Countable vs. Uncountable Nouns

 

A) Most nouns have singular and plural forms. They are countable nouns.

e.g. One letter, two letters

• There is a letter on the table for you. (singular)
• There are letters on the table for you. (plural)

B) Some nouns only have one form. They are uncountable nouns.

e.g. Money

• There is no money in my bank account.
• There is a lot of money in my bank account.

C) Many uncountable nouns refer to substances:

e.g. Chocolate, water, coffee, milk, sugar, salt, cheese, bread, rice, wood, glass, plastic, soap, toothpaste.

• Do you have any chocolate?
• The milk is sour - let's make cheese.
• Rice is only edible when it has been cooked.

D) Many uncountable nouns refer to abstract ideas or emotions.

e.g. love, sadness, happiness, education, knowledge, and grammar.

• Money can't buy love.
• We like to experience happiness.
• This education is priceless.

E) You can use a/an with singular countable nouns.

e.g. an umbrella, a wheel, a mistake.

• It's raining so I need an umbrella.
• I made a mistake.
• This is a job for superman.

F) You can use plural countable nouns alone.

e.g. apples, bees, clouds.

• There are clouds in the sky today.
• There are bees making honey.
• We eat apples for breakfast.

G) You can't use an article with an uncountable noun.

e.g. time, sand, electricity.

• We need electricity to use our heater.
• I lost track of time and we stayed up very late.
• The beaches in Brazil have very nice sand.

H) It is very common in English to use some / any with plural nouns and uncountable nouns (Refer to grammar notes on Some Any for more details).

e.g. They don't listen to any advice.

• We don't have any toys for the children.
• There are many lessons in life, this is just one more.
• It is important to have some knowledge of grammar.

I) There are a range of nouns that are uncountable in English but are countable in other languages.

These include: accommodation, advice, baggage, behaviour, bread, chaos, damage, furniture, information, luck, luggage, news, permission, progress, scenery, traffic, weather and work.

J) For comparison purposes, look at these sentences:

Countable	Uncountable
I'm looking for a job.	I'm looking for work.
What a beautiful view!	What beautiful scenery!
It's a nice day today.	It's nice weather today.
We had a lot of bags and suitcases.	We had a lot of luggage.
These chairs are mine.	This furniture is mine.
It was a good suggestion.	It was good advice.

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