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single vs a single

Both 'single' and 'a single' are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'Single' is used when referring to something without specifying a quantity, while 'a single' is used when emphasizing the singularity of an item.

Last updated: March 27, 2024 • 996 views

single

This is correct when referring to something without specifying a quantity.

Use 'single' when you want to refer to something without indicating a specific number or quantity.

Examples:

I bought a single ticket for the concert.
She is a single mother raising three children.

Show examples from the web [+]

This is a completely unidentified single strand.
Nevertheless there is still no single internal telecom market.
Japanese whiskey - 25-year-old single malt.
Time is all one single continuum.
Aged 5,000 years in a single moment...
Algeria has a single party tradition.
Time is all one single continuum.
That means the French have single command.
A single gunshot pierces the air.
And a single memorable distracting detail.
This is undoubtedly the single biggest ethical problem facing medicine today.
Lead in single crystal piezoelectric materials for ultrasonic transducers.
The EIO establishes a single regime for obtaining evidence.
A single embryo split three ways.
Every, single breath responsibility now.
And the single determining criterion for involuntary incarceration is danger.
A single document embodying the general credentials shall be sufficient.
Such dislocation is not necessarily concentrated within a single Member State.
Collapsing their economy in a single blow.
This modification introduced a differentiation of taxation within a single sector.

Alternatives:

one
individual
sole
only
solitary

a single

This is correct when emphasizing the singularity of an item.

Use 'a single' when you want to emphasize that there is only one of something.

Examples:

I need a single sheet of paper.
He found a single coin on the ground.

Show examples from the web [+]

Its structure comprises a single alpha helix.
All DEUTZ-FAHR Precision Farming systems are operated using a single monitor.
And a single memorable distracting detail.
Hide a single tree amidst a thousand.
Aged 5,000 years in a single moment...
Quality, best-price and trust in a single product.
Collapsing their economy in a single blow.
13 different strokes in a single device.
Development occurs in a single direction.
Hackers often try a single login attempt per account.
Schwann cells myelinate a single axon.
Bush recorded her vocal in a single take.
This modification introduced a differentiation of taxation within a single sector.
Such dislocation is not necessarily concentrated within a single Member State.
All required information on a single screen.
These both refer to unifying into a single impulse4.
Not a single battery-powered watch leaves our workshops.
There was only a single electromagnetic field.
Recommendations based on a single study.
Some engines use a single carburetor while others have multiple carburetors.

Alternatives:

one single
just one
only one
sole

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