The ability to fly vs The abilities to fly

Both phrases are correct, but they have slightly different meanings. 'The ability to fly' refers to the general capacity or skill to fly, while 'the abilities to fly' suggests multiple specific skills related to flying. The choice between them depends on whether you want to emphasize a singular general ability or multiple specific abilities.

Last updated: March 22, 2024 • 1168 views

The ability to fly

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used to refer to the general capacity or skill to fly.

Examples:

He demonstrated the ability to fly by soaring through the sky.
Not everyone has the ability to fly like birds.
The superhero's ability to fly saved the day.

Show examples from the web [+]

The ability to fly is only passed from father to son.
That cormorant lost the ability to fly.
Now we knowing some beetles, the ability to fly has been lost.
'We are being told that 'these metal men are known as Cybermen, but 'unlike the accounts we have on file, they now have the ability to fly.
You're supposed to have the ability to fly this thing.
You have the ability to fly at the speed of light, yet you use a beat-up cab?
When the boy's eyes lit up watching that beetle, as black as himself, but having the ability to fly,

Alternatives:

the capacity to fly
the skill to fly
the power to fly
the capability to fly
the potential to fly

The abilities to fly

This phrase is correct but less commonly used in English.

This phrase is used to refer to multiple specific skills related to flying.

Examples:

Pilots need various abilities to fly different types of aircraft.
The team members each have unique abilities to fly in formation.
Training programs focus on developing the abilities to fly safely.

Show examples from the web [+]

The ability to fly is only passed from father to son.
That cormorant lost the ability to fly.
Now we knowing some beetles, the ability to fly has been lost.
You're supposed to have the ability to fly this thing.
'We are being told that 'these metal men are known as Cybermen, but 'unlike the accounts we have on file, they now have the ability to fly.
You have the ability to fly at the speed of light, yet you use a beat-up cab?
When the boy's eyes lit up watching that beetle, as black as himself, but having the ability to fly,
...or the ability to make objects fly.
All at once, I lost the woman I loved and my ability to fly.
Ability to fly day and night.
Indeed, it might be the case that the future of the pterosaurs was assured, for some time at least, not by their ability to fly, but their ability to walk.
You doubt our ability to fly this ship?
Domestic turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) retain many of the characteristics of wild birds but there are some fundamental differences, for example domestic turkeys are unable to fly but have retained the ability to run quickly, and jump and glide, especially at younger ages.
The ability to travel between dimensions.
The ability to sell medicinal alcohol.
Joshua has the ability to erase memories.
Personal power means the ability to act the ability to take action.
The seventh point, which I mention with a certain pleasure, concerns the ability to ban and detain certain ships - banning the most dangerous ships, particularly those that fly the flags of blacklisted flag states.
That's where the ability to engineer microbes, the ability to engineer tissues, and the ability to engineer robots begin to lead to a reboot.
The ability to see and the ability to take action.

Alternatives:

the skills to fly
the capacities to fly
the powers to fly
the capabilities to fly
the potentials to fly

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023
"Feel welcome, immediate response, high quality feedback"
martin.roy June 2023
"This is the best app that I have ever seen"
Burulai May 2023

The ability to fly vs The abilities to fly