We say "have a cough". Since "cough" is a countable noun, it takes the article "a".
We say "have a cough". Since "cough" is a countable noun, it takes the article "a".
My brother has a cough.
My brother has cough.
Remember, we use a/an with singular countable nouns.
She has a nasty cough.
And most names of symptoms require a/an.
The baby has a cough, so his parents are taking him to the doctor.
Follow the same rule with the expressions "cause a cough", "get a cough", "treat a cough", etc.
Anyone can get a cough.
How can you treat a cough?
In everyday English, we often use a possessive pronoun (my, your, his, her, etc.) before "cough".
What's causing her cough?
You can also use a determiner (any, some, these, several, etc.) to identify or quantify a group of coughs.
Some coughs produce mucus while others are dry.
However, when using the plural form (coughs) in a general sense, omit the determiner.
Coughs can be uncomfortable and annoying.
They are prone to get coughs in winter.
A partial list of common symptoms that also take the article a/an:
- Allergy
- Backache (The article can be omitted in British English.)
- Cold
- Cramp/Muscle Cramp (The article can be omitted in British English.)
- Earache (The article can be omitted in British English.)
- Fever (The article can be omitted in British English.)
- Headache
- Heart attack
- Runny nose
- Sore throat
- Stomachache (The article can be omitted in British English.)
- Stroke
- Toothache (The article can be omitted in British English.)
