(Countable and Uncountable) Nouns What is the difference between countable and uncountable nouns? Countable nouns Countable nouns are individual objects, people, places, etc which can be counted A countable noun can be: 1) singular - a friend, a house, etc 2) plural - a few apples, lots of trees, etc Use the singular form of the verb with a singular countable noun: • There is a book on the table That student is excellent! Use the plural form of the verb with a countable noun in the plural: • There are some students in the classroom Those houses are very big, aren't they? Uncountable nouns Uncountable nouns are materials, concepts, information, etc which are not individual objects and cannot be counted Uncountable nouns have no plural Some common uncountable nouns: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Accommodation Advice Behaviour Bread Copper (all metals) Meat Sugar English (all languages) Furniture Health Information Knowledge Luggage Maths (all school subjects) • • • • News Progress Research Rice (all • • • • • • • • • • cereals) Salt (all condiments) Scenery Spaghetti Traffic Transport Travel Trouble Water (all liquids Weather Work grains and Uncountable nouns (especially different types of food) have forms that express plural concepts These measurements or containers are countable: • • water - a glass of water equipment - a piece of equipment • • • • cheese - a slice of cheese sugar – one lump of sugar cake – a slice of cake toast – a piece of toast 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 • Nouns which can be countable or uncountable Nouns that can be thought of as a single thing/substance (e.g chicken, chocolate, egg, hair iron, paper, stone): • chocolate: there are two chocolates in the box; you have chocolate on your face iron: we have to buy a new iron; vegetables contain lots of iron • Hair: there is a hair in my soup; she has blond hair • Nouns used to refer to particular varieties (e.g wine, country) • • wine: would you like some wine?; this is a very good wine country: I would love to live in the country; he has visited five different countries Words for some drinks (e.g coffee, beer The countable noun means: a glass of, a cup of, etc.) • coffee: coffee is produced in South America; Fancy a coffee and a slice of cake? Time, space, room: • • • time: there is no time to talk; I didn’t have a very good time at the party space: there is no space here; Fill in the spaces with the correct preposition room: there is room for seven people in the lift; this is my favourite room Uncountable nouns ending in –s Some uncountable nouns end in –s and take a singular verb • Maths, physics, genetics, athletics, news Nouns ending in –s that are always plural Some nouns are always plural and take a plural verb: • Clothes, glasses, jeans, trousers, pliers, scissors To refer to them as a single item: • A pair of: I need a new pair of glasses Irregular plural forms Some nouns have the same form in the singular and plural: • • Aircraft, crossroads, series, sheep, species Species: There are many different species of dogs; this species is very rare Collective nouns Some nouns can be used with a singular verb if we see them as a unit They can also be used with a plural verb if we are talking about members of the group • • the army, the family, the government, the media, the press My family is very small; all my family are coming to the wedding NB: these nouns can only take a plural verb: cattle, the people, the police Determiners used with (countable and uncountable) nouns Lots/a lot of + plural countable and uncountable nouns (informal) I have lots/a lot of homework I have lots/a lot of brothers and sisters Much + uncountable nouns We don’t have much luck How much money you need? Many + plural countable nouns How many bags you have? There are many interesting things to Little/a + uncountable nouns little/ a bit of Just a little rice, please – not too much I have a bit of money, but not enough to pay for that The government has done very little to improve the situation Few/a few + plural countable nouns There were quite a few people in the (some ONLY) room Very few people know the secret Some + uncountable nouns and There is some useful information on plural nouns that website There are some good scenes in that film Hardly any No/not any + uncountable nouns and There were hardly any customers in plural countable nouns the shop + uncountable nouns and There was no milk left plural countable nouns There were no students on the bus There wasn’t any milk left There weren’t any students on the bus