English countable and uncountable nouns
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Countable nouns as the name suggest are used for words that can be counted both in singular and plural form through the use of a determiner or a number before them.
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
A computer | Three computers |
A city | Two cities |
An item | Five items |
Countable nouns easily can be identified by the determiners placed before them. The most commonly used ones are "a" (before a noun with a consonant) and "an" (before a noun with a vowel). Sometimes you could also see the determiners "my", "the", "some".
Examples:
Uncountable nouns are used for words that can't be counted through the use of numbers and generally seen as a whole. Their form is singular and the verb used with them in a sentence is singular as well.
Uncountable nouns are used with:
Uncountable nouns | Uncountable nouns |
---|---|
Accomodation | Luggage |
Advice | Love |
Cheese | Magic |
Food | Milk |
Flour | Money |
Furniture | Music |
Genetics | News |
Grammar | Oil |
Hair | Paper |
Help | Production |
Homework | Rice |
Information | Rubbish |
Intelligence | Sand |
Juice | Silence |
Justice | Snow |
Knowledge | Sugar |
Laughter | Time |
Leisure | Traffic |
Luck | Work |
For these nouns, we can't use a numerical value to identify them. Therefore numerical determiners and articles could help us for that. The most commonly used identifiers and expressions could be found on the table below.
A way of measuring | Example |
---|---|
A pinch of | salt, sugar |
A cup of | tea, brocoli |
A handful of | almonds |
A bag of | flour, chips |
Some | help, advice |
1 kg of | sand, rice |
Great deal of | luck, information |
A lot of | traffic, grammar |
A bit of | music, information |
We already mentioned some of the pronouns that could be used with nouns. In the following two tables we will present you with few examples for countable and uncountable nouns using pronouns to clear out any confusion and how they could be used with the two types of nouns.
Countable noun + pronoun | Example |
---|---|
Some | I bought some eggs. |
Any | Do you have any apples? |
Many | There aren't many cities as old as Plovdiv. |
Few | There are a few chairs in the kitchen. |
Uncountable noun + pronoun | Example |
---|---|
Some | Can you bring me some juice? |
Any | Is there any sand in the garage? |
Much | You don't have much luck, do you? |
Little | I could use a little help with that couch. |
→ Uncountable nouns are used for words that can't be counted through the use of numbers and generally seen as a whole.
Numerical determiners and articles help us identify the quantity of an uncountable noun.
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
1. _____ music.
A lot of
A bit of
Handful of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
2. Would you like _______ tea?
some
much
a cup of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
3. You need to add a _________ salt.
some
pinch of
bit of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
4. You should eat _____ peanuts every day.
a bit of
a pinch of
a handful of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
5. There's _____ of milk in the fridge.
some
many
a bit of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
6. You have ________ of luck.
a bag of
a great deal
a lot of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
7. Can you buy a _______ of flour?
bag
handful
kilo
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
8. I am going to show you ______ information about it.
a bag of
a bit of
some
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
9. I think you need to add a ______ garlic powder.
any
teaspoon of
pinch of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
10. I've got you a _____ tea.
cup of
bit of
some
→ Uncountable nouns are used for words that can't be counted through the use of numbers and generally seen as a whole.
Numerical determiners and articles help us identify the quantity of an uncountable noun.
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
1. _____ music.
Handful of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
2. Would you like _______ tea?
much
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
3. You need to add a _________ salt.
some
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
4. You should eat _____ peanuts every day.
a pinch of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
5. There's _____ of milk in the fridge.
many
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
6. You have ________ of luck.
a bag of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
7. Can you buy a _______ of flour?
handful
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
8. I am going to show you ______ information about it.
a bag of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
9. I think you need to add a ______ garlic powder.
any
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
10. I've got you a _____ tea.
some
Numerical determiners and articles such as "a", "an", "some", "any", "handful of" etc. help us identify the quantity of a noun.
→ Two of the answers don't fit the type of measurement that should be used in the sentence. You need to choose the answer that completes the sentence correctly.
1. I don't have ______ time.
some
much
many
2. I have _____ friends there.
much
a bag
some
3. I drink _____ water.
a lot of
a bag of
some
4. I am not bringing ____ furniture with me.
any
few
some
5. Do you have ____ apple by any chance?
many
an
cup of
6. I need _____ pasta for the dish.
a cup of
a loaf of
much
7. Do you have ____ lugagge?
any
an
few
8. I need to start eating _____ almonds.
a handful of
much
pinch of
9. I'd like ____ milk, please.
any
many
some
10. Do you need ___ lawyer?
a
several
some
Numerical determiners and articles such as "a", "an", "some", "any", "handful of" etc. help us identify the quantity of a noun.
→ Two of the answers don't fit the type of measurement that should be used in the sentence. You need to choose the answer that completes the sentence correctly.
1. I don't have ______ time.
much
2. I have _____ friends there.
some
3. I drink _____ water.
a lot of
4. I am not bringing ____ furniture with me.
any
5. Do you have ____ apple by any chance?
an
6. I need _____ pasta for the dish.
a cup of
7. Do you have ____ lugagge?
any
8. I need to start eating _____ almonds.
a handful of
9. I'd like ____ milk, please.
some
10. Do you need ___ lawyer?
a
→ Uncountable nouns are used for words that can't be counted through the use of numbers and generally seen as a whole.
Numerical determiners and articles help us identify the quantity of an uncountable noun.
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
1. _____ music.
A lot of
Handful of
A bit of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
2. Would you like _______ tea?
a cup of
some
much
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
3. You need to add a _________ salt.
pinch of
bit of
some
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
4. You should eat _____ peanuts every day.
a bit of
a pinch of
a handful of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
5. There's _____ of milk in the fridge.
some
a bit of
many
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
6. You have ________ of luck.
a great deal
a lot of
a bag of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
7. Can you buy a _______ of flour?
bag
handful
kilo
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
8. I am going to show you ______ information about it.
a bit of
a bag of
some
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
9. I think you need to add a ______ garlic powder.
any
teaspoon of
pinch of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
10. I've got you a _____ tea.
some
cup of
bit of
→ Uncountable nouns are used for words that can't be counted through the use of numbers and generally seen as a whole.
Numerical determiners and articles help us identify the quantity of an uncountable noun.
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
1. _____ music.
Handful of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
2. Would you like _______ tea?
much
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
3. You need to add a _________ salt.
some
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
4. You should eat _____ peanuts every day.
a pinch of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
5. There's _____ of milk in the fridge.
many
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
6. You have ________ of luck.
a bag of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
7. Can you buy a _______ of flour?
handful
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
8. I am going to show you ______ information about it.
a bag of
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
9. I think you need to add a ______ garlic powder.
any
→ One of the answers doesn't fit the type of measurement used in the sentence. You need to choose it.
10. I've got you a _____ tea.
some
Numerical determiners and articles such as "a", "an", "some", "any", "handful of" etc. help us identify the quantity of a noun.
→ Two of the answers don't fit the type of measurement that should be used in the sentence. You need to choose the answer that completes the sentence correctly.
1. I don't have ______ time.
much
some
many
2. I have _____ friends there.
much
a bag
some
3. I drink _____ water.
a bag of
a lot of
some
4. I am not bringing ____ furniture with me.
few
some
any
5. Do you have ____ apple by any chance?
cup of
many
an
6. I need _____ pasta for the dish.
a cup of
much
a loaf of
7. Do you have ____ lugagge?
an
any
few
8. I need to start eating _____ almonds.
much
pinch of
a handful of
9. I'd like ____ milk, please.
some
many
any
10. Do you need ___ lawyer?
some
several
a
Numerical determiners and articles such as "a", "an", "some", "any", "handful of" etc. help us identify the quantity of a noun.
→ Two of the answers don't fit the type of measurement that should be used in the sentence. You need to choose the answer that completes the sentence correctly.
1. I don't have ______ time.
much
2. I have _____ friends there.
some
3. I drink _____ water.
a lot of
4. I am not bringing ____ furniture with me.
any
5. Do you have ____ apple by any chance?
an
6. I need _____ pasta for the dish.
a cup of
7. Do you have ____ lugagge?
any
8. I need to start eating _____ almonds.
a handful of
9. I'd like ____ milk, please.
some
10. Do you need ___ lawyer?
a