LoginCountable and Uncountable Nouns
Explore countable and uncountable nouns in-depth with detailed explanations. Examples include 'chair' and 'information', plus a quiz to test your knowledge.
What Do We Mean by Countable and Uncountable Nouns?
Nouns can be classified into two groups based on whether they can be counted or not:
countable nouns
uncountable nouns
Countable Nouns
Countable nouns can be quantified, for example, one potato, two potatoes, three potatoes, etc. Since they can be counted, countable nouns typically have two forms.
Take a look at some examples:
There are two notebooks in your bag.
In this example, using a number before a noun makes it obvious that it is countable.
I have one apple and two sandwiches. Do you want some?
Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable nouns, also known as mass nouns, cannot be quantified, for example, butter, water, rice, etc. They are typically used with a singular verb and do not have a plural form.
I'll make some coffee.
There isn't any sugar left.
How much rice is needed in this dish?
Tip!
When we use plural form of uncountable nouns, like "cheeses" or "wines", we are not referring to the uncountable noun itself, but rather to its various types or varieties. A particular type of cheese or wine is countable because it is a characteristic of the noun, rather than the noun itself.
Switzerland has many different cheeses and wines.
Here we mean 'Switzerland has many different varieties of cheese and wine'.
There are many different rices in Asia.
Categories of Uncountable Nouns
'Uncountable nouns' can be categorized into different groups:
activities: homework, sleep, research, dance, smoking, playing, etc. are all uncountable nouns.
The groundbreaking research is finally complete.
Smoking was his worst habit.
languages: nouns such as English, Spanish, French, Italian, etc. are considered uncountable.
French is too hard to learn.
Spanish was my favorite language back then.
sports: nouns such as cricket, football, basketball, soccer, rugby are considered uncountable nouns.
Basketball is one of the most famous games of all time.
Football makes you fast and strong.
subjects and fields: nouns such as physics, mathematics, poetry, history, etc. are considered uncountable.
I studied history which was actually really interesting for me.
This music is created by his father.
states of being: nouns such as happiness, sadness, birth, death, courage, forgiveness, etc. are considered uncountable.
For me, happiness is the most important thing in my life.
Forgiveness is a powerful act that can bring peace and healing to both the forgiver and the forgiven.
abstract ideas: nouns such as information, education, knowledge, etc. are considered uncountable.
His information is based on the news so it has to be true.
He does not have much knowledge about Chemistry.
qualities and values: nouns such as justice, freedom, intelligence, patience, etc. are considered uncountable.
Her intelligence always impresses everyone she meets.
Freedom has been interpreted differently throughout history.
weather: words related to the weather in general, such as rain, fog, snow, sunshine, wind, etc. are uncountable.
If this rain continues, we will have to cancel out outdoor picnic.
There's too much wind.
natural phenomena: words like electricity, heat, darkness, noise, etc. are uncountable.
There's too much noise here.
Electricity is the main source of power in my town.
groups of items: some nouns refer to a group of items but are nevertheless uncountable and always singular, such as furniture, luggage, equipment, etc.
The furniture is heavy.
My equipment was not enough for such a complicated task.
substances: nouns that refer to different kinds of liquids, materials, grains, powders, and gasses are considered uncountable.
liquids: water, juice, milk, oil, etc.
materials: cotton, gold, silver, wood, etc.
bulk foods: rice, salt, sugar, flour, pasta, wheat, etc.
gasses and particles: air, smoke, dust, sand, etc.
semi-solids: butter, jam, cheese, honey, etc.
Pay attention to the examples:
I drank my tea and finished it. → liquid
Gold is one of the most valuable substances on earth. → material
The air was polluted so I wore a mask. → gas
Put some sugar in my coffee; I don't like it dark. → bulk food
Collective Nouns vs. Uncountable Nouns
Some uncountable nouns, such as 'furniture' and 'equipment', are often used in sets or collections, which can make them appear similar to collective nouns. However, the difference is that collective nouns are countable and can be used with indefinite articles as well as numbers, whereas uncountable nouns cannot.
I will make a team that can beat yours easily.
'team' is a collective noun
I have had a furniture.
'furniture' is an uncountable noun
Partitives
Partitives are words or phrases that are followed by the particle 'of' and are used to refer to a portion of a following noun, whether it is countable or uncountable. Examples of partitives include 'spoonful of,' 'bunch of,' 'flock of,' 'bottle of,' 'piece of,' 'slice of,' 'glass of' and 'lots of,' 'a lot of,' 'many of,' and 'a number of'. Keep in mind that when uncountable nouns are used with partitives, the partitive becomes plural but the noun remains unchanged. Here are some examples:
Give me five slices of the cheese.
As you can see, the partitive takes the number "five" and "-s" to become plural, but the noun remains unchanged.
Lots of people were standing in lines for the Black Friday discounts.
When used with countable nouns, both the partitive and the noun become plural.
Using Quantifiers with Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Some 'quantifiers' are only used with countable nouns because they refer to a number whether it is a definite or indefinite number. Check out the examples:
✓A glass of water was left on the table.
In this sentence the word 'glass' is a countable noun and it can be used with indefinite article 'a.'
✗A water was left on the table.
Here, the word 'water' is an uncountable noun, as a result you cannot use it after an indefinite article.
✓ I have used many jars of jam.
Here the noun 'jar' is a countable noun so we can use it with 'many.'
✗ I have used many jam.
In this example, 'jam' is uncountable so we cannot used it with 'many.'
Countable Nouns | Uncountable Nouns | |
|---|---|---|
a, an | ✓ | ✗ |
several | ✓ | ✗ |
few | ✓ | ✗ |
many | ✓ | ✗ |
Some quantifiers can only be used with uncountable nouns. These quantifiers refer to an amount and as a result, they cannot indicate numbers for countable nouns. Check out the examples.
✓ I can see little progress in cancer research.
✗ I can see a few progress in cancer research.
✓ Much information is required to solve the case.
✗ Many information is required to solve the case.
Uncountable Nouns | Countable Nouns | |
|---|---|---|
little | ✓ | ✗ |
much | ✓ | ✗ |
Warning!
"Little" and "few" are already negative in meaning, so they are not usually used with negative verbs in the same sentence.
Few students passed the exam.
Few students didn't pass the exam.
Using a negative verb with "few" in the same sentence creates ambiguity and should be avoided.
Review
Based on whether nouns can be counted and used with numbers or not, they can be categorized into two groups: countable and uncountable nouns.
Uncountable Nouns | Countable Nouns |
|---|---|
cannot be counted | can be counted |
cannot be used with a number | can be used with a number |
do not have plural forms | have plural forms |
are used with 'little,' and 'much' | are used with 'a,' 'an,' 'a few,' 'several,' and 'many' |
Quiz:
Choose countable or uncountable for each noun.
| Noun | countability |
|---|---|
furniture | |
apple | |
information | |
team | |
rice | |
homework |
Match each uncountable noun with its correct category.
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
I enjoy reading books on histories of the world.
We need more informations to complete this task.
The committees agreed on the proposal.
Basketballs are my favorite sport.
Choose the correct quantifier pair: "............ patience" / "............ coins"
Much / Many
Many / Few
Several / Much
Few / Little
Fix the mistakes in these sentences.
"My luggages were lost at the airport." → My
lost as the airport.
"She drank two glass of waters." → She drank
.
"We need new furnitures for the office." → We need
for the office.
"He has much friends in Paris." → He has
in Paris.
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