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Countable Nouns
Countable Nouns
Countable nouns are the names of separate objects, people, ideas etc
which can be counted. They have plurals.Examples are: dog, tree, girl,
book, occasion and book
We can use numbers and the article a/an with countable nouns.
a dog
two books
three girls
Uncountable nouns
We cannot use numbers with uncountable nouns. They are also not normally
used with the article a/an.
To refer to a large quantity of paper, you can use the phrase a ream of
paper. In the same way, to refer to a large quantity of rice, sand, wheat
etc., use a heap of rice / sand / wheat etc.
Countable or uncountable
Sometimes it is not easy to see whether a noun is countable or uncountable.
For instance, travel is normally uncountable, while journey is countable. It
is impossible to give complete details. The following rules, however, should
help.
Illnesses
But note that the words for some minor ailments are uncountable. Examples
are: a cold, a headache
Mixed uses
Many nouns have both countable and uncountable uses, sometimes with a
difference of meaning.
Words for materials are usually uncountable. But note that the same word is
often used as countable noun to refer to something made of the material.
Many abstract nouns are uncountable when used in a general sense. The
same noun can be countable in a particular sense.
Some uncountable nouns are plural. They have no singular forms with the
same meaning, and cannot be used with numbers. Examples are: trousers,
jeans, pyjamas, pants, scissors, spectacles, glasses, arms, goods, customs,
groceries, clothes and thanks
Other plural uncountable nouns include the expressions the British, the
Dutch, the English, the French, the Irish, the Spanish and the Welsh.
Answers
1. I have bought some chairs. (Chairs - countable)
Notes
The nouns food and success can be countable and uncountable. Food is
uncountable when we are talking about food in general.