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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 • 977 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.
  • 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.
  • 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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