<p>Okay, so we know that utterances such as failure, compassion, etc are “abstract states of being” according to sparknotes and various other sources. Thus, they are also non-countable. Therefore, you cannot say “I have many failings” and “I have a lot of failure.”
However, my question is can you say “I have many failures.” </p>
<p>When I pronounce it and actually speak it aloud, it sounds right and sounds analogous to “I have many failings.” But then, this is the SAT we’re talking about and sometimes what simply sounds right is often not. </p>
<p>Would appreciate a reply, thanks.</p>
<p>Yes, you can say “I have many failures” because a “failure” is “an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful.” It is the instance itself of failing, so you can have multiple ones. However, to be more accurate, you should say, “I have had many failures” because the instances of failing occurred in the past (“had”), but are accumulated in the present (“have”).</p>
<p>Likewise, you can say “I have made many observations this past month” because an observation is “an act or instance of noticing or perceiving.”</p>
<p>You cannot say “I have had many failings” because although “failing” is also a noun, it refers to the action itself, as opposed to the instance or event in which one failed. You can say “the campaign was a failure” because it refers to a specific case of failure. You can say “the campaigns were failures” because they refer to multiple, specific cases of failure.</p>
<p>You cannot say “I’ve had many compassions” because a compassion is a feeling, not an instance in which you felt compassion.</p>
<p>Also, keep in mind that “failure” CAN be an abstract noun (“the campaign ended in failure”; you can’t say “the campaigns ended in failures”; you say “the campaigns ended in failure”), so Sparknotes is probably right about that statement in general. However, failure can also be the opposite, meaning you can say “I have had many failures.”</p>
<p>Ok thanks crazy bandit. Your reply was both comprehensive and insightful and so it helped me understand what I previously didn’t.</p>