AvoidShe gave me three useful advices.
SayShe gave me three useful pieces of advice.
Advice is an uncountable noun in English. That means we do not normally add -s or place a number directly before it.
Say some advice for a general amount and a piece of advice for one suggestion.
Natural examples
- My teacher gave me some helpful advice.
- Can I give you a piece of advice?
- I followed her advice and arrived early.
- He gave us two useful pieces of advice.
Notice that the verb can still tell us when the advice happened: gave advice, followed advice, or asked for advice. The noun itself does not change.
Why āan adviceā sounds unusual
English treats advice like information and furniture. These nouns describe a category or amount, not separate items. We add a counting phrase when the exact number matters:
| General amount | One item | Several items |
|---|---|---|
| some advice | a piece of advice | three pieces of advice |
| some information | a piece of information | two pieces of information |
Quick check
Which sentence sounds natural?
- She gave me a good advice.
- She gave me some good advice.
The second sentence is correct. In a conversation, it is also the form a native speaker is most likely to use.