Countable vs Uncountable Nouns

Nouns can be countable or uncountable. Now let's have a look at the difference between countable nouns and uncountable nouns.

1. Countable Nouns -- apple, song house etc.

• Things that can be counted, even if the number might be extremely high (e.g. all the people in the world).

• Can be singular or plural.

I have an apple and you have three apples

• You can use a/an with singular countable nouns.

There is a girl outside. She is wearing a beautiful dress

• If you want to ask about the quantity of a countable noun, you ask How many? combined with the plural countable noun.

How many dogs are there? – There are five dogs

• You can use many, a few, few with plural countable nouns.

Sorry, but I didn’t take many pictures. I’ve got a few relatives leaving here

• You can use some, any, a lot of with plural countable nouns.

We like singing some crazy songs at karaoke

Did you buy any oranges?

She showed a lot of signs of affection

2. Uncountable Nouns -- tea, money, love etc.

• Things that we cannot count with numbers. They may be the names for abstract ideas or qualities or for physical objects that are too small to count or shapeless (liquids, gases etc.)

• No plural form.

We're going to have rice for lunch

• You can't use a/an with uncountable nouns, but you can often use the phrase a (bag, cup etc.) of.

There is a bowl of rice and a bottle of juice on the table

• If you want to ask about the quantity of an uncountable noun, you ask How much? combined with the uncountable noun.

How much coffee do we have left? - We don't have much coffee left

• You can use much, a little, little with uncountable nouns.

We didn't do much shopping there. We have a little sugar left

We have a little sugar left

• You can use some, any, a lot of with uncountable nouns.

We listened to some music there

I didn't buy any orange juice

There is a lot of love in the air

Guided Practice#

• Water, money, cat, anger, computer, beach, sand, street.

• I want to buy (plant) .................... so that my room looks nicer.
• Pete can eat (bag, chips) .................... without drinking anything.

• ........................................ ? - I got six muffins.
• ........................................ ? - There isn't much sugar in them.

• I've got a .................... money left and a .................... more errands to run.

• There was .................... strange tension between them and a .................... coworkers found it worrisome.

Short Story using Countable and Uncountable Nouns#

-The kitchen was a total mess.

-What do you mean?

-There was mold everywhere. There was a pile of dishes in the sink. There were leftovers on the plates. There was some milk spilled over the countertops.

-That sounds awful!

-Yeah... I wanted to clean it up but there wasn't even any soap in sight.

Independent Practice#

Decide whether the highlighted nouns are countable or uncountable.

1. I washed my hair yesterday.

2. You need to take one cup of flour.

3. Sorry, but I need to breathe some fresh air.

4. I'd like to give you some advice.

5. Sam brought a bottle of red wine.

Fill in the gaps with a/an. Sometimes no article is needed.

1. It wasn't her fault! It was .................... accident.

2. When Mike was in .................... Turkey, he stayed in .................... big hotel.

3. Sally is .................... bundle of .................... nerves as she has .................... job interview tomorrow.

4. There is .................... lot of .................... snow outside. Be careful!

5. .................... IQ test measures .................... intelligence.