Meaning & use
talents
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“talents” is a form of “talent”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
Natural abilities or skills that someone has, especially in art, music, or sport.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a talent' for one ability and 'talents' for more than one.
Patterns
- have a talent for something
- show talent
- a person of many talents
She has many talents, including singing and painting.
His talents were recognized at an early age.
The school helps students develop their talents.
noununcountable
People with special abilities, considered as a group.
Grammar: Uncountable; often used in business or entertainment to mean skilled people.
Patterns
- a pool of talent
- talent management
- attract talent
The company is always looking for new talent.
Hollywood has a lot of young talent.
The team's talent is undeniable.
Word forms
| singular | talent |
|---|
Common combinations
- natural talent
- She has a natural talent for dancing.
- hidden talents
- He revealed his hidden talents at the party.
- talent show
- The school is holding a talent show next week.
- talent for
- He has a talent for making people laugh.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gifts
- Similar to 'talents' but often suggests abilities given by nature or God.
- skills
- Focuses on learned abilities rather than natural ones.
- abilities
- A more general word for what someone can do.
Word family
Commonly confused: talents or talents?
talents vs talents
Not to be confused with 'talons' (claws of a bird).
Practice
She has a real ______ for music.
Choose one answer.
After 'a real', we use the singular countable noun 'talent'. 'Talents' is plural and would not fit with 'a'. 'Talented' is an adjective, and 'talenting' is not a word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “talents”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.