Nouns

Count

Non-count

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

The major division of English nouns is into "countable" and "uncountable".

Countable nouns are also called "count nouns".

Uncountable nouns are also called "mass nouns".

This is money, right? Can you count it?

You cannot count it because all the money here is from different countries. If you were to take one, you could count it. Example:

1,800 dollars

Countable

Non -count

Can be Both

Partitive Structure

Exercise

Countable Nouns

Countable nouns are easy to recognize. They are things that we can count. For example: "pen". We can count pens. We can have one, two, three or more pens. Here are some more countable nouns:

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.

We can use the indefinite article a/an with countable nouns:

A dog is an animal.

When a countable noun is singular, we must use a word like a/the/my/this with it:

I want an orange. (not I want orange.)

Where is my bottle? (not Where is bottle?)

When a countable noun is plural, we can use it alone:I like oranges.

Bottles can break.

We can use some and any with countable nouns:I've got some dollars.

Have you got any pens?

We can use a few and many with countable nouns:

I've got a few dollars.

I haven't got many pens.

"People" is countable. "People" is the plural of "person". We can count people:

There is one person here.

There are three people here.

Uncountable Nouns

Categories of

Non-count Nouns

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns are substances, concepts etc that we cannot divide into separate elements. We cannot "count" them. For example, we cannot count "milk". We can count "bottles of milk" or "litres of milk", but we cannot count "milk" itself. Here are some more 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.

We do not usually use the indefinite article a/an with uncountable nouns. We cannot say "an information" or "a music". But we can say a something of:

a piece of news

a bottle of water

a grain of rice

We can use some and any with uncountable nouns:I've got some money.

Have you got any rice?

In a question, you should use “any”. Although the use of “some” is very common in everyday speaking.

We can use a little and much with uncountable nouns:

I've got a little money.

I haven't got much rice.

Uncountable nouns are also called "mass nouns".

Know the different categories of non-count nouns.

The chart below illustrates the different types of non-count nouns. Remember that these categories include other nouns that are count. For example, lightning, a natural event [one of the categories], is non-count, but hurricane, a different natural event, is a count noun. When you don't know what type of noun you have, consult a dictionary that provides such information.

Category Examples

Abstractionsadvice, courage, enjoyment, fun, help, honesty, information, intelligence, knowledge, patience, etc.

Activitieschess, homework, housework, music, reading, singing, sleeping, soccer, tennis, work, etc.

Food beef, bread, butter, fish, macaroni, meat, popcorn, pork, poultry, toast, etc.

Gasesair, exhaust, helium, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, pollution, smog, smoke, steam, etc.

Groups of Similar Itemsbaggage, clothing, furniture, hardware, luggage, equipment, mail, money, software, vocabulary, etc.

Liquids blood, coffee, gasoline, milk, oil, soup, syrup, tea, water, wine, etc.

Natural Eventselectricity, gravity, heat, humidity, moonlight, rain, snow, sunshine, thunder, weather, etc.

Materialsaluminum, asphalt, chalk, cloth, concrete, cotton, glue, lumber, wood, wool, etc.

Particles or Grains corn, dirt, dust, flour, hair, pepper, rice, salt, sugar, wheat, etc.

Know how to indicate number with non-count nouns.

Thunder, a non-count noun, cannot have an s added at the end. You can, however, lie awake in bed counting the number of times you hear thunder boom during a storm.When you want to indicate number with a non-count word, you have two options. First, you can put of in front of the non-count word—for example, of thunder—and then attach the resulting prepositional phrase to an appropriate count word.

Kristina heard seven claps of thunder.

A second option is to make the non-count noun an adjective that you place before a count noun. Then you could write a sentence like this:

Thunderheads filled the sky.

Here are some more examples:

Non-count Noun Countable Versionadvice pieces of advicehomework homework assignmentsbread loaves of bread, slices of breadsmoke puffs of smoke, plumes of smokesoftware software applicationswine bottles of wine, glasses of wine

snow snow storms, snowflakes, snow drifts

cloth bolts of cloth, yards of clothdirt piles of dirt, truckloads of dirt

Nouns that can be Countable and Uncountable

When you learn a new word, it's a good idea to learn whether it's countable or uncountable.

Sometimes a word that means one thing as a non-count noun has a slightly different meaning if it also has a countable version. Remember, then, that the classifications count and non-count are not absolute.

Time is a good example. When you use this word to mean the unceasing flow of experience that includes past, present, and future, with no distinct beginning or end, then time is a non-count noun. Read this example:

Time dragged as Simon sat through yet another boring chick flick with his girlfriend Roseanne.

Time = non-count because it has no specific beginning and, for poor Simon, no foreseeable end.

When time refers to a specific experience which starts at a certain moment and ends after a number of countable units [minutes, hours, days, etc.], then the noun is count. Here is an example:

On his last to Disney World, Joe rode Space Mountain twenty-seven times.

Times = count because a ride on Space Mountain is a measurable unit of experience, one that you can clock with a stopwatch.

Sometimes, the same noun can be countable and uncountable, often with a change of meaning.

Countable Uncountable

There are two hairs in my coffee! hair I don't have much hair.

There are two lights in our bedroom. light Close the curtain. There's too much light!

Shhhhh! I thought I heard a noise.There are so many different noises in the city. noise

It's difficult to work when there is so much noise.

Have you got a paper to read? (newspaper)Hand me those student papers. paper

I want to draw a picture. Have you got some paper?

Our house has seven rooms. room Is there room for me to sit here?

We had a great time at the party.How many times have I told you no? time

Have you got time for a cup of coffee?

Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's greatest works. work

I have no money. I need work!

Drinks (coffee, water, orange juice) are usually uncountable. But if we are thinking of a cup or a glass, we can say (in a restaurant, for example):

Two teas and one coffee please.

Partitive Structure with Uncountable NounsTo count or quantify an uncountable noun we use a unit of measurement - a measure word. For example, we cannot usually say “two breads” because “bread” is uncountable. So, if we want to specify a quantity of bread we use a measure word such as “loaf” or “slice” in a structure like “two loaves of bread” or “two slices of bread”. We call this structure a partitive structure.

partitive structure

quantity

measure word(partitive, countable

noun)"of" uncountable

noun

two cups of coffeeseveral games of tennis

a drop of water

We can use the same uncountable noun in different partitive expressions with different meanings. For example, a loaf of bread and a slice of bread are partitive expressions with different meanings. A loaf of bread is what we call a whole unit of bread that we buy from a baker. A slice of bread is what we call a smaller unit of bread after it has been cut from a loaf.

Here are some more examples:

Don't forget to buy a bag of rice when you go shopping.

Can I have one cup of coffee and two cups of tea.

The police found some items of clothing scattered around the floor.

I need a truck that will take at least three pieces of furniture.

You'd think a tablespoon of honey would be more than enough.

The word "partitive" indicates that only "part" of a whole is being referred to. The partitive structure using a measure word is common with uncountable nouns, but it can also be used with countable nouns, for example: a series of accidents, two boxes of matches, a can of worms.

Common Measure Words with Uncountable Nouns

Partitive expressions using measure words collocate strongly.

a bag of flour | rice | gold dust

a bar of chocolate | gold | soap

a bottle of Coke | milk | water | wine

a bowl of cereal | rice | soup

a box of cereal | paper

a can of cream | meat | tuna

a carton of ice-cream | orange juice | milk

a cup of hot chocolate | coffee | tea

a drop of blood | oil | water

a glass of beer | juice | water | wine

a grain of rice | sand | truth

an item of clothing | expenditure | news

a jar of honey | jam | peanut butter

a piece of advice | furniture | paper

a roll of paper | tape | toilet paper | Scotch tape

a slice of bread | cheese | meat | toast

a spoonful of sugar | syrup | whisky

a tablespoon of butter | honey | ketchup

a teaspoon of cinnamon | medicine | salt

a tube of glue | lipstick | toothpaste

Measure words are common with uncountable nouns, but some of them can also be used with countable nouns, for example: two boxes of matches, a can of worms.

1. __________ students are in the class? How many of How many

2. I don't have __________ about the Internet. much knowledge many knowledge

3. Can you give me __________ information? a little a few

4. Wow, what a large __________ of money! number amount

Choose the best answer for each of the following:

Answers

5. __________ time do you have? How many How much

6. I need _______ things for my new house. a few a little

7. I like to take __________ photos. much many

8. Dave wants to have __________ children. much many

Answers

Are the following nouns count or non-count? Put an N next to the non-count nouns and a C next to the count nouns. If the noun can be either non-count or count depending on the context, put a D next to it.

1. world

2. textbook

3. vinegar

4. flame

5. poetry

6. applause

7. thought

1. C

2. C

3. D

4. C

5. N

6. N

7. D

8. banana

9. conduct

10. progress

11. biology

12. essay

13. gem

14. shopping

8. C

9. N

10. N

11. N

12. C

13. C

14. N

Answers

The link below is to some worksheets that you can use for class work, home work, or for yourself.

Cont & Uncountable Nouns Work Sheets

http://www.keepandshare.com/doc5/7724/count-non-count-nouns-exercises-zip-928k?da=y

http://www.keepandshare.com/doc5/7725/partitive-expressions-with-uncountable-nouns-docx-19k?da=y

Thank you!

I hope this will help you, a little.

Any questions, comments, advice, and / or wishes – you can email me at amerenglish64@gmail.com