PPT to help you, about count and non-count nouns

1. Count and Non-
Count Nouns

2. Common Noun and Proper
Noun
Common noun: I want to be a writer.
Proper noun: Agatha Christie wrote many books.
Common noun: Let’s go to the city.
Proper noun: Let’s go to San Francisco.
Common noun: My teacher starts work before sunup.
Proper noun: Mr. Bell seems to understand what
students need.

3. Common noun: I think that’s a planet, not a star.
Proper noun: I can see Jupiter tonight.
Common noun: He’s always hanging out with
his girlfriend.
Proper noun: He never goes anywhere without Sarah.
Common noun: There are a lot of
important documents in the archives.
Proper noun: There are many important documents
at The Library of Congress.

4. Countable
nouns

5. Some nouns refer to things which, in
English, are treated as separate items
which can be counted. These are
called countable nouns. Countable
nouns can be singular or plural. They
can be used with a/an and with
numbers and many other determiners
(e.g. these, a few).

6. Here are some examples:
o a laptop, three laptops
o my book, my two books
o These shoes look old now.
o I’ll take a few magazines with me
for the flight.

7. UNCOUNTABL
E NOUNS
Or mass nouns

8. In English grammar, some things are
seen as a whole or mass. These are
called uncountable nouns, because
they cannot be separated or counted.
Another way to identify them is when
you need a physical quantity and not
only a number.

9.  Ideas and experiences
 Materials and substances
 Weather words
 Names for groups or collections of things
 Accommodation, baggage, homework,
knowledge, money, permission, research,
traffic, travel.

10. These nouns are not used with a/an or
numbers and are not used in the plural.
o We had terrible weather last week.
o Not: We had a terrible weather last
week.

11. WARNING!
Some nouns which are
uncountable in English are
countable in other languages.

12. Nouns with
Count and
Non-Count
Meanings

13. Sometimes a word that means one thing as a
noncount noun has a slightly different meaning if
it also has a countable version. Remember,
then, that the classifications count and noncount
are not absolute.
Light (non-count noun) Lights (count noun)

14. The political arguments took the nation to a situation of
political instability.
The author's argument was unsupported and
stereotypical.

15. On his last trip to Disney World, Joe rode Space Mountain
twenty-seven times.
Time dragged as Simon sat through watched another
boring chick flick with his girlfriend Roseanne.

16. If we conceive the meaning of a noun as a continuum from
being specific to being general and abstract, we can see
how it can move from being a count noun to a non count
noun.
Evils (count noun) Evil (non-count noun)

17.  I had many horrifying experiences as a pilot.
 This position requires experience.

18. The talks will take place in Degnan Hall.
I hate it when a meeting is nothing but talk.

19. I love the works of Shakespeare.
I hate work.

20. Notice that the plural form means something quite different
from the singular form of this word; they're obviously
related, but they're different.
Wood / Woods
Ice / [Italian] ices
Hair / Hairs

21. A special case is the use of the count distinction for the
purpose of classification.
 Several types of French wines are grown in the French
Riviera.
 I prefer Sumatran coffees to Colombian.
 We use a variety of different batters in our bakery.

22. Some nouns cannot be made countable or
plural, we cannot have :
Furnitures
Informations
Knowledges
Softnesses
Chaoses

23. Non-Count
Nouns Made
Countable

24. Non-count nouns (like coffee) can
not be used with "a, an" articles. To
convert them into an accounting
unit it’s necessary to use another
additional word, for example a cup
of coffee.

28. Quiz

29. 1. He used the computer to find more
information.
2. She unfolded the towel on the sand.
3. There was too much furniture in the
room.
4. A student sat down in her seat.
5. The radio was playing a beautiful
song.
6. The teacher gave the students some
advice.
7. Steven had to hang a picture on the
wall.
8. Sarah played the music for the class.
Countable
Countable
Countable
Countable
Uncountable
Uncountable
Uncountable
Uncountable