COUNTABLE AND

UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
GRAMMAR I
 Countable nouns

Things I can count

Two oranges
Three oranges
 COUNTABLE NOUNS
SINGULAR: PLURAL:
a + noun
one + noun noun + -s

a potato potatoes
 Use the singular form of the verb
with a singular countable noun:
• dog, cat, animal, man, person
• bottle, box, litre
• coin, note, dollar
• cup, plate, fork
• table, chair, suitcase, bag
Countable nouns can be singular or plural:
• My dog is playing.
• My dogs are hungry.
Uncountable nouns

Things I can’t count

 Uncountable Nouns
• music, art, love, happiness
• advice, information, news
• furniture, luggage
• rice, sugar, butter, water
• electricity, gas, power
• money, currency
We usually treat uncountable nouns as singular : We use a
singular verb. For example:
• This news is very important.
• Your luggage looks heavy.
You can count uncountable nouns if you use:
• A piece of… cheese
• A bowl of… soup
• A cup of… tea
• A bottle of…wine
• A carton of… milk
MILK

• A bar of… chocolate

 Here are some of the most common containers /
quantity expressions for these uncountable nouns:
advice - a piece of advice
baggage - a piece of baggage
bread - a slice of bread, a loaf of bread
equipment - a piece of equipment
furniture - a piece of furniture
garbage - a piece of garbage
information - a piece of information
knowledge - a fact
luggage - a piece of luggage, a bag, a suitcase
money - a note, a coin
musica – a song, a piece
news - a piece of news
pasta - a plate of pasta, a serving of pasta
research - a piece of research, a research project
travel - a journey, a trip
work - a job, a position
Here are some more common uncountable food types
with their container / quantity expressions:

 liquids (water, beer, wine, etc.) - a glass, a

bottle, a jug of water, etc.
 cheese - a slice, a chunk, a piece of cheese
 meat - a piece, a slice, a pound of meat
 butter - a bar of butter
 ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard - a bottle of, a
tube of ketchup, etc.
 There are some nouns we can use in both
countable and uncountable form;

Countable Meaning
There is a hair in my soup
A chicken escaped from the henhouse.
My favorite works of art are from China.
Uncountable Meaning
Sandra has black and long hair.
We had chicken for dinner.
It takes work to prepare a meal.
 NOUN ?
We love to read books.
?
countable Uncountable
 7-1 Let’s Practice

NOUN ?
Please pass the salt.
?
countable Uncountable
 7-1 Let’s Practice

NOUN ?
We need some chairs.
?
countable Uncountable
There is a mango. Singular countable
I have an egg.

There are some apples.

I have some eggs. Plural countable

There is some sugar. Uncountable

He has some bread.
7-3 Let’s Practice
a an some

a
There is _____ banana in the recipe.
singular countable noun
 7-3 Let’s Practice
a an some

There is _____
some ice cream in the fridge.
uncountable noun
 7-3 Let’s Practice
a an some

I need _____
some water to wash my
hands.

uncountable noun
I’d like some juice.

unspecified quantity

I’d like a glass of juice.

specified quantity
Some: Affirmative sentences:
There is some money

Any: Negative and Interrogative

sentences:
Is there any money?
No, there isn’t.

There isn’t any money

7-8 Let’s Practice

some any

I need _____
some time to study.
7-8 Let’s Practice

some any

There is _____
some cheese.
 7-8 Let’s Practice

some any

There aren’t _____

any horses in the
field.
 How Many or How Much ?

1. How much/ How many cars are

there?

There are six

cars!
2. How much/ How many Sugar is
there?

There are three spoons of sugar

3. How much/ How many pictures
are there?

There are six

pictures.
4. How much/ How many milk is
there?

There are two

boxes of milk
EXERCISES