How correctly: gram or grams?

Grams or grams? Which of the presented options is better to use in writing and speaking? You can find out the answer to this question from this article.

General information

The formation of certain nouns in the genitive plural form often causes certain difficulties for schoolchildren and quite adult people. That is why there are often questions about how to write correctly: gram or grams, orange or oranges, tomatoes or tomatoes, sock or socks, kilograms or kilograms, etc.

It should be noted that there are no specific rules for such cases. However, there are some notes in the Russian language that will help you write the lexical units mentioned.

Features of words

In how to write and say: gram or gram, many doubt. And in order to correctly use this word in the text, it is recommended to remember the following peculiarity: for most of the nouns of the masculine gender, which stand in the initial form and end in a hard consonant (for example, a sock, an orange, a lamp, a tomato, etc.) in the genitive case . The number is characterized by the ending of -y (for example, socks, oranges, lamp-glasses, tomatoes, etc.). However, this peculiar rule does not always work and does not extend to all lexical units.

Analysis of the word

In connection with all of the above, we decided to analyze the word we checked and understand how it would be correct: gram or gram. This lexical unit belongs to that category of nouns of the masculine gender, which is rather problematic to put in the genitive case of many. Number. But in view of the fact that such a word ends in a hard consonant, its ending will be-i, that is grams. But how, then, to be, for example, with such familiar expression: "Pour 100 grams!" (Or 100 grams)? The answer to this question you will learn a little further.

Exceptions to the rules

As mentioned above, the nouns are many. Numbers ending in a solid consonant, in the genitive case have only the ending -ov. However, all the rules have their exceptions. Let's consider them in more detail:

• If you deal with the name of people by nationality, as well as by belonging to some military unit, which are used in the plural and used in collective meaning, the above rule does not apply. This can be seen from the following example: soldiers - soldiers, Bulgarians - Bulgarians, partisans - partisans. By the way, the word in the genitive case is also included here. Number - "person". For example: no one? - Eight people.

• If in the text it is necessary to put the name of pair objects in the genitive case, then their ending will be zero. Here is an illustrative example: eyes - eyes, boots - shoes, epaulettes - epaulettes, cuffs - cuffs, boots - boots, stockings - stockings. Although there are exceptions here. For example, you should say and write "socks", and not "sock".
• If in the sentence you are dealing with the name of measures or units of measure, then you should pay special attention to the form, like the genitive case. "Gram" and "grams" in this case are equal lexical units. Although experts argue that if this word is used without a "measuring" number, that is, in the genitive case, then only the second option should be used. For example: "how many grams of silver in this product"; "Let's talk in detail about abolishing grams as a unit of measurement"; "Instead of grams, the weight of the goods was measured in kilograms" and so on. If, however, there is any specifying figure before such a lexical unit, it is recommended to use a word with a zero ending. For example: "pour 100 grams"; "Leave 5 free gigabytes on the flash drive", "measure 15 arshins", "weigh 5 kilograms of apples", "connect 220 volts", "set a limit of 1000 watts", etc.

Let's sum up the results

About how to write: a lot of grams or grams, we told. But in order to consolidate the material, you should repeat why in one case we write one option, and in another - another. The fact is that in the Russian language there is a countable case, or the so-called countable form. As a rule, it is available only for those nouns of the plural masculine gender, which denote units of measurement. And if there is any numeral before such a word, then the countable case is characterized by a zero ending (for example, six grams, twenty amps, three hundred volts, fifty newtons, ten arshins, etc.).

Thus, the phrase "one hundred gram" is a clear example of a countable form. Although in such cases, sometimes explicit genitive cases are used. For example: thirty grams, twenty hectares, six newtons, five kilograms and so on. Consequently, lexical combinations such as "one hundred grams", "one hundred grams", "many grams" or "grams of fifty" are considered completely equal and equivalent.