Introduction to Count and Noncount Nouns

A noun cab be a person, place, thing, idea, emotion, or quantity. There are two basic noun groups: Count nouns and noncount nouns.

M. A. Adam

Noun Groups

Noncount nouns: air, economics, furniture, news, rice, traffic, water Count nouns:

[book – books], [box- boxes] , [city- cities] Count nouns with irregular noun plurals: [child-children], [deer-deer],[fish-fish] [goose-geese], [mouse-mice],[[person-people] [tooth-teeth], [ox-oxen]. M. A. Adam

A, An, and Some

A, An with singular count noun means “one” or refers to a person or thing that is not specific. The article a comes before a consonant sound. An comes before a vowel sound. Some often with plural nouns. M. A. Adam

A, An and Some

Singular nouns: A or an with singular count noun refers to a person or thing that is not specific: the article a comes before a consonant sound. - I have a car. The article an comes before a vowel sound: - There is an apartment above the store. Plural noun: Some often appears with plural nouns. There are some apartments next door. M. A. Adam

Count Nouns with There + be

Statements and questions can be formed with there + be (is/ am/are/ was/ were, has been / have been). When there begins a sentence, the verb agrees with the noun that follows it. M. A. Adam

Statement with there + Be

• Affirmative: There is an island in the river. There are islands in the river. There’s an island. • Negative statements: There is no tunnel to Connecticut. There are no tunnels to Connecticut. There isn’t a tunnel. There aren’t tunnels.

M. A. Adam

Yes / No Questions with There + Be

Questions and answers:

Is there a bridge a cross the East River?

- Yes, there is

- No, there aren’t

Are there bridges across the east River?

- Yes, there are.

- No, there aren’t. M. A. Adam

Any, Some, and A lot Of

Any, some, and a lot of are often used with count and noncount nouns. M. A. Adam

Any, Some, and A lot Of

• Singular Nouns: Any can appear with singular count nouns. e.g. : Is there any apartment for rent? • Any is often used in questions and negative statements. e.g.: There isn’t any house for rent nearby. • Plural nouns: Any appears with plural count nouns: e.g.: Are there any houses for sale nearby? Some and a lot of can appear with plural count nouns. e.g. Are there some (a lot of) houses for sale around here?

M. A. Adam

Noncount versus Count Nouns (1)

Noncount includes the following: Ideas (history, knowledge) Emotions or feelings (satisfaction, peace) Activities (tennis, swimming) Mass nouns- things that you can measure (gasoline,

rice, furniture..etc) M. A. Adam

Noncount Versus Count nouns

• Noncount nouns:

bread, coffee, butter, meat, cheese, rice

They are singular. Don’t use a or an with them, instead some and any are used.

e.g.: We need bread.

There isn’t any coffee left.

Is there some rice?

Followed

• Noncount or Count Nouns: business, a business, chicken, a chicken, glass, a glass , cake, a cake Some nouns are either count or noncount, depending on their meaning. A or an can be used with these nouns when they are count nouns. e.g.: We are having chicken for dinner. Have you ever held a chicken? We need glass for the widow. Could I have a glass of water? M. A. Adam

How Much Versus How Many

• Noncount Nouns:

How much is used to ask questions with noncount nouns. Answers to these questions may include a variety of indefinite adjectives such as a lot (of), lots of. Some, much, (a) little, or not….any

e.g. How much bread do we have.

We have a little bread.

We don’t have any bread.

followed

• Count Nouns:

How many is used to ask questions with count nouns. Answers to these questions may include a variety of indefinite adjectives such as a lot (of), lots of, some, many, (a)few, or not ….any.

e.g. How many loaves of bread should I buy?

Don’t buy very many loaves.

Buy a few loaves of bread. M. A. Adam

Common Units of Measurement

Units of Measurement Items

bag sugar, potato chips, potatoes bar candy, hand soap bottle detergent, ketchup, juice box cereal, detergent bunch bananas, carrots, grapes can soup, beans, tuna, soda carton eggs, milk cup, tablespoon, teaspoon. (all liquids and dry recipe ingredients) M. A. Adam

followed

dozen eggs, bakery products gallon, quart, pint all liquids, ice cream head lettuce, cabbage jar mayonnaise, jam loaf bread package potato chips, piece cake, bread roll paper tube toothpaste

M. A. Adam

Noncount Versus Count nouns Noncount Count

• Employment jobs, occupations, professions

• Homework assignment, exercise

• Information facts, statistics

• Furniture tables, chairs

• News broadcasts , program

• Violence arguments, fights, wars

• Weather climates, storms, tornadoes M. A. Adam

Noncount Nouns with There + Be

Singular: (Noncount nouns)

There is always good food available in New York.

(Count nouns)

There is a good documentary on tonight.

plural

There are good documentaries on every night. M. A. Adam

A little Versus a few Not Much Versus Not Many With count nouns: A few There are a few apples left. (There are some apple left)

A little There is a little milk left in the cartoon (There is some milk left)

Few Few apples are left. (there is very small number)

Little there is little milk left. (there is a very small amount)

Not many there aren’t many apples Not much There isn’t much milk left in the carton.

M. A. Adam