is adding something between ‘a’ and ‘good news.’ It is so that instead of quantifying ‘news,’ ‘a [something]’ acts as a determiner of the word ‘news.’

Take a look at the example below.

  • Incorrect: I have a good news for you later.
  • Correct: I have a bit of good news for you later.

In the second sentence, ‘a’ doesn’t quantify ‘news.’ Instead, the phrase ‘a bit of’ determines and specifies the ‘good news’ to be shared by the person later. The second sentence is different from the first, as the first sentence quantifies ‘news’ with ‘a.’ So, ‘a bit of,’ ‘a piece of,’ ‘a slice of,’ and other similar phrases work, but ‘a good news’ alone never works and is never correct, whatever the context.

Examples Of How To Use ‘Good News’ In A Sentence

Below are examples of how to correctly use ‘good news’ in a sentence.

  1. I believe this is good news for you, parents.
  2. I have good news to share with you later!
  3. I have good news, and you won’t believe it.
  4. I have good news for you. I can’t wait for you to hear it!
  5. I want to surprise her later with good news when she gets home.
  6. Don’t you have any good news to share with me?
  7. I’ll spoil some of the good news I’ll be announcing later.

‘Good News’ Synonyms

‘Good news’ has different synonyms, applicable in varying contexts. Below are some of the most common synonyms of ‘good news’ and in which contexts we usually use them.

Music to one’s ears

We use this when hearing or receiving pleasing or joyful information/news

  • Original: Hearing that is such good news.
  • Alternative: Hearing that is such music to one’s ears.

Glad tidings

We use this when expressing or sharing pleasing and positive information

  • Original: I bring good news to share with all of you.
  • Alternative: I bring glad tidings to share with all of you.

Gospel/Word of God

In the Catholic vocabulary, ‘the Good News’ is synonymous with the Gospel or the Scriptures.

  • Original: This is the Good News of the Lord.
  • Alternative: This is the Gospel of the Lord.

We are pleased to inform you…

We use this when sharing or expressing pleasant and good news in formal contexts, mostly through sending emails

  • Original: Good news, you, the applicant, are granted a full scholarship for the school year.
  • Formal Alternative: We are pleased to inform you that you, the applicant, are granted a full scholarship for the school year.

Final Thoughts

Between ‘good news’ and ‘a good news,’ ‘good news’ will always be the only grammatically correct and appropriate phrase to use in any given context. In the phrase ‘a good news,’ ‘a’ quantifies ‘news,’ which is wrong because ‘news’ is not a countable noun.

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