Countable and Non-countable Nouns

Countable and Uncountable nouns A countable noun is something we can count. It has a singular form and a plural form.ex: one book, three books; a leg, two legs; an apple, six apples; A singular count noun must have a determiner. An uncountable noun is something we dont count. It has no plural form. We use quantifiers before uncountable nouns: ex: fruit, some fruit; bread, a slice of bread; homework; a lot of homework; information, a little information The following are non-count nouns: Abstract nouns: advice art beauty confidence courage crime education enjoyment experience fun grammar happiness education hate health help homework honesty hospitality importance information intelligence justice knowledge laughter life love luck music news noise nutrition patience patience pride progress slang time truth unemployment vocabulary work makeup money news postage research scenery slang traffic

Groups with individual parts cash hardware change homework clothing jewelry equipment junk food junk fruit luggage furniture machinery garbage mail

Things with no definite form: Liquids beer blood coffee cream gasoline honey juice milk oil shampoo soup tea water wine Gases air carbon monoxide fire fog hydrogen oxygen pollution smoke steam Solids butter cheese cotton film flour glass ice ice cream meat powder salt soap sugar toothpaste wood wool salt sugar wheat

Things that have tiny parts too small to count corn dirt dust Natural phenomena darkness dew electricity fire fog gravity Sicknesses cancer cholera flu Academic Subjects art biology chemistry economics engineering history linguistics literature mathematics music physics poetry psychology science heat humidity light lightning rain snow sunshine thunder weather wind grass hair rice

heart disease malaria polio

smallpox strep throat

Languages Russian, Spanish, French, etc. Words that can be count and non-count Food (non-count) Animal or animal part (count) chicken a chicken lamb a lamb liver a liver fish a fish non-count count (means "a kind of ___") wine a wine, wines food a food, foods fruit a fruit, fruits meat a meat, meats education an education experience an experience non-count count glass (the material) a glass (something to put paper (the material) liquid in) iron (the metal) a paper (a report or fire (the gas) newspaper) time (an abstract idea) an iron (for pressing clothes) a fire (one specific occurrence of fire) a time, times (a specific occurrence or period) A lot of is used with both countable and uncountable nouns. Complete the following sentences by using a lot of and the correct form of the noun. 1. (money) 2. (sandwich) 3. (good idea) 4. (bad weather) 5. (homework) 6. (good advice) 7. (information) 9. (traffic) He has ____________________________________________. They ate ___________________________________________. That book has ______________________________________. We've been having __________________________________. We have _________________________________ to do tonight. She gave me ________________________________________. A dictionary contains ________________________________. I have learned _________________________________.

8. (new vocabulary) 10. (courage)

We were late because there (was/were) ______________________. She has _____________________________________________.

Many is used with countable nouns; much is used with uncountable nouns. Complete the following sentences by using many or much and the correct form of the noun. 1. (money) 2. (city) I don't have ______________________________________. I haven't visited ______________________ in the United States.

3. (equipment) How _________________________________ does a skier need?

4. (people) 5. (patience) 6. (patient) to 7. (news) 8. (postage) 9. (violence) 10. (continent) world?

I haven't met ___________________________ since I came here. I don't have __________________________ for incompetence. The doctor has so _________________________ that she has work overtime. There (isn't/aren't) ____________________ in the paper tonight. How _______________________ do I need to mail this letter? I think there (is/are) too ________________________________. How __________________________ (is/are) there in the