Learn English – The transport of cargo / cargoes

grammatical-number

I say "the transport of beer", in which "beer" seems to be correctly referring to either a single beer or, more likely, the liquid in general.
Saying "the transport of box" is obviously incorrect, for "box" should be pluralized when boxes in general are meant.

This makes me wonder, can one say "The transport of cargo…", or "Cargo is usually transported on boats."? Or should cargo be pluralized in each case?

Best Answer

Cargo is defined by Google as:

Goods carried on a ship, aircraft, or motor vehicle.

Therefore, you would say:

Cargo is usually transported on boats.

The plural form of cargo (cargoes) can be used in some cases, such as:

The ship containing our weapons will arrive in 10 minutes, as will the vessel containing the medicine. Please assure both cargoes are delivered safely.

Related Topic