> I've always been uncomfortable with my pronunciations.
You mean "my pronunciation." English is pretty weird about when we do and do not use the plural form and this trips up a lot of people :) I wouldn't mention it, but given that you're here for the specific purpose of improving your English, I thought you'd want to know.
Speaking of which, mass nouns always trip non-native speakers up, especially in IT. Do NOT use the following words: datas, informations, softwares. Data is already the plural of the Latin word datum and none of those words are used by native speakers.
I would add 'codes' to that use as it is often misused, but there are a lot of times when using it is correct, so you'll just have to study up on the rules for mass nouns sometime.
It's not the most natural thing to say but it can still fly:
"Merriam-Webster provides a free online dictionary, thesaurus, audio pronunciations, [...]"
in a way that 'softwares' and 'advices' would not.
I would add 'codes' to that use as it is often misused
To make this even more confusing, in some contexts, 'codes' is used as a plural in ways you never would for general purpose programming, even though it refers to the same thing. Physics (nuclear, in particular) simulations are a case in point:
I would accept that usage, but not "my pronunciations." The hard part for foreign speakers is that this usage is perfectly comprehensible, so it would rarely get corrected, while sounding bad to native speakers.
Which is, of course, quite harmful to someone who wants to improve. And yes, I know of no simple answer as to when to use 'code' vs. 'codes', but I will say that I think that 'source codes' is probably always wrong. At least, I am unable to find a sentence using that which sounds right, though it might be possible for it to be correct if you were talking about something other than the source code of a computer program.
I would accept that usage, but not "my pronunciations."
My filter might be a bit more lenient because I imagine an implied 'my pronunciations of some particular words" after it. I still wouldn't say it or write it but it doesn't poke me in the eye as much, especially in the middle of otherwise idiomatic-sounding casual English. So context counts as well - as do the tastes of the person reading your stuff. Someone might think you an illiterate clod for a misused "it's" or "your" or "whomever".
Anyway, I think we're actually in violent agreement, my only point is the nuances are tough and not subject to easy rules.
Oh, and you were saying
At least, I am unable to find a sentence using that which sounds right, though it might be possible for it to be correct if you were talking about something other than the source code of a computer program.
That just makes the NY Times sound clueless. Perhaps it shouldn't, but it does.
Then again, I seem to recall some observation about the evolution of language where the less-used irregular words change more frequently, and 'source code' is not something people outside of technology discuss. But that's probably why the usage, which makes them seem like outsiders, sounds bad to me.
You mean "my pronunciation." English is pretty weird about when we do and do not use the plural form and this trips up a lot of people :) I wouldn't mention it, but given that you're here for the specific purpose of improving your English, I thought you'd want to know.
Speaking of which, mass nouns always trip non-native speakers up, especially in IT. Do NOT use the following words: datas, informations, softwares. Data is already the plural of the Latin word datum and none of those words are used by native speakers.
I would add 'codes' to that use as it is often misused, but there are a lot of times when using it is correct, so you'll just have to study up on the rules for mass nouns sometime.