Learn English – Is ‘storage’ countable or uncountable if it means warehouse or repository

countable-nounsmeaningnounsuncountable-nouns

I need to write an article and I have to use this word in the context. I cannot replace the word with a different word (warehouse, repository, etc.). I checked this word via http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/storage and Cambridge dictionaries online said 'storage' is uncountable and http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/storage?q=storage Oxford learner sdictionarie said 'storage' is uncountable too.

But I am not sure that cannot be countable in this example:

The storage can be divided into some small storages

Thank you for your time.

Best Answer

Storage is uncountable. You cannot say a storage. A unit of storage is usually called a store, which is countable, of course. It can also be called a storage unit. For example:

The storage for a Harvard architecture computer comprises an instruction store and a data store.

or

I placed my clothes into storage. We hired a storage unit from Honest John's Storage.

(Both in computing and also physical storage, you can use either store or storage unit as you see fit. The former inclines somewhat to talking about storing in abstract, the latter to a physical location. Unit can, less commonly, be substituted with similar words, such as device, locker, location, ....

Edit: This is the situation for British English and US English the situation may be more complex in Australian English, about which I'm not qualified to comment.

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