Countables and Uncountables

In English grammar, words that refer to people, places, or things are called nouns. They can be classified in many ways.

One way to classify nouns is according to whether they can be counted or not. Many English mistakes are related to this point. By reading through this page, you will understand:

• what countable and uncountable nouns are
• how to use them correctly in a sentence

Countable (or count) nouns are words which can be counted. They have a singular form and a plural form. They usually refer to things. Most countable nouns become plural by adding an ‘s’ at the end of the word.

For example:

Singular	Plural
chair	chairs
bottle	bottles
student	students

Uncountable (or non-count) nouns are words which cannot be counted. Therefore, they only have a singular form. They have no plural forms. These words are thought of as wholes rather than as parts. They usually refer to abstractions (such as confidence or advice) or collectives (such as equipment or luggage).

For example:

Singular
money
furniture
information

Using Countable & Uncountable Nouns

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, a college
many	many cups, many books, many libraries, many flights
few	few questions, few tables, few apples, few holidays, few countries
a few	a few questions, a few problems, a few issues, a few issues

Used with Uncountable Nouns Only
much	much money, much time, much food, much water, much energy
little	little trouble, little equipment, little meat, little patience
a little bit of	a little bit of confidence, a little bit of sleep, a little bit of snow

Used with Countable & Uncountable Nouns
the	countable	the monkeys, the schools, 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 cities, some nurses
	uncountable	some time, some news, some bread, some salt, some mail
any	countable	any forks, any socks, any bathrooms, any waiters, any beliefs
	uncountable	any advice, any soap, any transportation, any gold, any homework
no	countable	no magazines, no chocolates, no pilots, no rings, no markers
	uncountable	no trouble, no grass, no scenery, no money, no furniture
a lot of	countable	a lot of animals, a lot of coins, a lot of immigrants, a lot of babies
	uncountable	a lot of help, a lot of aggravation, a lot of happiness, a lot of fun
lots of	countable	lots of computers, lots of buses, lots of parties, lots of colleges
	uncountable	lots of cake, lots of ice cream, lots of energy, lots of laughter
enough	countable	enough plates, enough onions, enough restaurants, enough worries
	uncountable	enough courage, enough wisdom, enough spaghetti, enough time
plenty of	countable	plenty of houses, plenty of concerts, plenty of guitars, plenty of
	uncountable	plenty of oil, plenty of sugar, plenty of cheese, plenty of space

EXERCISES:

http://www.english-4u.de/how_much_many_ex1.htm

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/nouns_articles/uncountable_nouns.htm

http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-countable-uncountable-nouns.php#.VRLd5PnF8YM

http://www.autoenglish.org/basic/gr.count1.pdf

http://www.autoenglish.org/basic/gr.count2.pdf

VÍDEO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-CTP0JpnWc