Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Table of Contents
Exercises
Explanation
Countable Nouns
Countable nouns are things we can count: 1, 2, 3…
They have singular and plural forms.
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
a book |
two books |
|
a dog |
four dogs |
|
an egg |
six eggs |
We use a / an with singular countable nouns.
Examples:
-
I have a cat.
-
She bought an umbrella.
-
There are five chairs in the room.
We cannot use a singular countable noun alone:
I want apple
I want an apple
Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable nouns are things we cannot count one by one.
They do not use a / an and do not have plural s.
Common uncountable nouns:
-
food/drinks: sugar, milk, soup
-
materials: plastic, gold, sand
-
ideas: knowledge, luck
-
information words: news, advice, homework
Examples:
-
I need water.
-
She has patience.
-
We did homework yesterday.
Use some / much / a lot of with uncountable nouns:
-
We have some juice.
-
He doesn’t have much time.
-
They bought a lot of cheese.
Some Nouns Can Be Both
Meaning changes the form:
|
Countable |
Uncountable |
|
I ordered a coffee. (one cup) |
I like coffee. (the drink in general) |
|
She drew a picture. |
She likes drawing. |
|
I read a paper. (newspaper) |
I need paper. (material) |
Be Careful
|
Wrong |
Correct |
|
a bread |
a loaf of bread / some bread |
|
an advice |
some advice / a piece of advice |
|
many information |
much information / a lot of information |
Examples:
-
My friend gave me some good advice.
-
We bought a loaf of bread.
