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Are (a) and (b) both grammatically correct and if so how can they both be correct at the same time?

(a) She has potential. (b) She has a potential.

I was always under the impression that (a) was correct and (b) was not but I was told recently that (b) is also valid since potential can be a countable noun, like opportunity, so we can add 'a' in front. However, I thought "a potential" used as a noun would only be correct if it was immediately followed by something like 'for' and 'to' (e.g. "a potential for.." or "a potential to..") which isn't the case here in (a) and (b).

Thanks in advance

Boiling Iceberg
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  • "She has potential" is more common, but larger dictionaries allow potential to be either uncountable or countable. You could compare "She has talent" and "She has a talent". A proper answer would have to look at more examples of usage and try and pin down nuances in meaning. – Stuart F Jan 20 '22 at 15:26
  • If 'She has a potential' is becoming acceptable, this is a function of how people use the language, not whether someone has decided a 'countable' label is warranted in their dictionary. That's putting the cart before the horse. And as 'She has two / 17 / half a dozen potentials' sound dreadful, according to the CGEL classification there are no count usages available. The duplicate (see my answer) has the relevant analysis of the occasional use of the indefinite article with noncount usages. 'She took a pride in her appearance.' – Edwin Ashworth Jan 20 '22 at 15:29
  • A potential is something you can measure, a degree noun. It works well with some modifiers - She has a certain potential, don't you agree? Though human potential is not measured in volts. – John Lawler Jan 20 '22 at 16:05

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