What are countable and uncountable nouns, any student can tell. The name speaks for itself: countable are those nouns that can be counted, and uncountable ones cannot be counted. However, this is not the only difference. Usually it is not difficult to determine whether a noun is countable or not, but in some cases the differences between Russian and English make themselves felt.
As practice shows, uncountable nouns cause more problems. Either they put the article in front of them, then they add the ending -S. Therefore, in this article we will focus our attention on those nouns that cannot be counted.
- Liquids: water, milk, tea, wine, etc.
Please note that the words tea, coffee, beer can be countable when, for example, you order something in a restaurant:
One coffee and two teas, please. - One cup of coffee and two cups of tea, please.
- Food (Types of food): bread, meat, cheese, butter, etc.
Many food names that represent mass are measured in liters, kilograms ( kilos), pieces (piece), plates (bowl) and so on. Often mistakes are made with the word bread (bread), since in Russian it is considered the norm to say "one bread" when we mean a loaf of bread, but in English one should say a loaf of bread.
Some food items are a collection: pasta, spagetty, rice.
- Materials: sand, metal, concrete etc.
Materials are a mass or substance, but sometimes the word can become countable when referring to an object made from a given material: paper (paper) - a paper (newspaper). In addition, when talking about varieties of the same material or liquid, the word can be pluralized:
- : love, weather, time, sleep, importance, experience etc.
Many abstract nouns can also be countable, depending on their meaning in a particular sentence. For example, time is time, and time is times. Read more about this in.
- Names of gases (Gases): air, oxygen, etc..
- Sets (Mass Nouns): hair, furniture, clothes, traffic, luggage etc.
Uncountable also include those nouns that are not separate objects and denote an accumulation of homogeneous objects, without clearly defined boundaries.
- Names of diseases (Illnesses): measles, influenza, mumps, etc.
But those nouns that denote frivolous health problems, such as a cold, a headache, a sore throat, a fever are countable and are preceded by an article. As for other diseases with the word ache ( toothache, backache, earache), then in British English they are always uncountable and are not used with the article A / AN, and in American English they can be countable when they denote a separate attack of the disease:
I had a terrible toothache yesterday. - I had a very bad toothache yesterday. (Ame)
I had terrible toothache yesterday. - I had a very bad toothache yesterday. (BrE)
- Branches of Science (Fields of Study): mathematics, physics, economics, etc.
- Sports (Sports): gymnastics, football, tennis etc.
Now let's take a closer look at the differences between countable and uncountable nouns. Different sources highlight a different number of differences, describe them differently, but we will not complicate things and highlight three main ones.
1. Countables can be counted, and uncountables can be measured
With countable nouns, you can easily use cardinal numbers:
One tree - one tree
Five people - five people
One hundred dollars - one hundred dollars
When we are dealing with uncountable nouns, we need to use certain measures of measurement:
Two liters of milk - two liters of milk
Five of tons of coal - five tons of coal
Three bowls of soup - three bowls of soup
Different containers, measures, forms are used for measurement. There are a lot of them, certain substances are measured by the appropriate containers, so this topic deserves a separate article, which will soon appear on our website.
2. Use of determinants
Many + countables:
How many people were in the queue? - How many people were in the queue?
Much + uncountable:
How much milk do you need? - How much milk do you need?
The a lot of/ lots of qualifier can be used with both types:
I "ve got a lot of friends. - I have a lot of friends.
He "s got a lot of money. - He has a lot of money.
If there is a small amount of something, then the pair (a) few and (a) little is used.
(A) few + countable:
(A) little + uncountable:
She gave me a little salt. She gave me some salt.
Sometimes it is more expedient to use the word some in the meaning of "a little", it is combined with both countable and uncountable ones:
Some apples - some apples
Some apple juice - some apple juice
The words any and no are also used with these nouns:
Have you bought any vegetables? - Did you buy vegetables?
Have you bought any oil? - Did you buy oils?
We haven "t bought any sweets or any sugar. - We didn't buy sweets and sugar.
There are no vegetables in the fridge. - There are no vegetables in the refrigerator.
There is no sugar at all! - No sugar at all!
If your level is a little higher, then this table will certainly come in handy, from which you can see which determiners are used with which nouns:
|
Countable |
Uncountable |
|
|
a good number of a large number of |
a small amount/ quantity of |
3. Plural and singular forms
And finally, the last difference. Countable nouns have singular and plural forms. Accessible and detailed about the plural is set out in the material on. Accordingly, if the noun is in the singular, we use the singular verbal form with it (is, was), and if in the plural, then the plural verbal form (are, were).
And here uncountable nouns can be roughly divided into two groups: those that "always is" and those that "always are". Of course, you will not find such terminology in textbooks, but this "classification" will help you remember.
Most uncountable nouns combine with the singular verb form (is, was, has):
And now, attention: those words that are constantly causing our mistakes. Remember that with these nouns in English we use singular form of the verb. Let's call them "always is":
news- news
money- money
advice- advice
furniture- furniture
knowledge- knowledge
traffic- road traffic
luggage- baggage
But what if you need to say: "a lot of advice" or "one piece of news"? By no means "many advices" and not "one new"! In this situation, use the word piece :
A piece of news - one piece of news
A piece of advice
Many pieces of advice
If the option with piece does not suit you, then select countable synonyms. For example, advice can be replaced by a countable recommendation or tip , the word news words news story or article .
And I'm not talking about money at all! Thought in Russian, word money always combined with a plural verb: money are. Don't let this happen! Learn two sentences:
This will help you avoid common mistakes.
In English, among the uncountable there are those that are consistent with the plural verb forms (are, were). Here are some of them:
clothes- clothes
contents- content
customs- customs
funds- facilities
goods- product
groceries- foodstuffs
manners- manners, behavior
odds- odds
outskirts- outskirts
police- police
premises- the property
regards- wishes
remains- remains
savings- savings
surroundings- surroundings
staff- staff
congratulations- congratulations
stairs- stairs
thanks- gratitude
troops- troops
wages- wage
Remember that these words belong to the category "always are", even if you really want to say " is".
As you can see, countable and uncountable nouns are not such a simple topic, there are enough rules to learn them and exceptions to remember them.
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A bit about countable and uncountable nouns.
In English, they are called Countable - ['kauntəbl] (countable) and Uncountable - [ʌn'kauntəbl] (uncountable) Nouns.
What are countable and uncountable nouns in English, I think everyone knows. In other words, what can be counted and what cannot be counted.
Usually not considered:
1) materials - (Wood, Silver, Gold)
2) liquids - (Water, Wine, Juice),
3) languages - (Spanish, English, German)
4) subjects of study - (Economics, Physics),
5) games - (Chess, Golf, Basketball),
6) diseases - (Herpes, Flu),
7) abstract nouns - (see below)
8) natural phenomena– (Rain, Snow, Humidity)
Used with them Much.
Much snow - a lot of snow.
In fact, you can imagine that somewhere there is a big pile ... of wood, sap, rain, german, information, business, shopping ... from which you chip off something interesting and countable for yourself. For example, from shopping dresses that you can count, and from business - ideas)
List of exemplary abstract nouns: advice (advice), anger (anger), applause (applause), assistance (help), behavior (behavior), business (business, affairs), seaside (seaside resort, by the sea),chaos (Chaos), countryside (In the village), courage (courage, courage), damage (damage), dirt (dirt), education (education), accommodation (room), evidence (testimony), housework (housework), homework (D / Z), information (information), intelligence (intelligence), knowledge (Knowledge), luck (luck), music (music), news (news), peace (peace), progress (progress), shopping (Shopping ), traffic( traffic), trouble (trouble), truth (truth), wealth (wealth), work (work), beauty (beauty), charity (charity), capitalism (capitalism), democracy (democracy), eternity (eternity),individualism, faith (faith), infinity (infinity), liberty (freedom), misery (suffering), motivation (motivation), observation (observation), poverty (poverty), privacy (personal space), slavery (slavery), space ( place, space), stability (stability), unemployment (unemployment), violence (violence), wisdom (wisdom)
Uncountable nouns have the form of the 3rd person singular - conventionally denoted (IS)
Your luggage looks heavy. Your luggage looks heavy.
This news is very important. This news is very important.
It will not be superfluous to remember that News IS
Money IS
hair IS,
Because it is in these words that they make mistakes, since in Russian they sound like
NEWS/HAIR/MONEY.
Uncountable nouns are not preceded by the article “a”, only “the”, when we need to clarify the definiteness. For example Give me the money - Give me money (that same money).
For what we cannot count, we use words and expressions how much/much,a little/little,a lot of.
We cannot say an information, but we can say little informationc (little information / a little information (a little information) or much / a lot of informationc (a lot of information) or the information (the same information)
* Little here does not mean "small", but in the meaning of "a little".
To turn uncountable nouns into countable ones, you need to add the preposition of and, for example, get a glass or a cup of water from water, and a piece of information from information)
a piece of news - news.
a bottle of water - a bottle of water
a grain of rice - a grain of rice
These words are called a kind - “Measured words” (Measure words), there are a lot of them, but mostly food measurements are remembered.
a cup of tea. A cup of tea.
a slice of meat. A piece of meat.
MANY CUPS OF TEA.
Or, you can imagine that "Money" are counted on "Rubles", "Music" has "Songs", and "Furniture"(Furniture) is calculated by tables-"Tables."(For example)
And, of course, with uncountables, we can use some (+ ) in affirmative sentences and any(?- ) in interrogative and negative sentences.
For example: We haven`t got any milk . We don't have milk at all.
Have you got any cheese? Do you have cheese?
Yes, I've got some cheese in the fridge. Yes, there is some cheese in the fridge.
* We can use Some in questions in the sense of a POLITE OFFER.
For example: Can I have some milk?
With countable nouns, things are much simpler.
1) easy to count - A Cup - Cups
A doctor-doctors
A lemon-lemons
I like oranges - I love oranges.
Bottles can break. Bottles may break.
2) Also used with some and any .
I would like some berries. I would like some berries
I wouldn`t like any berrie s. I would like any berries.
Have you got any berries? Do you have any berries?
Can I have some berries? Can I have some berries?
3) C With countables, we can use expressions such as few - (little), a few (a little), many
(lot), lots of (many)
For example:
There are few people in the street. There are few people on the street.
There are a few people in the street. There are few people on the street.
There are lots of pizzas on the table. There are many pizzas (large and different) on the table.
You speak correctly =).
Have a great day
Countable nouns (“to be counted”) are words denoting the names of specific objects and abstract concepts that can be counted. And since they can be counted, they are used both in the singular and in the plural. Here examples of countable nouns: table, picture, hour, holiday, offer, boy, decision, way-out, etc.
By using such words in the singular, you can precede them with the indefinite article a / an: a table, a picture, an hour, an offer, a boy, a decision, a way-out. Moreover, a countable noun in the singular must always be accompanied by some determiner. If there is no indefinite article, either a definite article (the) or a possessive pronoun (my, his, our, etc.), a demonstrative pronoun (that, this) is needed. Let me remind you that a determinative is a linguistic indicator with a noun, expressing the meaning of certainty. For example:
I saw a boy.
This picture is a masterpiece.
I approve of the decision you've made.
I broke my leg.
With countable nouns in plural we can use the indefinite pronouns some (any, many, few, many):
Some friends of mine will come to this party. Several of my friends will come to the party. (Some of my friends will come to the party).
In contrast to the previous uncountable nouns(“non-calculable”) are the names of substances, abstract concepts that cannot be counted. And, therefore, they are used only in the singular.
Examples: knowledge, silver, music, milk, water, happiness, furniture, advice, etc. These nouns cannot be used with the indefinite articles a / an, but they can be combined with the other determinants mentioned above (definite article, possessive, demonstrative pronoun).
They are also used with some indefinite pronouns: some, any, much, little. For example:
These ear-rings are made of silver.
I have some news for you.
I don't like the music you are listening to now.
Her beauty attracts me.
However, there are cases in which the use of an uncountable noun with the indefinite article a/an is allowed, as well as with numerals (one/two, etc.). This can be done when ordering food in a restaurant, cafe:
We'll have four coffees, please. We have four coffees.
Uncountable nouns include
- various edible products (meat, flour, milk, salt, etc.),
- liquids (petrol, coffee, etc.),
- substances and materials (gold, wood, glass, etc.),
- abstract concepts (help, education, etc.)
- and many other words (advice, weather, hair, etc.).
What if we need to use such a word in speech? how transfer any amount? Certain words serve this purpose: a piece of advice, a bowl of fruit, a carton of milk, a bar of chocolate, a glass of wine. ), a can of Coke (a can of Coca-Cola), a tube of paint (a tube of paint), a kilo of meat (a kilogram of meat), a cup of tea (a cup of tea), a loaf of bread (a loaf of bread), a rasher of bacon (thin slice of bacon).
If we are talking about material nouns, then we remember that there are nouns that denote not the substance itself, but the object that consists of this substance. Such a noun will already be countable. For example:
Their house is built of local stone. Their house is built from local stone. (uncountable noun)
I have a stone in my shoe. - I have a stone in my shoe. (countable noun)
In yet another way, real nouns can become countable: when they convey different sorts or kinds of a substance.
There is a live coal in the fire-place. - There is a burning coal in the fireplace.
You can read about four tips in choosing and using various body oils. - You can read four tips on how to choose and use different body oils.
What is the difficulty in understanding the principle of "computability-incomputability"? But the fact is that some nouns in English are uncountable, and in Russian or other languages, on the contrary, they are countable. Among them are the following words: baggage, bread, information, furniture, traffic, work, progress, accommodation, cash, clothing, cutlery, equipment, health, luck, money, photography, research, safety, sunshine, underwear, violence, etc.
Ports are open to internal passenger traffic. – Ports are open for international passenger traffic.
A change of underwear must be done at least once a day. - Change your underwear at least once a day.
The hotel checked our baggage. The hotel took our luggage for storage.
And there are nouns that can be used both as countable and as uncountable. But in this case, we will observe a difference in meaning. For example:
I ate three apples. - I ate three apples. (countable)
Is there an apple in this salad? Is there an apple in this salad? (uncountable)
Would you like a glass of lemonade? How about a glass of lemonade? (countable)
This sculpture was made of glass. This sculpture is made of glass. (uncountable)
I'm pressed for time. “I don't have time at all.
How many times did you read this article? How many times have you read this article?
We can all count. But does everything count? For example, how to calculate the weather? Or water, or money? “Well, we can count money!” many will object. Okay, let's count: one money, two money, three ... Is something wrong? But we can perfectly count rubles, dollars or euros. Why this conversation? Yes, to the fact that we will talk about countable and uncountable nouns in English.
Why is it important
The fact is that in English there are grammatical differences when using countable and uncountable. This concerns the agreement of the subject with the predicate, education, use, use of indefinite pronouns.
How to define countability
Everything is simple here: you need to calculate. If it turns out, then the noun is countable. If not, it's uncountable. We have already counted the money, let's count something else. For example, milk. Try saying: I have five milk. Immediately the question arises: what five? Liters? Glasses? Cans? So milk is an uncountable noun, and a liter, a glass or a can is a countable one. We can count hours, days, seconds, but we cannot count time. So time is an uncountable noun, and days and hours are countable. Using this principle, you can easily determine which noun is countable and which is not.
countable nouns
Countables include specific objects, objects, people, animals, which we perceive as separate units:
doll - doll
girl - girl
tree - tree
cat - cat
pencil - pencil
Some abstract concepts that can be counted can also be countable:
word - word
desire - desire
idea - idea
decision
order - order
You can always put a number in front of them:
four cats - four cats
two decisions - two decisions
Uncountable nouns
Uncountable substances include any substances: liquid, solid, gaseous, in the form of a powder. We also include abstract concepts, feelings, emotions, natural phenomena, various sciences and academic subjects, sports, etc. That is, everything that cannot be divided into separate units, and, therefore, counted:
peace - peace
gold - gold
time - time
kindness - kindness
love - love
Features of some nouns
Take, for example, nouns such as coffee (coffee), tea (tea), beer (beer). These are liquids, they cannot be counted and we refer them to uncountable nouns:
I don't like coffee, I prefer tea.
I dont like coffee, I prefer tea.
But here's another example:
Give us two coffees and a tea, please.
give us two coffee and tea, please.
As you can see, seemingly uncountable liquids have turned into countable ones. Since in this case we are not interested in abstract coffee and tea, but in a specific volume (cup, portion). We mean it, though we don't say it.
More examples
Here are some more examples where the same noun can have two categories. In this case, the semantic meaning of the word may change. Compare:
The statue is made of stone.
The statue is made from stone.
There are two beautiful stones in the girl's pocket.
The girl has (has) two beautiful pebble.
In the first case, the stone is the substance from which the statue is made, so the noun is uncountable. In the second case, a stone is an object that can be counted.
The bridge was not sturdy because it was made out of wood.
The bridge was not strong because it was made of tree.
This wood is huge.
This forest(woodland) is huge.
Forest is like wood, material is an uncountable noun. And the forest as a specific area, the forest area can already be counted.
The sun gives us light and heat.
The sun gives us light and warm.
The light in the room was dim.
Light(lamp, bulb) in the room was dim.
In the first case, the word "light" is used as an abstract concept, in the second, a specific light source is meant, of which there may be several (two light bulbs).
Michael has extensive experience in medicine.
Michael has a big experience in medicine.
When we went to Moscow, we had some interesting experiences.
When we went to Moscow, we had several interesting adventure(experiences).
In the first sentence, experience is an abstract, uncountable concept; in the second, it is specific interesting moments from life that can be counted.
Thus, depending on the meaning, the same noun can be countable or uncountable. How to determine? The old proven way: count.
Differences in languages
advice - advice
work - work
news - news
baggage - baggage
knowledge - knowledge
information - information, message
progress - progress, success
hair - hair
However, there are pitfalls here as well. For example, the word hair is uncountable; in English, hair cannot be counted. But there is a noun a hair, which translates as "hair" and refers to the countable:
There are two hairs on your dress.
Here (there are) two hair on your dress.
Let's move on to grammar
We have learned how to determine the countability of English nouns, now let's see where it can come in handy. The fact is that there are very important grammatical differences in the use of countable and uncountable nouns.
- English nouns change in number and can be either singular or plural. But this only applies to countable nouns. All uncountable nouns are used only in the singular. Don't try to pluralize them, that would be a mistake. In a sentence, uncountable nouns agree with the singular verb and can be replaced by the pronoun it:
This advice is very useful.
This advice very helpful.
water freezes at a temperature of zero degrees.
Water freezes at zero degrees.
I want to remind you that the word news also refers to uncountable, therefore, despite the ending - s, it is a noun in the singular:
no news is good news.
Absence news- good news.
- I think you know that nouns are used with articles, which can be and .
Both articles are used with countable nouns:
There is a big tree in the yard.
In the yard there is a large wood.
The tree is very old.
Wood very old.
The indefinite article cannot be used with uncountable nouns. This is explained simply: the indefinite article a / an comes from the English word one, which means "one". Since uncountable nouns cannot be counted, the article a/an cannot be used either. These nouns are either preceded by a definite article or no article at all:
water is very important for life on the Earth.
Water very important for life on the ground.
The water in the stream is cold and clean.
Water the stream is cold and clear.
- With the indefinite pronouns some and any, both countable and uncountable nouns can be used. However, countable nouns in this case must be in the plural:
I have some friends in Brazil.
I have some friends in Brazil.
He took some money and went to the store.
He took money (some money) and went to the store.
- The use of nouns with the pronouns much, many, little, few also has its own rules.
- The pronouns many (many), how many (how many, how many), (a) few (few, few) can only be used with countable nouns:
He doesn't usually ask many questions.
He usually does not ask many questions.
There are a few flowers in the garden.
The garden has some flowers.
- The pronouns much (many), how much (how much, how much), (a) little (little, a little) are used only with uncountable nouns:
how much time do you usually spend on this kind of work?
What time is it do you usually spend on this kind of work?
There is a little milk in the cup.
There is in the cup some milk.
- The expression a lot of (a lot) is used with any nouns:
There are a lot of cars in the yard.
In the yard a lot of cars.
There is a lot of water in the glass.
In glass plenty of water.
Knowing the grammatical features of countable and uncountable nouns will help you avoid many mistakes. But theory without practice is quickly forgotten. Channel "English - speak freely!" will give you the opportunity to practice your English at any time of the day. See you on the air!
Therefore, in English, all objects are divided into countable (those that can be counted) and uncountable (those that cannot be counted).
This topic is basic and very important. Therefore, if you do not deal with it from the very beginning, with further study of the language, you will make mistakes.
In this article I will tell you about countable and uncountable nouns and the features of their use.
From the article you will learn:
- General comparison table for countable and uncountable nouns
How to determine if a noun is countable or not?
Noun- part of speech denoting an object or person and answering the question "who?", "What?".
How to understand what subject is in front of us: countable or not?
It seems that everything is simple. However, there is a little trick here.
Let's take the floor money (money). Can we count money? Of course we can, you say. However, in English, money refers to uncountable nouns.
Can we say: “one money, second money, third money”? No, we count rubles/dollars/euro: one ruble, two rubles, etc. But we cannot count the word money, so it will be uncountable.
The same goes for water, milk, lemonade and other drinks. We cannot count these concepts ourselves: one water, the second water.
Therefore, liters and containers will be countable, but the liquid itself will be uncountable.
Let's look at each concept separately.
Countable nouns in English
countable nouns(count nouns) are those items that we can count.
For example:
One apple, two apples, three apples.
One apple, two apples, three apples.
Such words have their own characteristics, let's look at them.
1. Countable nouns are plural
- in the singular (one item)
- plural (several items)
In English, the plural is formed by adding the ending -s to a word.
For example:
cat - cats
cat - cats
cup - cups
cup - cups
bags
bag - bags
pen-pens
pen - pens
I talked in detail about the formation of the plural in this article.
2. With countable nouns, we use the article a/an
An article is a small label that is placed before certain words to help us catch information about them.
The article a / an comes from the word one and means “one thing”, “some, some”.
We use this article when we say about one subject. Therefore, we can only use it with items that we can count.
For example:
a cat
(one) cat
a bag
(one) bag
a phone
(one) telephone
a pen
(one) handle
You can read more about articles in English.
In addition to the article, we can use other words, depending on the meaning we want to convey.
Let's look at all the words that can come before the subject.
- The article a / an (when we are not talking about something specific, but about a general concept)
She bought a dress.
She bought a dress (some dress, we don't know which one exactly)
- The article the (if we are talking about something specific)
She bought the dress.
She bought a dress (we are talking about a specific dress that we know about)
- Possessive pronouns my, your, his, her, their, our (my, yours, his, her, them, ours). They show who owns the item.
She bought my dress.
She bought my dress.
- Words this (this), that (that)
She bought this dress.
She bought this dress.
3. With plural countables, we use the words many and few /afew
There is words that we can only use with things that we can count:
- many - a lot
- few - little
- a few - a few
For example:
We dealt with countable nouns, and now let's move on to uncountable ones.
Uncountable nouns in English
(uncount nouns) - something that we cannot count.
Uncountable nouns include:
- Food(usually something small, like a grain or shapeless)
Butter (butter), cheese (cheese), meat (meat), salt (salt), pepper (pepper), bacon (bacon), bread (bread), chocolate (chocolate), ice (ice), etc.
- Liquid
Water (water), lemonade (lemonade), coffee (coffee), milk (milk), tea (tea), wine (wine), petrol (gasoline), oil (oil), etc.
- materials
Gold (gold), iron (iron), wood (wood), plastic (plastic), paper (paper), etc.
- abstract concepts
Luck (luck), music (music), news (news), progress (progress), information (information), knowledge (knowledge), etc.
- gases
Air (air), oxygen (oxygen), smoke (smoke), etc.
- Diseases
Measles (measles), flu (cold), cancer (cancer)
- Kinds of sports
Chess (chess), baseball (baseball), football (soccer), poker (poker), golf (golf), etc.
- weather phenomena
Weather (weather), heat (heat), wind (wind), rain (rain), snow (snow), etc.
Uncountable nouns also have their own characteristics.
1. They don't change in numbers
Such words have only one form - singular.
2. With such words, we never use the article a / an
We cannot use the article a/an with something we cannot count. Usually with these words we use:
- Article the
For example:
I will take the chocolate.
I will take chocolate
- The word some - a little, a few
For example:
I will take some chocolate.
I'll take some chocolate.
3. With uncountable items, we use the words much,little/ alittle
There are words that we can only use with uncountable items:
- much (many)
- Little (little)
- A little
For example:
You drink so much coffee!
You drink so much coffee!
They have little money.
They don't have much money.
4. These concepts become countable when we talk about a piece / glass / liter / kilogram of something.
Uncountable:
Can you give me some bread?
Can you give me some bread?
Bring me some water.
Bring me some Water.
Countable:
Can you give me a piece of bread?
Can you give me a piece of bread?
Bring me a glass of water.
Bring me a glass of water.
To solidify the difference between countable and uncountable nouns, let's look at general table
Let's take a look at the general table and once again trace the difference between these concepts.
| countable nouns | Uncountable nouns |
| Something we can count For example: apple, cup, pen, phone |
Something we can't count For example: sugar, water, information, money |
| May be plural For example: apple - apples, pen - pens |
Can't be plural For example: money - moneys, sugar - sugars |
| Can be used with the article a Also used:
|
Cannot be used with the article a Most often used with:
|
| Used with the words many, few / a few For example: many cups, a few apples |
Used with much, little/ a little For example: much money, a little water |
So, we dealt with this topic. Now let's put it into practice.
Reinforcement task
Exercise 1: Choose which of the following words are countable and which are uncountable:
Pear, football, milk, dress, water, lemon, sugar, car, ball, money, coffee, house, butter, bread, candy.
Task 2: Translate the following sentences into English:
1. I have a few oranges.
2. Has she made a lot of money?
3. Does she have many books?
4. Bring me a glass of wine.
5. I need sugar.
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