British Council

Look at these examples to see how to use countable and uncountable nouns in a
sentence.

I'm making a cup of tea.

There's some money on the table.
Have we got any bread?
How many chairs do we need?
How much milk have we got?

Grammar explanation
Nouns can be countable or uncountable. Countable nouns can be counted, e.g. an
apple, two apples, three apples, etc. Uncountable nouns cannot be counted,
e.g. air, rice, water, etc. When you learn a new noun, you should check if it is
countable or uncountable and note how it is used in a sentence.

Countable nouns
For positive sentences we can use a/an for singular nouns or some for plurals.

There's  a man at the door.

I have  some friends in New York.

For negatives we can use a/an  for singular nouns or any for plurals.

I don't have  a dog.

There aren't any seats.

Uncountable nouns
Here are some examples of uncountable nouns:

bread rice coffee information

money advice luggage furniture

We use some with uncountable nouns in positive sentences and any with negatives.

There's  some milk in the fridge.

There isn't any coffee.

Questions
In questions we use a/an, any or how many with countable nouns.

Is there an  email address to write to?

Are there  any  chairs?
How many  chairs are there?

And we use any or how much with uncountable nouns.

Is there any sugar?
How much  orange juice is there?

But when we are offering something or asking for something, we normally

use some.

Do you want  some chocolate?

Can we have some  more chairs, please?

We also use some in a question when we think the answer will be 'yes'.

Have you got  some new glasses?

Other expressions of quantity

A lot of (or lots of) can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.

There are lots of apples on the trees.

There is a lot of  snow on the road.

Notice that we don't usually use many or much in positive sentences. We use a lot

of instead.

They have a lot of  money.

However, in negative sentences we use not many with countable nouns and not

much with uncountable nouns.

There are a lot of carrots but there aren't many  potatoes.

There's lots of juice but there isn't much  water.

Look at these examples to see how these quantifiers are used with countable and
uncountable nouns.

I have  a few friends, so I'm not lonely.

She has  few friends, so she's quite lonely.
We've got a bit of time before our train. Shall we get a coffee?
We've got very little time before our train. Hurry up!

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar test 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation
A few and a bit of or a little mean some. Often we feel this amount is enough or
more than we expected. We use a few with plural nouns and a bit of or a little with
uncountable nouns.

I have  a few ideas.
I've brought a few  friends.
There's  a bit of  milk left.
It needs  a little  more work.

We use few and very little to show that we are talking about a small amount. Often
we feel this amount is not enough or less than we expected. Few is for countable
nouns and very little is for uncountable nouns.

Few  people came to the meeting.

There are few  places where you can still see these birds.
We have very little time.
I have  very little  money.

Note that you can use little without very, but it is less common and sounds quite
formal.

She had little  water.

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

ef.com

Countable and uncountable nouns

It's important to distinguish between countable and uncountable nouns in English because
their usage is different in regards to both determiners and verbs.

Countable nouns
Countable nouns are for things we can count using numbers. They have a singular and a
plural form. The singular form can use the determiner "a" or "an". If you want to ask about
the quantity of a countable noun, you ask "How many?" combined with the plural countable
noun.

Singular Plural

one dog two dogs

 Singular Plural

one horse two horses

one man two men

one idea two ideas

one shop two shops

Examples

 She has three dogs.

 I own a house.
 I would like two books please.
 How many friends do you have?

Uncountable nouns
Uncountable nouns are for the things that we cannot count with numbers. They may be the
names for abstract ideas or qualities or for physical objects that are too small or too
amorphous to be counted (liquids, powders, gases, etc.). Uncountable nouns are used with a
singular verb. They usually do not have a plural form.

Examples

 tea
 sugar
 water
 air
 rice
 knowledge
 beauty
 anger
 fear
 love
  money
 research
 safety
 evidence

We cannot use a/an with these nouns. To express a quantity of an uncountable noun, use a

word or expression like some, a lot of, much, a bit of, a great deal of , or else use an exact
measurement like a cup of, a bag of, 1kg of, 1L of, a handful of, a pinch of, an hour of, a day
of. If you want to ask about the quantity of an uncountable noun, you ask "How much?"
Examples

 There has been a lot of research into the causes of this disease.

 He gave me a great deal of advice before my interview.
 Can you give me some information about uncountable nouns?
 He did not have much sugar left.
 Measure 1 cup of water, 300g of flour, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
 How much rice do you want?

Tricky spots
Some nouns are countable in other languages but uncountable in English. They must follow
the rules for uncountable nouns. The most common ones are:
accommodation, advice, baggage, behavior, bread, furniture, information, luggage, news,
progress, traffic, travel, trouble, weather, work

Examples

 I would like to give you some advice.

 How much bread should I bring?
 I didn't make much progress today.
 This looks like a lot of trouble to me.
 We did an hour of work yesterday.

Be careful with the noun hair which is normally uncountable in English, so it is not used in

the plural. It can be countable only when referring to individual hairs.
Examples

 She has long blond hair.

 The child's hair was curly.
 I washed my hair yesterday.
 My father is getting a few grey hairs now. (refers to individual hairs)
 I found a hair in my soup! (refers to a single strand of hair)

engvid.com
 In English grammar, words that refer to people, places, or things are
called nouns. They can be classified in many ways.
One way to classify nouns is according to whether they can be counted or not.
Many English mistakes are related to this point. By reading through this page,
you will understand:

 what countable and uncountable nouns are

 how to use them correctly in a sentence
Countable (or count) nouns are words which can be counted. They have a
singular form and a plural form. They usually refer to things. Most countable
nouns become plural by adding an ‘s’ at the end of the word.
For example:

Singular Plural
chair chairs

bottle bottles

student students

Uncountable (or non-count) nouns are words which cannot be counted.

Therefore, they only have a singular form. They have no plural forms. These
words are thought of as wholes rather than as parts. They usually refer to
abstractions (such as confidence or advice) or collectives (such as equipment
or luggage).
For example:

Singular
money

furniture

information

Using Countable & Uncountable Nouns

When using countable or uncountable nouns, pay attention to articles and
adjectives! Some articles and adjectives can be used with both countable and
uncountable nouns. However, others can be used with only countable or only
uncountable nouns.

Used with Countable Nouns Only

a a doctor, a pen, a meal, a class, a college
 many cups, many books, many libraries,
many
many flights

few questions, few tables, few apples, few

few
holidays, few countries

a few questions, a few problems, a few

a few
issues, a few issues

Used with Uncountable Nouns Only

much money, much time, much food, much
much
water, much energy

little trouble, little equipment, little meat, little

little
patience

a little bit of confidence, a little bit of sleep, a

a little bit of
little bit of snow

Used with Countable & Uncountable Nouns

the monkeys, the schools, the
countable teachers, the boats, the
bananas
the
the cheese, the machinery,
uncountable the luggage, the grass, the
knowledge

some tables, some stores,

countable some grapes, some cities,
some some nurses

some time, some news, some

uncountable
bread, some salt, some mail

any forks, any socks, any

countable bathrooms, any waiters, any
beliefs
any
any advice, any soap, any
uncountable transportation, any gold, any
homework

no magazines, no chocolates,
countable no pilots, no rings, no
markers
no
no trouble, no grass, no
uncountable scenery, no money, no
furniture

a lot of animals, a lot of coins,

countable a lot of immigrants, a lot of
babies
a lot of
a lot of help, a lot of
uncountable aggravation, a lot of
happiness, a lot of fun

lots of countable lots of computers, lots of

 buses, lots of parties, lots of
colleges

lots of cake, lots of ice cream,

uncountable
lots of energy, lots of laughter

enough plates, enough

countable onions, enough restaurants,
enough worries
enough
enough courage, enough
uncountable wisdom, enough spaghetti,
enough time

plenty of houses, plenty of

countable concerts, plenty of guitars,
plenty of
plenty of
plenty of oil, plenty of sugar,
uncountable plenty of cheese, plenty of
space

List of Uncountable Nouns (These are sample uncountable

nouns only! There are many more.)
General
 homework
 equipment
 luggage
 clothing
 furniture
 machinery
 gold
 silver
 cotton
 glass
 jewelery
 perfume
 soap
 paper
 wood
 petrol
 gasoline
 baggage
 hair
 traffic
Abstract
 advice
 help
 fun
 recreation
 enjoyment
 information
 knowledge
 news
 patience
 happiness
 progress
 confidence
 courage
 education
 intelligence
 space
 energy
 laughter
 peace
 pride
Food
 food
 flour
 meat
 rice
 cake
 bread
 ice cream
 cheese
 toast
 pasta
 spaghetti
 butter
 oil
 honey
 soup
 fish
 fruit
 salt
 tea
 coffee
Weather
 thunder
 lightning
 snow
 rain
 sleet
 ice
 heat
 humidity
 hail
 wind
 light
 darkness
Languages
 English
 Portuguese
 Hindi
 Arabic
 Japanese
 Korean
 Spanish
 French
 Russian
 Italian
 Hebrew
 Chinese
Subjects/Fields
 mathematics
 economics
 physics
 ethics
 civics
 art
 architecture
 music
 photography
 grammar
 chemistry
 history
 commerce
 engineering
 politics
 sociology
 psychology
 vocabulary
 archaeology
 poetry
Sports
 golf
 tennis
 baseball
 basketball
 soccer
 football
 cricket
 hockey
 rugby
 chess
 poker
 bridge
Activities
 swimming
 walking
 driving
 jogging
 reading
 writing
 listening
 speaking
 cooking
 sleeping
 studying
 working
Cambridge

Countable nouns
Some nouns refer to things which, in English, are treated as separate items which
can be counted. These are called countable nouns. Here are some examples:
a car, three cars
my cousin, my two cousins
a book, a box full of books
a city, several big cities

Singular and plural

Countable nouns can be singular or plural. They can be used with a/an and with
numbers and many other determiners (e.g. these, a few):
She’s got two sisters and a younger brother.
Most people buy things like cameras and MP3-players online these days.
These shoes look old now.
I’ll take a few magazines with me for the flight.
See also:
 Determiners (the, my, some, this)
 Singular and plural nouns
 Nouns

Uncountable nouns
In English grammar, some things are seen as a whole or mass. These are called
uncountable nouns, because they cannot be separated or counted.
Some examples of uncountable nouns are:
Ideas and experiences: advice, information, progress, news, luck, fun, work
Materials and substances: water, rice, cement, gold, milk
Weather words: weather, thunder, lightning, rain, snow
Names for groups or collections of things: furniture, equipment, rubbish, luggage
Other common uncountable nouns include: accommodation, baggage, homework,
knowledge, money, permission, research, traffic, travel.
These nouns are not used with a/an or numbers and are not used in the plural.
We’re going to get new furniture for the living room.
Not: We’re going to get a new furniture for the living room. or We’re going to get new
furnitures for the living room.
We had terrible weather last week.
Not: We had a terrible weather last week.
We need rice next time we go shopping.
Some nouns always have plural form but they are uncountable because we cannot
use numbers with them.
I bought two pairs of trousers.
Not: I bought two trousers.
Other nouns of this type are: shorts, pants, pyjamas, glasses (for the
eyes), binoculars, scissors.
Warning:
Some nouns which are uncountable in English are countable in other languages
(e.g. accommodation, advice, furniture, information):
They can give you some information about accommodation at the tourist office.
Not: They can give you some informations about accommodations at the tourist
office.
Can you give me some advice about buying a second-hand car?
Not: Can you give me some advices about buying a second-hand car?
A good learner’s dictionary will tell you whether a noun is countable or uncountable.

Quantity expressions (a bit/piece)

To refer to one or more quantities of an uncountable noun, expressions such as a bit
of, a piece of, an item of or words for containers and measures must be used:
He bought a very expensive piece of furniture for his new apartment.
Maggie always has some exciting bits of news when she comes to see us.
I think we’ll need five bags of cement for the patio.
There’s a litre of milk in the fridge for you. And I bought you a bar of chocolate.

Determiners (my, some, the)

Uncountable nouns can be used with certain determiners (e.g. my, her, some,
any, no, the, this, that) and expressions of quantity (e.g. a lot of, (a) little):
They gave me some information about courses and scholarships and things.
Have you heard the news? Fran’s getting engaged.
She’s been studying hard and has made a lot of progress.
There’s no work to do here, so you can go home if you like.
This milk’s a bit old, I’m afraid.
See also:
 Determiners (the, my, some, this)

Countable phrases for uncountable nouns

We can sometimes use countable noun phrases to talk about an individual example
of the thing an uncountable noun refers to.

uncountable countable

accommodation a house, a flat, a place to live, a place to stay

baggage/luggag
a suitcase, a bag, a rucksack
e

bread a loaf (of bread), a (bread) roll

lightning a flash of lightning

luck a stroke of luck

a note, a coin, a sum of money, a euro, a

money
dollar

poetry a poem

rain a shower, a downpour, a storm

uncountable countable

travel a journey, a trip

work a job, a task

Finding a place to live is difficult if you’re a student and you’ve got no

money. (or Finding accommodation …)
Not: Finding an accommodation …
She brought two big suitcases and a rucksack with her.
Not: She brought two big luggages …
I read a poem once about someone riding a horse at night.
Not: I read a poetry …
We went on a trip to the Amazon when we were in Brazil.
Not: We went on a travel …

Countable and uncountable nouns with different

meanings
Some nouns can be used either countably or uncountably, but with different
meanings.
Compare

Countable use Uncountable use

People believed that ships made

We bought a new iron and an ironing board.
of iron would sink.

I broke a glass yesterday. The table was made of hardened glass.

Would you like a chocolate? Would you like some chocolate?

Let’s get  a paper and see what’s on at the

The printer has run out of paper.
cinema.

‘Hamlet’ is one of Shakespeare’s most I had work to do so I couldn’t go out.

Countable use Uncountable use

famous  works.

Uncountable nouns used countably

Measures and examples
Sometimes uncountable nouns are used countably, to mean ‘a measure of
something’ or ‘a type or example of something’:
Can I have two teas and one coffee, please? (two cups of tea and one cup of
coffee …?)
A:
How many sugars do you want in your tea? (How many spoonfuls/lumps of sugar?)
B:
Just one, please.
To some degree we tend to eat the foods that we ate as children. (i.e. types of food)

Abstract nouns
Some abstract nouns can be used uncountably or countably. The uncountable use
has a more general meaning. The countable use has a more particular meaning.
Nouns of this type include: education, experience, hatred, help, knowledge, life, love,
sleep, time, understanding.
Compare

uncountable use countable use

Good  education is the best investment in The first daughter had  a very expensive
Britain’s future. education  at a private school in France.
(education in general) (the time one person spent at school)

I’ve always had a love of poetry, ever

Love is like a physical pain for some people.
since I was a child.
(love in general/all love)
(a specific liking for something)

They have a quiz every week, with questions The job requires a knowledge of statistics
uncountable use countable use

about  general  knowledge. and basic computing.

(all knowledge/knowledge in general) (a specific type of knowledge)

Time  passes more and more quickly as you We had a great time  in Ibiza. We didn’t
grow older. want to come home.
(time in general) (a specific period of time)

gingersoftware.com

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

In English grammar, countable nouns are individual people, animals,
places, things, or ideas which can be counted. Uncountable nouns are
not individual objects, so they cannot be counted. Here, we’ll take a
look at countable and uncountable nouns and provide both countable
noun examples and uncountable noun examples. Although the concept
may seem challenging, you’ll soon discover that these two
different noun types are very easy to use.

Countable Noun Examples

Anything that can be counted, whether singular – a dog, a house, a
friend, etc. or plural – a few books, lots of oranges, etc. is a countable
noun. The following countable noun examples will help you to see the
difference between countable and uncountable nouns. Notice that
singular verbs are used with singular countable nouns, while plural
verbs are used with plural countable nouns.

1. There are at least twenty Italian restaurants in Little Italy.

2. Megan took a lot of photographs when she went to the Grand
Canyon.
 3. Your book is on the kitchen table.
4. How many candles are on that birthday cake?
5. You have several paintings to study in art appreciation class.
6. There’s a big brown dog running around the neighborhood.

Uncountable Noun Examples

Anything that cannot be counted is an uncountable noun. Even though
uncountable nouns are not individual objects, they are always singular
and one must always use singular verbs in conjunction with
uncountable nouns. The following uncountable noun examples will
help you to gain even more understanding of how countable and
uncountable nouns differ from one another. Notice that singular verbs
are always used with uncountable nouns.

1. There is no more water in the pond.

2. Please help yourself to some cheese.
3. I need to find information about Pulitzer Prize winners.
4. You seem to have a high level of intelligence.
5. Please take good care of your equipment.
6. Let’s get rid of the garbage.

Uncountable nouns can be paired with words expressing plural

concept. Using these words can make your writing more specific. Here
are some examples of how to format interesting sentences with
uncountable nouns.
• Garbage – There are nine bags of garbage on the curb.
• Water – Try to drink at least eight glasses of water each day.
• Advice – She gave me a useful piece of advice.
• Bread – Please buy a loaf of bread.
• Furniture – A couch is a piece of furniture.
• Equipment – A backhoe is an expensive piece of equipment.
• Cheese – Please bag ten slices of cheese for me.
Countable and Uncountable Nouns Exercises
Is the underlined noun countable or uncountable?

1. The children fell asleep quickly after a busy day of fun.

2. Be careful! The water is deep.
3. The parade included fire trucks and police cars.
4. We like the large bottles of mineral water.
5. My mother uses real butter in the cakes she bakes.
6. How many politicians does it take to pass a simple law?
7. Most kids like milk, but Joey hates it.
8. Most pottery is made of clay.
9. Michael can play several different musical instruments.
10. I was feeling so stressed that I ate an entire box of cookies.

Answers: 1 – countable, 2 – uncountable, 3 – countable, 4

– countable, 5 – uncountable, 6 – countable, 7 – uncountable, 8
– uncountable, 9 – countable, 10 – countable

englishclub.com

Uncountable Nouns
Unlike countable nouns, uncountable nouns are substances, concepts etc
that we cannot divide into separate elements. We cannot "count" them. For
example, we cannot count "milk". We can count "bottles of milk" or "litres of
milk", but we cannot count "milk" itself. Here are some more uncountable
nouns:

 music, art, love, happiness

 advice, information, news
 furniture, luggage
 rice, sugar, butter, water
 electricity, gas, power
 money, currency
We usually treat uncountable nouns as singular. We use a singular verb.
For example:

 This news is very important.
 Your luggage looks heavy.

We do not usually use the indefinite article a/an with uncountable nouns.

We cannot say "an information" or "a music". But we can say a
"something" of:

 a piece of news
 a bottle of water
 a grain of rice

We can use some and any with uncountable nouns:

 I've got some money.
 Have you got any rice?

We can use a little and much with uncountable nouns:

 I've got a little money.

 I haven't got much rice.
Uncountable nouns are also called "mass nouns".

Here are some more examples of countable and uncountable nouns:

Countabl Uncountable
e

dollar money

song music

suitcase luggage
 Countabl Uncountable
e

table furniture

battery electricity

bottle wine

report information

tip advice

journey travel

job work

view scenery

When you learn a new word, it's a good idea to learn whether it's countable
or uncountable.

Partitive Structure with Uncountable Nouns

To count or quantify an uncountable noun we use a unit of measurement -
a measure word. For example, we cannot usually say “two breads”
because “bread” is uncountable. So, if we want to specify a quantity of
bread we use a measure word such as “loaf” or “slice” in a structure like
“two loaves of bread” or “two slices of bread”. We call this structure
a partitive structure.

partitive structure: quantity measure word o uncountable noun

f

examples: two cups of coffee

several games of tennis

a drop of water

We can use the same uncountable noun in different partitive expressions

with different meanings. For example, a loaf of bread and a slice of
bread are partitive expressions with different meanings. A loaf of bread is
what we call a whole unit of bread that we buy from a baker. A slice of
bread is what we call a smaller unit of bread after it has been cut from a
loaf. 

Here are some more examples:

 Don't forget to buy a bag of rice when you go shopping.

 Can I have one cup of coffee and two cups of tea.
 The police found some items of clothing scattered around the floor.
 I need a truck that will take at least three pieces of furniture.
 You'd think a tablespoon of honey would be more than enough.
The word "partitive" indicates that only "part" of a whole is being referred to.
The partitive structure using a measure word is common with uncountable
nouns, but it can also be used with countable nouns, for example: a series
of accidents, two boxes of matches, a can of worms.
 List of common measure words
 List of partitive expressions with example sentences
Test yourself with these fun measure words quizzes
Nouns that can be Countable and Uncountable
Sometimes, the same noun can be countable and uncountable, often with a
change of meaning.

Countable Uncountable

The US dollar and pound sterling are currency The expression gained wider currency
important currencies. after 2001.

There are two hairs in my coffee! hair I don't have much hair.

There are two lights in our bedroom. light Close the curtain. There's too much
light!

Shhhhh! I thought I heard a noise. noise It's difficult to work when there is so
There are so many different noises in the much noise.
city.

Have you got a paper to read? paper I want to draw a picture. Have you got
(newspaper) some paper?
Hand me those student papers.

Our house has seven rooms. room Is there room for me to sit here?

We had a great time at the party. time Have you got time for a cup of coffee?
How many times have I told you no?

Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's greatest work I have no money. I need work!

works.
Drinks (coffee, water, orange juice) are usually uncountable. But if we are
thinking of a cup or a glass, we can say (in a restaurant, for example):
Two teas and one coffee please.

Countable Nouns

The major division of English nouns is into "countable" and "uncountable".

Countable nouns are easy to recognize. They are things that we can

count. For example: "pen". We can count pens. We can have one, two,
three or more pens. Here are some more countable nouns:

 dog, cat, animal, man, person

 bottle, box, litre
 coin, note, dollar
 cup, plate, fork
 table, chair, suitcase, bag

Countable nouns can be singular or plural:

 My dog is playing.
 My dogs are hungry.

We can use the indefinite article a/an with countable nouns:

 A dog is an animal.
Countable nouns are also called "count nouns".

When a countable noun is singular, we must use a word

like a/the/my/this with it:

 I want an orange. (not I want orange.)

 Where is my bottle? (not Where is bottle?)
When a countable noun is plural, we can use it alone:

 I like oranges.
 Bottles can break.

We can use some and any with countable nouns:

 I've got some dollars.
 Have you got any pens?

We can use a few and many with countable nouns:

 I've got a few dollars.

 I haven't got many pens.
"People" is countable. "People" is the plural of "person". We can count
people:
There is one person here.
There are three people here.

Nouns that are Count and Noncount

Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable, usually with a
different meaning for each. This page lists the most common such nouns.
Click on each noun for more information, including countable and
uncountable meanings, example sentences and a quick test.

You can also choose one of the following fun quizzes to test your
understanding. Each quiz has ten questions.

Quiz 1
Quiz 2
Quiz 3
Quiz 4
Quiz 5
Quiz 6
Quiz 7
Quiz 8
accommodation
uncountable: a place to live in or stay at
countable: an agreement between opposing people or organisations
aid
uncountable: money or help given to those who need it
countable: something that helps you to do something
air
uncountable: the mixture of gases surrounding the earth
countable: (old-fashioned) a tune or a melody
art
uncountable: paintings, sculpture, drawings, etc.
countable: an activity that needs special training or knowledge
ballet
uncountable: a style of dancing that tells a story
countable: a particular work of classical dance
beauty
uncountable: the quality that makes someone or something beautiful
countable: a beautiful woman, or an excellent thing
beer
uncountable: an alcoholic drink made with malt and hops
countable: a glass of beer
blood
uncountable: the red liquid inside our bodies
countable: (old-fashioned) a rich man who likes to show off
bread
uncountable: a common food that's made from wheat or other grains
countable: a particular variety or type of bread
business
uncountable: the activity of making, buying or selling things for money
countable: a particular company or other commercial organisation
cheese
uncountable: a solid dairy food
countable: a particular kind or variety of cheese
cinema
uncountable: the making and marketing of films and movies
countable: a place in which films are shown on a big screen ("movie
theater" is more common in American English)
coffee
uncountable: a drink made with ground, roasted seeds
countable: one cup of coffee
currency
uncountable: the banknotes and coins used in a country
countable: the monetary unit of a particular country
danger
uncountable: the possibility of something very bad happening
countable: a person or thing that can harm or kill
delight
uncountable: a feeling of great happiness
countable: something or someone that makes us happy
depression
uncountable: a feeling of great sadness that can require medical
treatment to cure
countable: a period of little economic activity when many people lose their
jobs
dessert
uncountable: sweet food eaten at the end of a meal
countable: a particular type or category of dessert
distribution
uncountable: the transportation and delivery of goods to shops and buyers
countable: the geographic range of a species, a language, a disease, etc.
employment
uncountable: the giving of work to someone, or the state of having work
countable: an exchange of labour for payment, usually under contract
enjoyment
uncountable: the pleasure you get from something
countable: an activity or experience that gives pleasure
entertainment
uncountable: films, concerts, sports, TV shows, etc. that an audience can
enjoy
countable: a particular performance or activity that people enjoy
failure
uncountable: lack of success in doing something
countable: a person or thing that is not successful
faith
uncountable: strong belief in someone or something
countable: a particular religion
food
uncountable: things that people or animals eat
countable: a particular type or category of food
freedom
uncountable: the state of being free to do what you want
countable: the right to do what you want to do
fruit
uncountable: food that contains seeds, like apples, oranges, pears, etc.
countable: a particular kind or category of fruit
fuel
uncountable: something that's burned for heat or power, like wood, oil,
gas, etc.
countable: a particular kind of fuel
gas
uncountable: any substance like air that's neither solid nor liquid
countable: a particular type of gas
glass
uncountable: the material used to make windows, bottles, fishbowls, etc.
countable: a drinking vessel made of glass
gold
uncountable: a valuable metal that's used to make jewellery
countable: a gold medal, or a colour that's similar to gold
gossip
uncountable: stories about other people's private lives, often untrue or
exaggerated
countable: a person who likes telling and hearing gossip
grammar
uncountable: the rules of a language
countable: a book that describes the rules of a language
grass
uncountable: a common plant that's eaten by horses, cows, sheep, etc.
countable: any particular type of grass
ground
uncountable: the surface of the Earth
countable: an area of land used for a particular purpose
hair
uncountable: the mass of fibres on your head
countable: a single strand of hair
heat
uncountable: the quality of being hot
countable: a qualifying race or game at the start of a competition
height
uncountable: how high something is, or how tall someone is
countable: a high place or position
ice cream
uncountable: a sweet frozen food made from milk
countable: a small amount of ice cream on a stick, in a cone, or in a small
container
injustice
uncountable: unfair treatment or mistaken legal judgement
countable: a particular action, judgement or situation that's unfair
intelligence
uncountable: the ability to understand and think about complex ideas
countable: a particular type or class of intelligence
iron
uncountable: a strong, hard metal
countable: a household appliance for smoothing out wrinkles in clothes
irony
uncountable: humour in which someone says the opposite of what they
really mean
countable: an event or situation that involves a contradiction of some sort
jam
uncountable: sweet food that's made from fruit and usually spread on
bread or toast
countable: many vehicles stuck together in traffic, or a difficult situation
jealousy
uncountable: unhappiness felt when you think someone you like wants
somebody else, or when someone else has something you want
countable: an action or comment that shows jealousy
joy
uncountable: a feeling of great happiness
countable: something that makes you feel very happy
juice
uncountable: liquid that's squeezed from fruit or vegetables
countable: one glass of juice, or a particular kind of juice
kindness
uncountable: the quality of being kind to people or animals
countable: a kind act
land
uncountable: the earth's surface, or part of this surface
countable: a country or region
love
uncountable: a strong affection for someone
countable: a person, thing or activity that you love
marble
uncountable: a type of stone often used in buildings
countable: a small glass ball used for playing games
meat
uncountable: animal or bird flesh eaten as food
countable: a particular type of meat
metal
uncountable: a solid material that can be mined, like iron, tin, gold, etc.
countable: a particular kind or category of metal
nature
uncountable: all living things and the habitats that sustain them
countable: the basic character of a person or an animal, or a basic feature
of something
noise
uncountable: loud or unpleasant sound
countable: a particular sound
oil
uncountable: a thick liquid, such as the dark liquid from underground that's
used to make fuel, or a thick liquid that's used for cooking food
countable: a particular type of oil
paper
uncountable: a material that's used for writing on, printing on, or wrapping
things in
countable: a newspaper
passion
uncountable: very strong feeling or emotion
countable: a very strong interest in something or someone
power
uncountable: the ability to control people, places or things
countable: a country with a lot of political, economic or military power
pride
uncountable: positive emotion felt when you or someone you know
achieves something special
countable: a group of lions
production
uncountable: the process of making or growing things
countable: a film, play, television or radio programme
pronunciation
uncountable: the sounds made when speaking a language or saying a
word
countable: a particular way of pronouncing a word or a language
quality
uncountable: the standard of something, or how good it is
countable: a particular feature of someone or something
quantity
uncountable: the amount of something
countable: a particular amount of something or number of things
room
uncountable: the space needed for something
countable: a space inside a building with walls, a floor and a ceiling
salad
uncountable: raw vegetables like lettuce, tomato, cucumber, etc. mixed
together
countable: one serving of salad, or a particular type of salad
satire
uncountable: humour used to criticize someone or something
countable: a movie, book, play, etc. that uses satirical humour
silence
uncountable: total quiet, or no sound at all
countable: a period of time when nobody's speaking
sleep
uncountable: a natural state of rest
countable: a particular period of sleep
smoke
uncountable: clouds that rise from fires, chimneys, etc.
countable: a cigarette, or the act of smoking
soil
uncountable: the top layer of earth in which plants can grow
countable: a particular type or category of soil
sorrow
uncountable: a feeling of great sadness
countable: an event that causes great sadness
space
uncountable: empty area, or the unused part of something
countable: a particular area that has nothing in it
speed
uncountable: how fast something or someone moves
countable: a particular speed
spelling
uncountable: the ordering of letters to form a word
countable: a particular way of spelling a word
sport
uncountable: physical activities in which players compete individually or in
teams
countable: a particular kind of sport
strength
uncountable: physical power, or how strong someone or something is
countable: an important ability or feature
success
uncountable: the achievement of a goal
countable: a successful person, event or result
sugar
uncountable: sweet crystals added to drinks like tea and coffee
countable: one teaspoon of sugar, or a particular type of sugar
tea
uncountable: a drink made by adding boiling water to dried plant parts
countable: one cup of tea, or a particular type of tea
time
uncountable: duration as measured by clocks
countable: a particular occasion or time when something happened
toast
uncountable: sliced bread that's been heated and browned in a toaster
countable: the act of drinking to someone's happiness or success
trade
uncountable: the buying and selling of goods and services
countable: a type of skilled work, or a particular type of business
trust
uncountable: the belief that someone or something is honest or won't
cheat you
countable: a legal arrangement or organization that manages someone's
money or property
understanding
uncountable: comprehension of the facts about something, or
comprehension of someone's situation or feelings
countable: an informal agreement
usage
uncountable: the way that words are used in spoken or written language
countable: a particular meaning or usage of a word
vision
uncountable: the sense of sight, or the ability to see
countable: an idea of what the future could be like
weight
uncountable: how heavy someone or something is
countable: a heavy object that's used to build muscle mass and strength
whisky
uncountable: a strong alcoholic drink
countable: one glass of whisky
width
uncountable: how wide something is
countable: a measured piece of cloth, or the width of a swimming pool
wine
uncountable: an alcoholic drink made from grapes, or a similar drink made
from rice, elderberries, etc.
countable: a glass of wine, or a particular type of wine
wood
uncountable: the hard material in trees
countable: a particular type of wood
work
uncountable: a job done for money, or any productive activity
countable: something created by a writer, painter, musician, or other artist
youth
uncountable: the time in someone's life when they're young
countable: a young man
https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/nouns.htm

https://www.myenglishpages.com/

Countable and uncountable nouns

Countable and uncountable nouns

You will learn about countable and uncountable nouns. but before you
continue the lesson, look at the following chart and study the nouns.

Countabl
Uncountable
e
 books money

friends meat

teachers juice

tables milk

Countable nouns (count nouns):

Countable nouns have a singular and a plural form. In plural, these nouns can
be used with a number- they can be counted. (That's why they are called
"countable nouns").

Example:

1 friend, 2 friends, 3 friends...

1 book, 2 books, 3 books...

Countable nouns take many.

Example:
100 friends – many friends

Uncountable nouns  (uncount / non-count nouns):

Uncountable nouns can only be used in singular. These nouns cannot be
used with a number- they can't be counted. (That's why they are called
"uncountable nouns").

Examples:

I have a lot of money. (Not 1000 money)

I drink a lot of milk. (Not 5 milk)

Uncountable nouns take much.

Example:

 100 money – much money

Note: Of course you can count money, milk, meat; but then you would use the
currency, liter, kilo, glass,...and say that you have got:

 5 euros or dollars... (but not 5 money).

 2 liters, pints, glasses... of milk (but not 2 milk)
 3 kilos... of meat (but not 3 meat)
  10 bottles of mineral water... (but not 10 mineral water)

languagecouncils.org

COUNTABLE AND
UNCOUNTABLE NOUN

Noun/ [C]

A word that refers to a person, place, thing, event, substance or quality; can be either

countable or uncountable.

Countable nouns have singular and plural forms while uncountable nouns can be used only

in the singular form.

In English grammar, words that refer to people, places or things are called nouns. There are

several ways to classify nouns. One way is whether they are countable (also known as count)

or uncountable (also known as non-count) nouns. Countable nouns, as the term suggests,

refer to things that can be counted.

They have singular and plural forms.

E.g.

 table, tables; month, months; pen, pens.

A countable noun becomes plural by adding s at the end of the word.Of course, there are

exceptions –

E.g.

 man, men; child, children; goose, geese.

In contrast, uncountable nouns cannot be counted. They have a singular form and do not

have a plural form – you can’t add an s to it. E.g., dirt, rice, information and hair. Some

uncountable nouns are abstract nouns such as advice and knowledge.

E.g.

 Her jewellery is designed by a well-known celebrity.

 I needed some advice, so I went to see the counsellor.

Some nouns can be countable or uncountable depending on the context or situation.

E.g.

 We’ll have two coffees (countable).

 I don’t like coffee (uncountable).

 Articles

You cannot refer to a singular countable noun on its own. It is usually used preceded by an

article. Articles refer to indefinite articles – a, an – and the definite article the.

Indefinite Article
When the countable noun is mentioned for the first time, you use an indefinite article a for

words beginning with a consonant  sound or an if the noun begins with a vowel sound.

However, when a countable noun is mentioned for the second time, it is usually preceded by

the definite article the.

E.g.

 I saw a (indefinite article) cat yesterday.1he (definite article) cat was grey with black
stripes.
 The girl was wearing a (indefinite article preceding word with aconsonant sound
‘”you”) uniform but it looked faded.

Sometimes when uncountable nouns are treated as countable nouns, you can use the

indefinite article.

E.g.

 Please select a wine that you like.

Definite Article

The indefinite article is not used with uncountable nouns. Instead, the definite article the can

be used with uncountable nouns when referring to specific items.

E.g.

 I found the luggage that I had lost.

 I appreciated the honesty of the salesman.

You can use “the” with countable nouns when there is only one such thing or person in

existence.

E.g.

 The baby stared at the moon in fascination.

  Please take me to the doctor near the market. I’m not feeling well.

Tricky Uncountable Nouns

The noun “fruit” is usually considered as an uncountable noun.

E.g.

 Fruit is good for your health.

 When referring to a single piece of fruit, you would say,
 She has only a piece of fruit for lunch!

However, when referring to different kinds of fruit, you may use fruit as a countable noun.

E.g.

 I love to shop at that supermarket – they have a wide variety of tropical fruits.
 Similarly, you may use an indefinite article for uncountable nouns when you are
referring to a single item.

E.g.

 a piece of furniture, a bottle of water, a grain of rice.

Quantifiers

Countable and uncountable nouns may also be used with quantifiers.These are words that

express amount or quantity. Common examples are some, any, more, few, little, several.

However, there are some quantifiers that can be used with only countable nouns: many, few,

a few, fewer, several.

E.g.
  The citizens came to the meeting with many suggestions on how to improve their
neighbourhood.
 Fewer tourists visited that area as it was known to be unsafe.

Some other quantifiers can be used with only uncountable nouns: much, little, a little bit of,

some.

E.g.

 Would you like some tea? There’s very little dessert left.

Some quantifiers may be used with both countable and uncountable nouns:

E.g.

 all,some, any, lots of, plenty of, enough.

E.g.

 He has enough courage to face the bullies.

 We have some plates for the party tonight. Tracy will bring more.

Subject-Verb Agreement

Countable nouns may take singular or plural verbs.

E.g.,

 Our neighbour is singing at the competition tonight.

 Our neighbours are singing at the competition tonight.

However, uncountable nouns are considered singular and may take only singular verbs.

Nouns such as luggage, furniture and jewellery are uncountable nouns and take singular

verbs.
E.g.,

 The furniture in this house needs to be replaced.

 The apparatus for the next experiment has been set up. My luggage has been checked
in.
 Uncountable nouns ending with s may pose a problem to users of English.

These nouns have the plural endings, but they take a singular verb.

E.g.,

 The news is not good.

 Mathematics is a very important subject.

All uncountable nouns associated with clothes are plural uncountables. They cannot be used

in the singular form or with numbers. We cannot say for example a shorts or two shorts.

Instead we should say:

 Can you lend me a pair of shorts? I didn’t bring mine.

https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/

1. Countable nouns
Most of the nouns are countable. You can combine them with numbers, e.g one, two or three.
Here is an example:

 one pencil

 two pencils

 three pencils

 four ...

2. Uncountable nouns
These nouns cannot be combined with numbers.

 water
  butter

 coal

 money

 salt

 iron

If you want to express a quantity, you have to use a special phrase e.g. a glass of water.

Note:

Some nouns can be either countable or uncountable. We recommend to use a good dictionary
to find out whether a noun is countable or uncountable or both.

Here is an example:

hair – hairs

 You've got some hairs on your T-shirt. (There might be 5 or 6 of them.)

 Your hair looks lovely. (Here you think of the hairstyle.)

grammar.cl

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

We had a lot of luggage.
suitcases.

These chairs are mine. This furniture is mine.

It was a good suggestion. It was good advice.

https://www.espressoenglish.net

Countable And Uncountable Nouns

I have two cute kittens! (kittens = baby cats)

COUNTABLE NOUNS
Countable nouns are things we can count – for example, cats:

 My brother has a cat.

 My sister has two cats.
 My friend has three cats.
Other examples of countable nouns:

 Things – book, table, computer, banana, shirt, television, pen, house.

 People – man, woman, child, friend, brother, sister, uncle, teacher, boss.
 
With countable nouns, you can use many, a few, some, or any:
 How many brothers do you have?
 I have a few books in my backpack.
 She bought some bananas at the store.
 Does he have any children?
 

UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
Uncountable nouns are words that we can’t count, or can’t divide into separate parts:

 Ideas and concepts – love, fun, sadness, work, money, peace, safety
 Information – advice, information, news, knowledge
 Categories – music, furniture, equipment, jewelry, literature, meat
 Liquids and foods that can’t be counted – water, butter, rice, flour, milk
With uncountable nouns, you can use much, a little, some, or any:
 Our teacher gives us too much homework!
 Add a little butter to the recipe.
 We heard some great music on the radio this morning.
 He doesn’t have any furniture in his new house.
 

Don’t add -s to make uncountable nouns plural:

 I need some informations about the course.
 I need some information about the course.
You can use other words to help:

 She bought three bottles of wine and five boxes of rice.

 He gave me two pieces of advice: eat less and exercise more.

tolearnenglish.com

COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE

NOUNS
 

I) What is a countable noun?

a) It is a noun which is for things we can count.

Examples of countable nouns: table, bag, school
We can say: one table, two tables... one bag, two bags...
b) It usually has a plural form:
Examples: table > tables | bag > bags | school > schools

II) What is an uncountable noun?

a) It is a noun which is for things we cannot count.
Examples of uncountable nouns: tea, sugar, water, air,
rice.

b) Uncountable nouns are often the names for abstract

ideas or qualities.
Examples: knowledge, beauty, anger, fear, love.

c) They usually do not have a plural form. They are used

with a singular verb.
Examples: we cannot say 'sugars, angers, knowledges'.

d) We cannot use a/an with these nouns. To express a

quantity of one of these nouns, we use a word or
expression like:
some, a lot of, a piece of, a bit of, a great deal of...

Examples:
He gave me a great deal of advice before my interview.
They've got a lot of furniture.

Grammarly.com
Countable and Uncountable Nouns: Rules
and Examples

Countable Nouns

Countable nouns refer to items that can be counted, even if the number might be
extraordinarily high (like counting all the people in the world, for example).
Countable nouns can be used with articles such as a/an and the or quantifiers such
as a few and many. Look at the sentence below and pay particular attention to the
countable noun:

Here is a cat .

Here’s a tip: Want to make sure your writing always looks great? Grammarly can save you from
misspellings, grammatical and punctuation mistakes, and other writing issues on all your favorite
websites.

Your writing, at its best

Be the best writer in the office.
GET GRAMMARLY

Cat is singular and countable.

Here are a few cats .

Here are some cats .

Other examples of countable nouns include house, idea, hand, car,

flower, and paper.
Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns are nouns that come in a state or quantity that is impossible to
count; liquids are uncountable, as are things that act like liquids (sand, air).
Abstract ideas like creativity or courage are also uncountable. Uncountable nouns
are always considered to be singular, and can stand alone or be used with some,
any, a little, and much. See the examples below for reference:

An I.Q. test measures intelligence .

Intelligence is an uncountable noun.

Students don’t seem to have many homework these days.

Because homework is an uncountable noun, it should be modified by much or a lot

of, not many.

Students don’t seem to have much homework these days.

A lot of equipment is required to play hockey safely.

Since uncountable nouns are singular, they also require singular verbs. If you’re
ever trying to decide whether to write the information is or the information are,
remember that information is an uncountable noun and therefore needs is.

Good information are necessary for making good decisions.

Good information is necessary for making good decisions.

Additional examples of uncountable nouns include water, soil, love,

literature, and dust.

Both Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable, depending on the context of
the sentence. Examples of these versatile nouns include light, hair, room, gear,
art, and science. See the examples below:

Did you have a good time at the party?

Here, time is countable (a time).

I don’t think I have time to do my hair before I leave.

In this sentence, time is uncountable.

There is some juice on the table.

There are some juices on the table.

In the first sentence, juice refers to the liquid beverage; thus, it is uncountable. In

the second sentence, juice refers to the different varieties of juice (e.g., apple,
grape, pineapple, etc.), and therefore, is considered a countable noun. 

https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/nouns.html

Nouns
Download this explanation in PDF here.

A noun names a person, a place, an animal, a thing, or an idea. Nouns can be plural
or singular and can be the subject or object of a verb. For example:

 The books are on the table.
 Love is all you need.
 John is in the garden.
 London is lovely in the summer.

Sometimes, it's difficult to know if a word is a noun or another part of speech. For example,
in English, the word 'love' can be a noun and it can be a verb. We need to look at how the
word is used in the sentence to work out what part of speech it is. Here are some tips. Nouns
are often the subject or object of a verb. Nouns often come after an article like 'a' or 'the'.
Nouns often come after an adjective like 'red' or 'pretty' or 'big'. Nouns are often used with a
determiner like 'this' or 'those'.
Try an exercise here where you need to find the nouns.

Common and Proper Nouns

There are different kinds of noun. First, we have proper nouns and common nouns.

Proper nouns are the names of people (Julie, Mr Johnson), places (Paris, Africa, California),
organisations (Coca Cola, the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford University), works of art (the
Mona Lisa), days of the week (Monday), months (June, October) and festivals (Christmas,
Ramadan). In English, proper nouns usually have capital letters at the beginning of the
word.

Common nouns are everything else. Words like 'book', 'table', 'mountain', 'love' and 'money'
are all common nouns.

Try an exercise here where you need to choose 'common noun' or 'proper
noun'.

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Second, there are two types of common noun. These are countable nouns and uncountable
nouns. It's really important to know if a noun is countable or uncountable, because it
changes how we use it in a sentence.

Countable nouns are things which can be counted like 'table', 'apple' or 'boy'. They usually
change their form when we make a plural (they often add an 's'), and can be used with either
a singular or a plural verb: one book falls, two books fall.

On the other hand, uncountable nouns are usually things which can't easily be counted, like
'love', 'rice' or 'water'. Uncountable nouns do not make a plural or change their form, and
they are always used with a singular verb. We can't say one rice, two rices.

However, sometimes there's not much logic to whether a noun is countable or uncountable.
For example, 'work' is uncountable but 'job' is countable. 'Trip' is countable, but 'travel' is
uncountable. 'Word' is countable, but 'vocabulary' is uncountable. Sometimes, a noun is even
different in US English and UK English, like 'Lego' or 'accommodation' (both uncountable in
the UK but countable in the US).

Here are some kinds of nouns that are often uncountable:

 Abstract nouns (nouns that talk about ideas): love, happiness, peace, democracy.
 Subjects from school or university: Maths, French, history.
 Materials: metal, wood, plastic.
 Liquids: water, coffee, milk.
 Gases: air, oxygen, carbon dioxide.
 Things that are made up of lots of small pieces: sand, rice, salt.

Here's a list of some uncountable nouns that we often use:

advice Could you give me some advice?
dust The old table was covered with dust.
electricity Electricity runs through this wire.
equipment Could you give me a list of the equipment we need for the trip?
evidence What evidence is there against John?
fog I could hardly see because of the thick fog.
fun We had a lot of fun at the party.
furniture I really need to buy some new furniture for my new flat.
happiness How can we increase our happiness?
help The teacher would like some help with moving the chairs.
homework How much homework do you get?
informatio
Could you give me some information about things to do in London?
n
knowledge He has such a lot of knowledge about history.
luck I need a bit of luck!
luggage Please put leave all your luggage at the hotel and we'll pick it up later.
money How much money do you have in your purse?
news The news is good! John has passed the exam!
pasta I love pasta!
progress We haven't made much progress on our project.
research Julie is doing research in neuroscience.
snow There's been a lot of snow this year.
spaghetti Could we have spaghetti with meatballs?
spinach She likes spinach with garlic.
traffic Was there a lot of traffic in central London?
vocabulary Vocabulary is very important in language learning.
work Do you have any work to do this weekend?

Words that can be both countable and uncountable

Many, many words can be used in both an uncountable way and a countable way. This is
especially true of uncountable food and drink, such as 'coffee' or 'yogurt'. When we're talking
in general about coffee or yogurt, the words are uncountable. But, we can use them in a
countable way when we mean 'one cup of' or 'one pot of':

 Uncountable: Coffee is my favourite drink.

 Countable: Could you buy two coffees and two teas, please?
 Uncountable: My children eat a lot of yogurt.
 Countable: I bought a pack of six yogurts.

Other words that act like this include: water, juice, salad, curry and cake.
Another way that we use uncountable nouns in a countable way is when we use the word to
mean 'a kind of' or 'a type of':

 Uncountable: She loves cheese.

 Countable: That shop sells lots of cheeses (=different kinds of cheese).

Other words that can be used in this way include jam, wood, plastic, bread, metal, fabric.
There are a few words that change their meaning depending on if they used in a countable
way or an uncountable way. For example:
Uncountable = all the hair on a
Countable = one hair
Hair person's head
Urg! There's a hair in my food!
She has very beautiful hair.
Uncountable = paper in general
Countable = a newspaper
Paper Could you give me some paper to write
I bought all the papers this morning.
on?
Countable = a single lamp or light
bulb Uncountable = light in general
Light
The Christmas tree was covered in The room was full of light.
lights.
Uncountable = when you've done
Countable = one event
Experienc something for a long time
I travelled to Thailand and it was a
e She has a lot of experience with
really great experience.
children.

Try an exercise here where you need to decide if the words are countable nouns
or uncountable nouns.

Nouns which are always plural

Some nouns are always used in a plural form and with a plural verb. You can't count them in
the normal way. Sometimes you can use phrases like 'one pair of' or 'three pairs of' if you'd
like to count them. Nouns like this are often clothes, or tools that have two parts. Here's a list
of words that are always plural:
Trousers My trousers are too long.
Tights I need to wear tights with this dress.
Shorts He bought some blue shorts.
Scissors There are three pairs of scissors in the drawer.
Tweezers Could you pass me those tweezers?
Binoculars She gave me some binoculars.
Glasses (for seeing
I've lost my glasses!
better)
Sunglasses My sunglasses are in my bag.
Clothes She put her clothes in the suitcase.
Belongings Whose belongings are these?
Congratulations Many congratulations!

https://english.lingolia.com/

Countable and Uncountable Nouns in English

 Countable Nouns
 Uncountable Nouns
 Counting Uncountable Nouns
 Countable and Uncountable Nouns
 Singular/Plural Uncountable Nouns
  Online exercises to improve your English

Introduction
Nouns in English grammar can be either countable or uncountable. Countable nouns refer to
individual things and we can use them in the singular or plural (e.g. coin/coins). Most nouns
in the English language are countable. Uncountable nouns, also known as mass nouns, refer
to things we consider a whole or mass and cannot be counted (e.g. money). Many abstract
nouns (e.g. happiness) are uncountable in English.

Learn the rules for countable and uncountable nouns in English grammar with Lingolia’s
online grammar explanations and interactive exercises.

Mike and his sister Sandra are shopping. They need milk, apples, and bread.

Sandra wants to make a cake tomorrow. She needs 6 eggs, 400 grams of flour, a block
of chocolate and some strawberries.

At the checkout, Mike doesn’t have any money, just a few coins in his pocket – oops!

Countable Nouns
 Most English nouns are countable nouns. This means they can be used in both
the singular and the plural.

Example:

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Apples are healthy.
 We can put numbers and indefinite articles in front of countable nouns.

Example:

one banknote, two banknotes

one coin, two coins

a cake

a sister
 We cannot use singular countable nouns  without articles or possessive
pronouns (a/the/your).

Example:

I saw your sister yesterday.
(not: I saw sister yesterday.)Can you give me a hand?
(not:  Can you give me hand?)
However, we can use plural countable nouns  alone.

Example:

Did you buy apples? Yes, but I forgot to buy stawberries.

 We can use some/any/(a)  few/many with plural countable nouns.

Example:

We need some apples.

I don’t have any eggs.
 There are a few strawberries in the fridge.

Mike dosen’t have many coins.

 Some collections of countable nouns have a corresponding uncountable noun which
describes them as a whole/mass.

Example:

suitcases, bags, trunks = baggage

tables, chairs, couches = furniture

peaches, bananas, apples = fruit (but: one vegetable, two vegetables)

socks, dresses, t-shirts = clothes

Uncountable Nouns
 Some English nouns are uncountable nouns.  This means they only have one form. Most
uncountable nouns are singular, but some are plural see below singular/plural uncountable
nouns.

Example:

I drink milk everday.

Milk is healthy.
(not: Milks are healthy.)

My tousers are too big.

(not: My trouser is too big.)

 We cannot usually put numbers in front of uncountable nouns.

Example:

money
(not: one money/two moneys)

milk (not: one milk/two milks)

bread (not:  one bread/two breads)

 We can use many uncountable nouns  without an article or possessive pronoun.

Example:
 We need flour and chocolate to make a cake.
(not: …a flour and a chocolate…)

Can you buy milk on the way home?

(not: can you buy a milk…)
 We use some/any/little/much with uncountable nouns.

Example:

We can buy some bread at the bakery.

We don’t have any milk.

There’s a little flour in the pantry.

Mike doesn’t have much money.

 Materials, liquids, and collections are often uncountable nouns.

example:

materials – paper, wood, gold, glass etc.

liquids – water, milk, oil, coffee, etc.

collections – furniture, luggage, traffic etc.

Counting Uncountable Nouns

Although we can’t count uncountable nouns themselves, we can use different units, such as a
bottle/grain/glass/loaf/piece/kilo/gram of, to count them. Here, we are counting the units
rather than the actual uncountable nouns.

Unit Uncountable Noun Example

Can I have a glass of milk

a glass of milk/water/juice and 2 glasses of water,
please?

I can’t drink more than  2

a cup of tea/coffee
cups of coffee a day.

Molly eats 2 slices of bread

a slice of cake/pizza/bread
for breakfast every morning.

a piece of bread/paper/information/advice/chewing Laura forgot to tell

gum/equipment/furniture/luggage/news them an important piece
of information.
 Unit Uncountable Noun Example

Nathan stood on a piece

of chewing gum.
He went to the bakery to
a loaf of bread
buy a loaf of bread.

There were 39 bottles

a bottle of water/wine/beer
of beer in the cellar.

a jar of honey/jam/peanut butter Paul bought  2 jars of honey.

A block of chocolate a day

a block of chocolate/gold
keeps the doctor away.

I remember when a can of

a can of cola/soft drink
cola cost $0.50!

a We need half a kilo
gram/kilo chicken/flour/rice/butter of chicken and 250 grams of
of rice.

Michael drinks three litres

a litre of milk/water/oil
of milk a week.

It’s impossible to count

a grain of sand/salt/rice all the grains of sand on the
beach.

A spoon of sugar helps the

a spoon of sugar
medicine go down.

I had a bowl of pasta for

a bowl of pasta/cereal/yogurt
lunch.

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Some nouns have both a countable and an uncountable form. The countable form usually
refers to something more specific and the uncountable form to something more general.

Countable Meaning Uncountable Meaning

I'm just ducking out to buy a a paper = a Her necklace was

paper = material
paper newspaper made of paper.

I have been to Ireland … times = how Hurry up! we don’t much time = in
 Countable Meaning Uncountable Meaning

three times. often have much time. general

a hair = one Michael died hair = all the hairs

I’ve got a hair in my mouth.
strand of hair his hair blue. on his head

business =
She has a business in South a business = a Let’s get down
commercial
Africa. company to business.
activity

How many countries are in the a country = a I grew up in country = outside

European Union? nation the country. of the city

a work = a piece They don’t want to go

I like this work by Turner. work = a job
of art to work.

Singular/Plural Uncountable Nouns

Some uncountable nouns are used in plural and some are used in singular.

 Singular uncountable nouns are used with verbs in the third person singular.

Here is a list of common singular uncountable nouns: advice, bread, chewing gum,
equipment, fun, furniture, grass, information, knowledge, luck, luggage, money, milk, news,
pasta, poetry, progress, rain, research, rice, snow, traffic, travel, weather, work,  …

Example:

money – Money makes the world go around.

(not: Money make the world go around.)

milk – The milk has gone sour.

(not:  The milk have gone sour.)

news – The news was wonderful.

(not:  The news were wonderful.)
 Plural uncountables are used with verbs in the plural.
Here is a list of common plural uncountable nouns: clothes, remains, thanks, groceries,
glasses, jeans, scissors, trousers/pants

Example:

clothes – His clothes are too big.

(not:  His clothes is too big.)

groceries – The groceries were expensive..

(not: The groceries was expensive.)