English countable and uncountable nouns
Exercises
Lesson Outline
HideWhat are countable nouns?
Countable nouns definition
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.
Countable nouns examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| A computer | Three computers |
| A city | Two cities |
| An item | Five items |
Countable nouns and determiners
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:
- I bought you an apple this morning.
- Would you like a suggestion?
- This is my plan.
What are uncountable nouns?
Uncountable nouns definition
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:
- Abstract ideas
- Natural phenomena
- Qualities and feelings
- Liquids
- Gasses
Uncountable nouns list
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 |
Uncountable nouns and determiners
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 |
Examples:
- Is it okay if we play a bit of music?
- We need a cup of flour for the recipe.
- A handful of almonds contains approximately 160 calories.
- I need some advice about my project.
- You need to add a pinch of salt to the meal.
Nouns and pronouns
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. |
Practise with a private teacher on Skype!
- Private Skype lessons
- Learn any topic
- Flexible appointments
German lessons and learning materials included
I teach: English, French, German
My name is Christina and I provide fun German and French language lesson for children and adult beginners or intermediate who want to... strengthen their language skills, improve the grammar knowledge, enrich the vocabulary and get into the German culture! I can teach in English or French!I had experince in teaching German, English and French to foreign people so I do have a lot of useful learning material I can provide you to make it easier! Read more
Very experienced teacher!
This teacher is one of our premium members. A premium teacher is very motivated to provide an excellent learning experience.
Hello, I offer personalized one-on-one lessons for all levels
I teach: Dutch, English, French, Italian
Hello,I would love to help you improve your knowledge of English.I adapt the lessons following your wishes : are you a beginner and need to get... some basic knowledge with grammar and easy texts or do you want to improve your conversation skills. I can help you either way.Looking forward to meeting you ! Read more
Very experienced teacher!
Welcome to my class!
I teach: Bulgarian, English
Hi there,I am glad to meet you.First of all, let me congratulate you on the decision to learn or improve a new language. In your case this is... Bulgarian.My country, Bulgaria, is a beautiful country with nice and hospitable people. It is an ancient land with a great history and rich culture. Having learned our language you will be able to get in touch freely with our good people and country.I come from the town of Vidin, Bulgaria. I am a qualified English and Bulgarian teacher. I graduated back in 1972 from Sofia University with an MA in English Philology and Bulgarian Philology as a second subject. Since then I have spent most of my professional career teaching Bulgarian students.First of all, we will have a 20-30-minute trial lesson during which we can get to know each other, set expectations towards the lessons and schedule the timetable. The next step is simple - we start learning the language of your choice!Cannot wait to meet you and help you on your journey to learn Bulgarian. Read more
