International University – HCMC IE1 Listening & Speaking

Department of English

GRAMMAR 19
COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
A. UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
a. Uncountable nouns are, for example: gold, music, blood, excitement
Uncountable nouns are things we cannot count. They have no plural. You cannot say
“musics,” “bloods”, or “excitements.”
b. Before uncountable nouns you can say the/ some/ any/ much/ this/ his, etc.:
the music some gold much excitement his blood
But you cannot use a/an before an uncountable noun. So you cannot say “a music,” “an
excitement,” or “a blood.”
You can also use uncountable nouns alone, with no article
This ring is made of gold. Blood is red.
c. Many nouns can be used as countable or as uncountable nouns. Usually there is a difference
in meaning. For example:
paper I bought a paper. ( = a newspaper – countable)
I bought some paper. ( = material for writing on )
hair There’s a hair in my soup! ( one single hair – countable)
She has a beautiful hair. (hair on her head – uncountable)
experience We had many interesting experiences on our vacation. (= things
that happened to us – countable)
You need experience for this job. ( = knowledge of something
because you have done it before – uncountable)
d. Some nouns are usually uncountable in English but often countable in other languages. Here
are the most important of these:
advice bread informatio permission traffic weather
n
baggage chaos luggage progress travel work
behavior furniture news scenery trouble

These nouns are uncountable, so (i) you cannot use a/an before them; and (ii) they cannot
be plural:
 Tom gave me some good advice. (not some good advices)
 Where are you going to put all your furniture? (not furnitures)
 We don't have much luggage to carry. (not many luggages)
 I'm afraid I have some bad news. (not a bad news)
Remember that news is not plural:
 The news is very depressing today. (not The news are...)
Do not use travel to mean trip/ journey:
 We had a good trip. (not a good travel)

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 International University – HCMC IE1 Listening & Speaking
Department of English
Note these pairs of countable (C) and uncountable (UNC) nouns:
 I'm looking for a job. (C) but I'm looking for work. (UNC)
 What a beautiful view! (C) but What beautiful scenery! (UNC)

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Practice 1: Which of the underlined parts of these sentences is right?
Example: Sue was very helpful. She gave me some good advice/advices (“ advice" is right)

1. Margaret has very long black hair /hairs.

2. We had a very good weather/ very good weather when we were on vacation.
3. Can I help you with your luggage/ luggages?
4. I want something to read. I'm going to buy a/ some paper.
5. I want to write some letters. I need a/ some paper.
6. It's very difficult to find a work /job at the moment.
7. Bad news don't /doesn't make people happy.
8. Our travel /trip from Paris to Frankfurt by train was very interesting.
9. The apartment is empty. We don't have any furnitures/ furniture yet.
10.When the fire alarm rang, there was a complete chaos/complete chaos.
11.Can I talk to you? I need an /some advice.
12.Do you have any experience/experiences in sales?

Practice 2: Complete these sentences using these words:

advice hair work experience air

paper progress permission information

Example: The room was very crowded. We had to open the windows for some air
1. I don't think Ann will get the job. She hasn't got
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. They'll tell you all you want to know. They'll give you plenty of
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. You'll recognize Alan easily. He's got green
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Carla's English has improved. She has made
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. I want to write down your address. Do you have
__________________________________________________________________________________________________?
6. If you want to leave early, you have to ask for

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 International University – HCMC IE1 Listening & Speaking
Department of English
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. George is unemployed at the moment. He is looking for
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. I didn't know what to do. So I asked Jack for
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Practice 3: Write what you would say in these situations. Each time begin in the way shown
and use one of the words in section D of this unit.

Example: Your friends have just arrived at the station. You can't see any suitcases or bags.
You say: Do you have any luggage?

1. You go into the tourist office. You want to know about places to see in the town. You say: I'd

like _____________________________________________________________________________________
2. The weather is beautiful. You say: What ____________________________________________________

3. You are a student. You want your teacher to advise you about which exams to take. You say:

Can you give me__________________________________________________________________________?

4. You want to watch the news on television, but you don't know what time it is on. You ask

your friend: What time ___________________________________________________________________?

5. You are standing at the top of a mountain. You can see a very long way. It is beautiful. You

say: What ___________________________________________________________________________________

B. UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS WITH A/ AN/ SOME

a. Countable nouns are, for example: dog, umbrella, job, suggestion, girl
Countable nouns are things we can count. We can make them plural: two dogs, six jobs, some
girls, many suggestions
b. Before singular countable nouns you can use a/an:
 That's a good suggestion.  Do you need an umbrella?
You cannot use singular countable nouns alone (without a/the/my, etc.):
 I'm looking for a job. (not I'm looking for job)
 Be careful of the dog. (not Be careful of dog)
 Would you like a cigarette?
c. We often use a/an + noun when we say what something/someone is, or what something/
someone is like:
 A dog is an animal.  Sue is a very nice person
 This is a really beautiful house.  Jack has a big nose.
 What a nice dress!
Remember to use a/an for jobs:
 Tom's mother is a doctor. (not Tom's mother is doctor)

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 International University – HCMC IE1 Listening & Speaking
Department of English
 I wouldn't like to be an English teacher.
In sentences like these, we use plural countable nouns alone (not with some):
 Tom's parents are very nice people.  What awful shoes!
(not some very nice people)
 Ann has blue eyes.  Dogs are animals.
 Are most of your friends students?
d. We also use some with plural countable nouns. Some = a number of / a few of (but we don't
know or say exactly how many):
 I've seen some good movies lately.
 Some friends of mine are coming to stay for the weekend.
Do not use some when you are talking about things in general:
 I love bananas. (not some bananas)
Sometimes you can use some or leave it out:
 There are (some) eggs in the refrigerator if you're hungry
e. You have to use some when you mean some, but not all / not many, etc.
 Some children learn very quickly (but not all children)
 Some police officers in Britain carry guns, but most of them don’t.

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 International University – HCMC IE1 Listening & Speaking
Department of English
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Practice 1: What are these things? Try and find out if you don’t know.
Example: an ant? => It’s an insect. ants? bees? They are insects.
1. an onion? It’s _______________________ 5. Earth? Mars? Venus? Jupiter? They ____________
2. a pigeon? It _________________________ _____________________________________________________
3. a dandelion? _______________________ 6. the Rhine? the Nile? the Mississippi? __________
4. a skyscraper? _______________________ _____________________________________________________
And who were these people?
Example: Beethoven? He was a composer. Beethoven? Bach? They were composers.
7. Picasso? He was _________________________ 11. Kenedy? Johnson? Nixon? They __________________
8. Shakespeare? He ________________________ ______________________________________________________
9. Einstein? _________________________________ 12. Elvis Presley? John Lennon? _________________
10. Marilyn Monroe? _______________________ __________________________________________________

Practice 2: Read about someone’s job and then write what his or her job is.
Example: Ron flies airplanes. => He’s a pilot.
1. Sue types letters and answers the phone in an office. She is ______________________________
2. Tim plans people's vacations for them. He _________________________________________________
3. Carol takes care of patients in a hospital. She _____________________________________________
4. Mary teaches math. __________________________________________________________________________
5. Martha directs movies. ______________________________________________________________________

Practice 3: Put in a/an, or some, or put a cross (X) if none is needed.

Examples: I've seen some good movies recently. Do you have a headache?
Are most of your friends X students?
1. Do you have _____________ camera?
2. Would you like to be _____________ actor?
3. Bill has _____________ big feet.
4. Do you collect _____________ stamps?
5. Tom always gives Ann _____________ flowers on her birthday.
6. Those are _____________ really nice snacks. Where did you get them?
7. What _____________ beautiful garden!
8. What _____________ nice children!
9. _____________ birds, for example the penguin, cannot fly.
10. Jack has _____________ very long legs, so he's _____________ fast runner.
11. You need _____________ visa to visit foreign countries, but not all of them.
12. I'm going shopping. I'm going to get _____________ new clothes.
13. Jane is _____________ teacher. Her parents were _____________ teachers too.

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 International University – HCMC IE1 Listening & Speaking
Department of English
14. When we got downtown, _____________ stores were still open, but most of them were already
closed.
15. Do you enjoy going to _____________ concerts?

SUGGESTED ACTIVITES

Board Race
Instructions:

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 International University – HCMC IE1 Listening & Speaking
Department of English
 T prepares a list of several countable and uncountable nouns, then write all of them in the
board.
 Ss are divided into two or three groups. Each group has three minutes to decide whether
each noun is countable or uncountable. They can use the dictionary if they want.
 When three minutes is up, they stand in three lines and each member of each group takes
turn to run to the board and write ONE noun in either the column COUNTABLE or
UNCOUNTABLE. They have to race against each other because there is a time limit (e.g. 2
minutes or 4 minutes).
 When the time is up, the group with the most correct answers wins.