countable and uncountable nouns

What are countable nouns?




Countable nouns are individual objects, people, places, etc. which can be counted.

books, Italians, pictures, stations, men, etc.



A countable noun can be both:

Singular- a friend, a house, etc. –

or plural - a few apples, lots of trees, etc.



Use the singular form of the verb with a singular countable noun:

Singular

There is a book on the table.

That student is excellent!



Use the plural form of the verb with a countable noun in the plural

Plural

There are some students in the classroom.

Those houses are very big, aren't they?


What are uncountable nouns?

Uncountable nouns are materials, concepts, information, etc. which are not individual objects and cannot be counted.



information, water, understanding, wood, cheese, etc.



Uncountable nouns are always singular.

Use the singular form of the verb with uncountable nouns:



There is some water in that pitcher.

That is the equipment we use for the project.



Adjectives with Countable and Uncountable Nouns.



Use a/an with countable nouns preceded by an adjective(s):



Tom is a very intelligent young man.

I have a beautiful grey cat.



Do not use a/an with uncountable nouns preceded by an adjective(s):



That is very useful information.

There is some cold beer in the fridge.

Some uncountable nouns in English are countable in other languages. This can be confusing!

Here is a list of some of the most common, easy to confuse uncountable nouns.





accommodation
advice
baggage
bread
equipment
furniture
garbage
information
knowledge
luggage
money
news
pasta
progress
research
travel
work


Obviously, uncountable nouns (especially different types of food) have forms that express plural concepts. These measurements or containers are countable:



water            - a glass of water

equipment     - a piece of equipment

cheese          - a slice of cheese


Here are some of the most common containers / quantity expressions for these uncountable nouns:



accommodation - a place to stay

advice - a piece of advice

baggage - a piece of baggage

bread - a slice of bread, a loaf of bread

equipment - a piece of equipment

furniture - a piece of furniture

garbage - a piece of garbage

information - a piece of information

knowledge - a fact

luggage - a piece of luggage, a bag, a suitcase

money - a note, a coin

news - a piece of news

pasta - a plate of pasta, a serving of pasta

research - a piece of research, a research project

travel - a journey, a trip

work - a job, a position



Here are some more common uncountable food types with their container / quantity expressions:

liquids (water, beer, wine, etc.) - a glass, a bottle, a jug of water, etc.

cheese - a slice, a chunk, a piece of cheese

meat - a piece, a slice, a pound of meat

butter - a bar of butter

ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard - a bottle of, a tube of ketchup, etc. What are countable nouns?

MSR/mbs