Today we will look at which nouns in English are countable and which are not. Let's find out what to do if a noun can be either countable or uncountable. Let’s also remember which qualifying words need to be used in this or that case.
In this article we will learn English grammar literally with our fingers. If the number of nouns can be counted, they are countable; if not, they are uncountable. It's simple: three apples, two eggs and flour - it's unlikely that anyone will count it grain by grain. However, there are exceptions: some nouns in Russian can be counted, but not in English, and vice versa. In this case, a dictionary will help you. Also, some nouns in English can be either countable or uncountable - it depends on the context.
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Countable nouns in English
Countable nouns in English can be used in either the singular form or the plural form.
I have a car. - I have car.
There are 40 cars in our Nissan dealership. - At our Nissan dealership 40 cars.
Countable nouns in the singular cannot be used alone; they must be preceded by a qualifying word, for example, (my - my, his - his, our - ours, etc.) or a demonstrative pronoun (this - this, that - that ).
Let's find out in more detail what and when is best to use with singular countable nouns.
- Indefinite article a/an. It is believed that this article comes from the word one (one). Therefore, it should be used when we are talking about one of many - an indefinite object, person or phenomenon.
She has got a car. - She has car. (some one)
My friend is a doctor. - My friend is a doctor. (one class representative)If we use an adjective when describing something for the first time, we first put the article a/an, then the adjective and only then the noun.
I heard a wonderful song last night. - Last night I heard beautiful song.
Rome is a beautiful city. - Rome - beautiful city. - The definite article is the. It is believed that this article takes its roots from the pronoun that (that). Therefore, we use it when we talk about something specific that is known to both interlocutors.
Can you open the window, please? - Could you open it? window, Please? (both know which window needs to be opened).
I'm going to clean the car tomorrow. - I'm going to wash it tomorrow car. (both know which car we are talking about) - Possessive and demonstrative pronouns. Use possessive adjectives (my - mine, your - yours / yours, his - his, her - hers, its - his / her, our - ours, their - theirs) if it is appropriate in the context and you want to indicate what belongs to whom .
This is her daughter. - This her daughter.
My dog doesn't bite. - My dog doesn't bite.Or you can use a demonstrative pronoun (this - this, that - that).
This actor is brilliant. - This actor brilliant.
That man is staring at me. - That man stares at me.
Why use countable nouns in the plural?
- Zero article. That is, we simply don’t put anything. We use this rule if we are talking about something in general, without specifying anything.
She likes roses. - She likes roses. (roses in general, not specific)
Cars pollute our environment. - Cars pollute our environment. (cars in general, not specific ones) - The definite article is the. The same rule works here as in the case of singular nouns - we use the if we are talking about something specific or known to the interlocutor.
The children are playing in the park. - Kids are playing in the park. (we know what kind of children we are talking about)
Where are the books I gave you? - Where books that I gave you? (specific books) - Indefinite pronouns some, any. Use these qualifiers if you don't know the exact quantity of what you're talking about.
We usually use some (several) in affirmative sentences.
There are some birds in the tree. - Sits on a tree several birds. (we don't know how many birds)
We need to buy some balloons for the party. - We need to buy several balls for a party.Any is often used in interrogative and negative sentences instead of some.
I have not bought any apples. - I didn't buy apples.
Do you have any questions? - You have questions?Note that any in an affirmative sentence takes on the meaning of “any.”
You can buy any dress you like. - You can buy any dress, which you like.
- Words denoting quantity (quantifiers). It can be:
- many, a lot of - a lot
In colloquial speech, we often use many in interrogative and negative sentences, and lot of in affirmative ones. In a formal style, the expression a lot of is not recommended.
We didn't take many pictures. - We did not many photos.
I've seen a lot of great films recently. - I watched a lot of excellent films last time. - a few - several, few - few
It is interesting that only the article a distinguishes a few (a little, but enough) from few (not enough, not enough).
I have a few close friends. - I have some loved ones friends. (it suits me)
Few people know about this. - A few people know about it. (I wish there was more)
- many, a lot of - a lot
Uncountable nouns in English
Uncountable nouns in English have only one form and agree with a singular verb.
There is sand in my shoes. - In my shoes sand.
Your luggage looks heavy. - Is yours luggage looks heavy.
Uncountable nouns in English can be divided into several semantic groups:
- food: meat (meat), salt (salt), bread (bread), chocolate (chocolate), soup (soup);
- liquids: tea (tea), coffee (coffee), lemonade (lemonade), petrol (gasoline), oil (oil), shampoo (shampoo);
- materials and substances: gold (gold), wood (wood), sand (sand), paper (paper), coal (coal);
- abstract concepts: happiness (happiness), love (love), friendship (friendship), beauty (beauty);
- subjects of study and languages: chemistry (chemistry), literature (literature), Spanish (Spanish language), English (English language);
- diseases: flu (flu), mumps (mumps), measles (measles);
- other: money (money), furniture (furniture), weather (weather).
What can be used together with uncountable nouns?
- Zero article if we are talking about something in general.
She prefers green tea. - She prefers green tea.
- The definite article the, when we are talking about something specific.
The tea that she served was delicious. - Tea The one she served was delicious.
- Some, any. The rules of use are the same as in the case of countable nouns: in the affirmative form we often use some, in the negative and interrogative form - any. We use it when we mean a certain quantity, and most often we do not translate it into Russian.
I have some money in my wallet. - I have money in the wallet.
Do you have any luggage with you? - You have baggage with myself?
- No, I don’t have any luggage. - No, I do not have luggage.Please note that some can be used in interrogative sentences when we offer or ask for something.
Would you like some wine? - Would you like to have a drink? guilt?
Can you lend me some money? - Could you lend me money? - Words denoting quantity:
- much, a lot of - a lot
As in the case of countable nouns, in informal speech we use much in negative or interrogative sentences, and a lot of in affirmative ones.
Why do you need so much time for the survey? - Why do you need this? a lot of time for a survey?
You have a lot of furniture in your room. - In your room A lot of furniture. - a little - little, little - not enough
Please note that, as in the case of a few / few, the difference in meaning between a little / little is associated with the article: a little - a little (enough), little - little (not enough).
Pour a little milk in this glass, please. - Pour it some milk in this glass, please.
I have little milk, this is not enough for coffee. - I have little milk, it won't be enough for coffee. - To indicate quantities of uncountable foods and substances, use countable containers or units of measurement. For example: a kilo of sugar - a kilogram of sugar, a bottle of water - a bottle of water, a slice of pizza - a piece of pizza, etc.
Shall I bring a bottle of wine? - Bring me some bottle of wine?
If you cannot find a unit of measurement, then use the construction a piece of or a bit of.
I have two pieces of news- good and bad. Which should I start with? - I have two news- good and bad. Which one should I start with?
- much, a lot of - a lot
In the table below you will find the most common uncountable nouns in English and examples of their use. Pay attention to the use of qualifiers, indefinite pronouns, many/little, and verb agreement.
| Noun | Example |
|---|---|
| accommodation - housing | I need to find some accommodation for these four months. - I need to find housing for these four months. |
| advice - advice | I need a piece of good advice. - I need a good one advice. |
| baggage (AmE), luggage (BrE) - luggage | How much luggage have you got? - How much do you have? luggage? |
| equipment - equipment, equipment, device | This hospital has a lot of new equipment. - In this hospital a lot of new equipment. |
| furniture - furniture | There is little furniture in my house. - In my house little furniture. |
| information - information | It was a helpful piece of information. - It was useful information. |
| homework - homework | She has a lot of homework to do. - She needs to do a lot of homework. |
| housework - housework | I have a little housework today. I just need to do the ironing. - I have today a little housework. I just need to stroke it. |
| knowledge - knowledge | Unfortunately, I had little knowledge to pass the exam. - Unfortunately, I had little knowledge to take the test. |
| litter, rubbish (BrE), garbage (AmE) - garbage | Our planet is full of litter. - Our planet is full garbage. |
| luck - luck | Any luck with the booking? - Eat successes with reservation?? |
| news - news | The news was very exciting. - News were very exciting. |
| progress - progress | I haven't made any progress. - I didn't achieve it no progress. |
| traffic - road traffic | Traffic was blocked by some roadworks. - Road traffic was blocked due to road works. |
Nouns that can be either countable or uncountable
Depending on the context, the same noun in English can be either countable or uncountable. Let's look at examples of their use with the corresponding qualifiers, pronouns, words “many”/“little”.
| Uncountable | Countable |
|---|---|
| Coffee and tea as drinks, liquids I don't drink much coffee. I prefer tea. - I do not drink a lot of coffee, I prefer tea.
| Coffee and tea as a cup of drink Can we have a tea and a coffee? - Can we ( cup) tea And ( cup) coffee?
|
| Cake as food Would you like some of my birthday cake? - Do you want something festive? cake?
| One whole cake I need to buy two big cakes for the party. - I need to buy two large cake for a party.
|
| Chocolate as food I am allergic to chocolate. - I'm allergic to chocolate.
| Chocolate candy in a box I've found a box of chocolates. - I found box of chocolates.
|
| Hair She has long hair. - She has long hair.
| Hair There is a hair in my soup! - In my soup hair!
|
| Time I don't have much free time this week. - I have a little free time this week. time.
| Number of times I go to the gym three times a week. - I go to gym three times in Week.
|
| Paper as a material Can you give me some paper, please? - Could you give me paper, Please?
| Newspaper, document I bought an interesting paper. - I bought an interesting one newspaper.
|
| Glass I saw some glass near the broken window. - I saw glass near the broken window.
| Cup Can I have a glass of orange juice, please? - Can I cup orange juice please?
|
| Free space, space There is no room on the wall to hang a picture. - Not on the wall places to hang a picture.
| Room There are five rooms in this house. - In this house five rooms.
|
| Job I had troubles finding work after graduation - It was not easy for me to find work after graduation.
| Work, product There are more than one thousand works of art in this museum. - This museum has more thousands of works art.
|
| Stone as a material This palace was built of stone. - This castle was built from stone.
| Piece of stone A robber threw a stone at a bank's window. - The robber threw stone through the bank window.
|
| Affairs, business I have some unfinished business to go here. - I have unfinished ones here affairs.
| Company He runs a small business. - He runs a small company.
|
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We hope that our article helped you understand the difference between countable and uncountable nouns. Of course, there are many nuances and exceptions, which are simply impossible to talk about in one article. so as not to miss the next articles on grammar - and there will be a lot of them, we promise!
We are accustomed to not paying attention to which category a noun belongs to. In English everything is different. For example, some words that were uncountable, after adding the ending, not only become , but their meaning changes dramatically. But let's look at everything in order
With countable nouns everything is more or less clear. These include everything that we are able to count. In the singular the article a|an, the is used, in the plural - the zero article or the. With uncountable nouns the situation is somewhat more complicated.
The main features of Uncountable nouns in English
- We never use them with the articles a\an, while they are freely used with the
- After them there must be a verb in the required form according to the general scheme of the sentence
- They are preceded by the words little, any, much, etc., and not just pronouns:
Flour is produced in many foreign counties - Flour is produced in many foreign countries
The latest news was good - The latest news was good
Knowledge was his main weapon - Knowledge was his main weapon
Category of uncountable nouns: study in more detail
Learning and remembering all the nouns and their category separately is difficult and completely useless. How can you determine which word is in front of you? Everything is very simple. In English, uncountable nouns include entire categories of concepts. For example, look at this list of uncountable nouns. There are many exceptions in the English language, but we will look at the basic rules.
| Solids, food | butter - butter(The butter is not tasty today), spagetti - spaghetti(Italians adore spaghetti but I don't - Italians love spaghetti, but I don't), coal - coal(The coal was used for healing – Coal was used as medicine) |
| Liquids | water - water, blood - blood (The blood differs the water - Blood is not water). oil - oil (Give me some oil please, i’ll bake something - Give me some oil, I’ll bake something). coffee - coffee (If you like coffee you should try this one – If you like coffee, then you should try this variety) |
| Gases | pollution - pollution (The air pollution is caused by humanity - Air pollution occurs due to the fault of humanity) smoke - smoke from cigarettes (When we entered the room we felt the smoke - When we entered the room, we smelled cigarette smoke). oxygen - oxygen (We need oxygen not only for breathing – We need oxygen not only for breathing) |
| Games | Chess(I don’t like chess but adore droughts – I don’t like chess, but I’m delighted with checkers) |
| Languages of the world | Greek(If you think that English is difficult try Greek or Chinese - If you think that English is difficult, try to learn Greek or Chinese) |
| Diseases | flu - influenza She had flu a year ago - A year ago she had the flu |
| Natural phenomena | darkness - darkness (All little children are afraid of darkness), heat - heat (If you like heat you should visit Malta - If you like heat, you definitely need to visit Malta), fog - fog (The fog and rain is what I dislike in England - Fog and rain is what I don’t like in Great Britain), weather - weather, I don’t like such a weather - I don’t like this weather |
| Collective nouns | rubbish - garbage (There is a lot of rubbish after all the contests - After any event there is a lot of garbage left), luggage - luggage (I lost my luggage twice! - I lost my luggage twice) |
| Abstract nouns | behavior - behavior (Your behavior is awful - Your behavior is terrible), information - information (If you need more information, ask Julie - If you need more information, ask Julie) |
| School subjects and scientific disciplines | Math - mathematics (Math is the Queen of all the subjects - Mathematics - the queen of sciences), history - history (History and geography are sisters - History and geography - sisters) |
Those sneaky nouns!
Since nouns are the oldest part of speech in the English language, they represent one of the most difficult topics to master. The problem is that an uncountable noun can easily change its category, and you need to keep an eye on this. For example, when specifying with the addition of an article, not only the category changes, but also the entire meaning. Below is a small table of uncountable nouns that change category and meaning:
I visited them a few times - I visited them several times
Time went by - Time has gone...
Your life is worth fighting - Your life is worth fighting for
A life of the man was difficult - This man’s life path was thorny
If an uncountable noun is used to denote a part of a whole, then it changes category and becomes countable, subject to the same rules. For example:
I like tea. Give me a tea - I love tea. Pour me a cup.
The wine is useful, would you like a wine? - Wine is good for you, would you like a glass?
I’d like a coffee and a cake please – Please give me a cup of coffee and one cake.
He hated coffee - He hated coffee
He hated an Indian coffee - He hated Indian coffee
Added ending - changed category
When you add an ending to some nouns, they change the meaning and category. This transformation very clearly demonstrates the mechanism of word formation and the transition of one meaning to another. For example:
The color of her eyes was dark blue – She had dark blue eyes
They saw the king’s colors and cheered him up - They saw the king’s banners and began to greet him
Strike iron while hot – Strike the iron while it’s hot
The irons were too heavy for the boy – The chains were too heavy for the boy
Articles with uncountable nouns
Both articles and uncountable nouns in English are difficult topics, to put it mildly. But nothing is impossible if you have the desire to learn and develop. Below we provide a short list of rules with examples that will help you figure out how to use articles with uncountable nouns.
The article the is placed before a real uncountable noun if we mean not the whole substance, but a specific part. For example, in the following sentence it is clearly visible that the article is used to clarify quantity.
I bought the bread at the supermarket – I bought a loaf of bread in the supermarket
Put the milk into my bag – Put the milk in the bag.
In this case, the reference is to a bottle of milk that both speaker and listener know about.
The meat was too hot - The meat chop was too hot
Here the article also indicates that we are talking about a piece of meat, and not about the meat as a whole.
They won’t ship the ore today - They will not load the ore today
This sentence refers to a consignment of goods that, for one reason or another, cannot be loaded onto a ship.
The article the is also used with real nouns according to the general rule. According to which it is put in the event that the object or substance has already been mentioned in the text and the listeners already know what is being discussed.
We bought some tea and some coffee. The tea was awful but the coffee was amazing. — We bought tea and coffee. The tea was terrible, but the coffee was great.
I ordered some milk for my cat. They told me that the milk was spoiled. — I ordered milk for my cat, but they told me that the milk was spoiled.
That is, we see that in both examples, when a substance is mentioned again, the article the is used according to the general rule.
If an uncountable noun somehow stands out from the class of its own kind. That is also used with the article the.
The silk made by these worms is the best - The silk that this type of silkworm produces is the best.
The ore explored in Africa will help our industry – An ore deposit discovered in Africa will support our industry
The stone used for this castle was delivered from Egypt – The stone that was used to build this castle was brought from Egypt.
Any schoolchild can tell you what countable and uncountable nouns are. The name speaks for itself: countable nouns are those nouns that can be counted, while uncountable nouns cannot be counted. However, this is not the only difference. Usually it is not difficult to determine whether a noun is countable or not, but in some cases the differences between Russian and English make themselves felt.
As practice shows, uncountable nouns cause more problems. Either they will put an article in front of them, or they will add the ending -S. Therefore, in this article we will focus our attention on those nouns that cannot be counted.
- Liquids: water, milk, tea, vine etc.
Please note that the words tea, coffee, beer can be countable when, for example, you order something in a restaurant:
One coffee and two teas, please. - One cup of coffee and two cups of tea, please.
- Food (Types of food): bread, meat, cheese, butter etc.
Many names for food products that represent mass are measured in liters, kilograms (kilos), pieces (piece), plates (bowl) and so on. Mistakes are often made with the word bread, since in Russian it is normal to say “one loaf” when we mean a loaf of bread, but in English we should say a loaf of bread.
Some food products are a combination: pasta, spaghetti, rice.
- Materials: sand, metal, concrete etc.
Materials represent a mass or substance, but sometimes the word can become countable when referring to an object made from a given material: paper (paper) - a paper (newspaper). In addition, when talking about varieties of the same material or liquid, the word can take the plural form:
- : love, weather, time, sleep, importance, experience etc.
Many abstract nouns can also be countable, depending on their meaning in a particular sentence. For example, time is time, and time is time. Read more about this in.
- Names of gases: air, oxygen etc.
- Mass Nouns: hair, furniture, clothes, traffic, luggage etc.
Uncountable nouns also include those nouns that are not individual objects and denote a collection of homogeneous objects without clearly defined boundaries.
- Names of diseases (Illnesses): measles, influenza, mumps etc.
But those nouns that denote minor health problems, such as a cold, a headache, a sore throat, a fever are countable and are preceded by an article. As for other diseases with the word ache ( toothache, backache, earache), then in British English they are always uncountable and are not used with the article A/ AN, but in American English they can be countable when they denote a separate attack of the disease:
I had a terrible toothache yesterday. - My teeth hurt a lot yesterday. (AmE)
I had terrible toothache yesterday. - My teeth hurt a lot yesterday. (BrE)
- Fields of Study: mathematics, physics, economics etc.
- Sports: gymnastics, football, tennis etc.
Now let's take a closer look at the differences between countable and uncountable nouns. Different sources highlight different numbers of differences and describe them differently, but we won’t complicate things and highlight three main ones.
1. Countables can be counted, and uncountables can be measured.
You can easily use cardinal numerals with countable nouns:
One tree - one tree
Five people - five people
One hundred dollars - one hundred dollars
When we are dealing with uncountable nouns, we need to use certain measures:
Two liters of milk - two liters of milk
Five tons of coal - five tons of coal
Three bowls of soup - three bowls of soup
Different containers, measures, and shapes are used for measurement. There are a lot of them, certain substances are measured in appropriate containers, so this topic deserves a separate article, which will soon appear on our website.
2. Use of qualifiers
Many + countable:
How many people were in the queue? - How many people were in line?
Much + uncountable:
How much milk do you need? - How much milk do you need?
The a lot of/lots of qualifier can be used with both types:
I"ve got a lot of friends. - I have a lot of friends.
He "s got a lot of money. - He has a lot of money.
If there is a small amount of something, then the pair (a) few and (a) little is used.
(A) few + countable:
(A) little + uncountable:
She gave me a little salt. - She gave me some salt.
Sometimes it is more expedient to use the word some in the meaning of “a little”; it is combined with both countable and uncountable:
Some apples - some apples
Some apple juice - some apple juice
The words any and no are also used with both nouns:
Have you bought any vegetables? - Did you buy vegetables?
Have you bought any oil? - Did you buy oils?
We haven't bought any sweets or any sugar. - We didn't buy sweets or sugar.
There are no vegetables in the refrigerator. - There are no vegetables in the refrigerator.
There is no sugar at all! - There is no sugar at all!
If your level is a little higher, then you will probably find this table useful, from which you can see which determiners are used with which nouns:
|
Countable |
Uncountable |
|
|
a good number of a large number of |
a small amount/ quantity of |
3. Plural and singular forms
And finally, the last difference. Countable nouns have singular and plural forms. The plural is presented in an accessible and detailed manner in the material dedicated to. Accordingly, if the noun is singular, we use the singular verb form (is, was), and if it is plural, then the plural verb form (are, were).
And here uncountable nouns can be divided into two groups: those that “always is” and those that “always are”. Of course, you won’t find such terminology in textbooks, but this “classification” will help you remember.
Most uncountable nouns are combined with the singular verb form (is, was, has):
And now, attention: those words that constantly cause our mistakes. Remember that with these nouns in English it is used singular verb form. Let's call them "always is":
news- news
money- money
advice- advice
furniture- furniture
knowledge- knowledge
traffic- traffic
luggage- baggage
But what if you need to say: “a lot of advice” or “one piece of news”? By no means “many advices” and not “one new”! In this situation, use the word piece:
A piece of news - one piece of news
A piece of advice - one piece of advice
Many pieces of advice - a lot of advice
If option with piece you are not satisfied, then select countable synonyms. For example, advice can be replaced by countable recommendation or tip , word news words news story or article.
And I’m generally silent about money! Thoughts in Russian, word money always combined with a plural verb: money are. Don't let this happen! Learn two sentences:
This will help you avoid a common mistake.
In English, among the uncountables there are those that agree with the plural verb forms (are, were). Here are some of them:
clothes- cloth
contents- content
customs- customs
funds- facilities
goods- product
groceries- foodstuffs
manners- manners, behavior
odds- chances
outskirts- outskirts
police- police
premises- real estate
regards- wishes
remains- remains
savings- savings
surroundings- surroundings
staff- staff
congratulations- congratulations
stairs- ladder
thanks- Gratitude
troops- troops
wages- wage
Remember that these words belong to the category of “always are”, even if you really want to say “ is".
As you can see, countable and uncountable nouns are not such a simple topic, there are enough rules to learn them and exceptions to remember them.
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» Countable and uncountable nouns in English
Can everything be counted? Is it possible to count the stars in the Universe or the water in the seas and oceans? And if there are hotel stars and water in a glass, is it possible to count these objects? Why am I talking about this - we are talking about the English language. The fact is that in the English language, the possibility or impossibility of counting some objects, as it turns out, affects the grammar. A noun in English can be either countable or uncountable.
How to determine countability? Count!
To determine whether a noun is countable or not, you need to do a simple thing - try to count. In most cases, this will solve the problem immediately: two bottles, three friends, four cucumbers. And if it turns out to be some kind of nonsense, it means the noun is uncountable.
It would seem that the issue can be closed. Not really. The first problem that you may encounter here is to look carefully at what exactly you are counting, and do not fall into a logical trap.
For example: is vodka countable? Ha, you say, but what about: there may be 0.5 vodka, maybe 150 - why not calculate. But no, in this case we count liters and milliliters (or grams - as you are used to), and “one vodka, two vodkas” sounds strange. It turns out that vodka is an uncountable noun (and liter is a countable noun).
