Countable and uncountable nouns

1. UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE CHIMBORAZO
FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS HUMANAS Y
TECNOLOGIAS
English Major
Countable and Uncountable nouns
Members:
Miguel Bravo Yèpez
Cristian Yumisaca
Eduardo Barreno
Semester:
Fifth
Riobamba June 25th, 2015.

2. COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
It's important to distinguish between countable and uncountable nouns in English because
their usage is different in regards to both determiners and verbs.
COUNTABLE NOUNS
Countable nouns are for things we can count using numbers. They have a singular and a
plural form. The singular form can use the determiner "a" or "an". If you want to ask
about the quantity of a countable noun, you ask "How many?" combined with the plural
countable noun.
Singular Plural
one dog two dogs
one horse two horses
one man two men
one idea two ideas
one shop two shops
Examples
 She has three dogs.
 I own a house.
 I would like two books please.
 How many friends do you have?
UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
Uncountable nouns are for the things that we cannot count with numbers. They may be
the names for abstract ideas or qualities or for physical objects that are too small or too
amorphous to be counted (liquids, powders, gases, etc.). Uncountable nouns are used with
a singular verb. They usually do not have a plural form.
Examples
 tea
 sugar
 water
 air
 rice
 knowledge
 beauty
 anger
 fear
 love
 money
 research
 safety
 evidence

3. We cannot use a/an with these nouns. To express a quantity of an uncountable noun, use
a word or expression like some, a lot of, much, a bit of, a great deal of , or else use an
exact measurement like a cup of, a bag of, 1kg of, 1L of, a handful of, a pinch of, an hour
of, a day of. If you want to ask about the quantity of an uncountable noun, you ask "How
much?"
Examples
 There has been a lot of research into the causes of this disease.
 He gave me a great deal of advice before my interview.
 Can you give me some information about uncountable nouns?
 He did not have much sugar left.
 Measure 1 cup of water, 300g of flour, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
 How much rice do you want?
Tricky spots
Some nouns are countable in other languages but uncountable in English. They must
follow the rules for uncountable nouns. The most common ones are:
accommodation, advice, baggage, behavior, bread, furniture, information, luggage,
news, progress, traffic, travel, trouble, weather, work
Examples
 I would like to give you some advice.
 How much bread should I bring?
 I didn't make much progress today.
 This looks like a lot of trouble to me.
 We did an hour of work yesterday.
Be careful with the noun hair which is normally uncountable in English, so it is not used
in the plural. It can be countable only when referring to individual hairs.
Examples
 She has long blond hair.
 My father is getting a few grey hairs now. (refers to individual hairs)
 I found a hair in my soup! (refers to a single strand of hair)
When using countable or uncountable nouns, pay attention to articles and adjectives!
Some articles and adjectives can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.
However, others can be used with only countable or only uncountable nouns.
Used with Countable Nouns Only
a a doctor, a pen,a meal,a class
many manycups, manybooks,manylibraries,many flights
few fewquestions,fewtables,few apples,few holidays,few countries

4. Used with Uncountable Nouns Only
much much money,muchtime,muchfood,muchenergy,muchwater
little little trouble,little equipment,little meat,littlepatience
a little bitof a little bitof confidence,alittle bitof sleep,alittlebitof snow
Used with Countable & Uncountable Nouns
the countable the monkeys,the teachers,the boats,the bananas
uncountable the cheese,the machinery,the luggage,the grass,the knowledge
some countable some tables,some stores,some grapes,some nurses
uncountable some time,some news,some bread,some salt
any countable any forks,anysocks,any bathrooms,anywaiters,anybeliefs
uncountable any advice,anysoap, any transportation,anygold,any homework
no countable no magazines,nochocolates,nopilots,norings,nomarkers
uncountable no trouble,nograss,no scenery,nomoney,nofurniture
a lot of countable a lot of animals,a lotof coins,a lot of immigrants,alot of babies
uncountable a lot of help,a lotof aggravation,alot of happiness,alotof fun
lotsof countable lotsof computers,lotsof buses,lotsof parties,lotsof colleges
uncountable lotsof cake,lotsof ice cream, lotsof energy,lotsof laughter
enough countable enoughplates,enoughonions,enoughrestaurants,enough
worries
uncountable enoughcourage,enoughwisdom, enoughspaghetti,enoughtime
plenty
of
countable plentyof houses,plentyof concerts,plentyof guitars, plentyof
uncountable plentyof oil,plentyof sugar,plentyof cheese,plentyof space
List of Uncountable Nouns (These are sample uncountable nouns only!
There are many more.)
General
 homework
a few a few questions,afewproblems,afew issues

5.  equipment
 luggage
 clothing
 furniture
 machinery
 gold
 silver
 cotton
 glass
 jewelery
 perfume
 soap
 paper
 wood
 petrol
 gasoline
 baggage
 hair
 traffic
Abstract
 advice
 help
 fun
 recreation
 enjoyment
 information
 knowledge
 news
 patience
 happiness
 progress
 confidence
 courage
 education
 intelligence
 space
 energy
 laughter
 peace
 pride
Food
 food
 flour
 meat
 rice
 cake
 bread

6.  ice cream
 cheese
 toast
 pasta
 spaghetti
 butter
 oil
 honey
 soup
 fish
 fruit
 salt
 tea
 coffee
Weather
 thunder
 lightning
 snow
 rain
 sleet
 ice
 heat
 humidity
 hail
 wind
 light
 darkness
Languages
 English
 Portuguese
 Hindi
 Arabic
 Japanese
 Korean
 Spanish
 French
 Russian
 Italian
 Hebrew
 Chinese
Subjects/Fields
 mathematics
 economics
 physics
 ethics

7.  civics
 art
 architecture
 music
 photography
 grammar
 chemistry
 history
 commerce
 engineering
 politics
 sociology
 psychology
 vocabulary
 archaeology
 poetry
Sports
 golf
 tennis
 baseball
 basketball
 soccer
 football
 cricket
 hockey
 rugby
 chess
 poker
 bridge
Activities
 swimming
 walking
 driving
 jogging
 reading
 writing
 listening
 speaking
 cooking
 sleeping
 studying
 working
Classroom Activiy.
Wich of the next statemenst are correct or incorrect. If the statement is incorrect you must
say the correct form of that statement.

8. 1. The money are insufficient. Incorrect
The money is insufficient
2. They have many works to do. Incorrect
They have a lot of work to do.
3. The news are very hopeful Incorrect
The news is very hopeful
4. She gave me a good advice. Incorrect
She gave me some good advice.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
1. Extracted from: http://www.edufind.com/english-grammar/countable-and-
uncountable-nouns/
2. Extracted from: http://www.engvid.com/english-resource/countable-and-
uncountable-nouns/

9. UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE CHIMBORAZO
FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS HUMANAS Y TECNOLOGIAS
CARRERA DE IDIOMAS
TEST
Name: ____________________________________________
Date: _____________________________________________
Objective:
The next test i made for that students reinforcement their knowledge about that they had
seen in the previous presentation.
Time: 10 minutes
Grade: You have an opportunity to reach 10 points as highest grade and 0 as lowest
grade; each correct answer has a value of 1 point.
Fill in each space in the following sentences with an appropiate form of a countable
or uncountable noun.
1. I need some __________________ about buying a house. I`ve never bought one before.
2. This type of bear has been declare dan endangered ___________________
3. You should eat fresh ___________________ such as oranges every day.
4. _______________ wich is used by dentist should be kept clean.
5. Beverly Hills 90210 is a TV ________________ about Young people in America.
6. She got __________________ to leave class early because she wasn`t feeling well.
7. Jane has blond long __________ that comes down to her shoulders.
8. Kids can use _______________ for games but they also have Access to the internet.
9. You`ll find all the ________________ you need in the shed.
10. I have so much maths ______________________ to do that I won`t be able to watch
TV.