countable and uncountable homework

Homework: Countable vs Uncountable Nouns

job/work, suitcase/luggage...

Intermediate

Furniture or furnitures? Advice or advices? It’s not always easy to know whether a word is countable or not, especially when it’s relatively new to you. Being able to do so is, nevertheless essential, so it’s important that students come to recognise the words that cannot be pluralised and therefore always appear in the same form. This handy homework sheet helps students practise Countable and Uncountable Nouns in three different ways.

After downloading your PDF: print it immediately or save and print later. Answers are provided for teachers on the second page.

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• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Nouns: countable and uncountable

Countable nouns.

Some nouns refer to things which, in English, are treated as separate items which can be counted. These are called countable nouns. Here are some examples:

a car , three cars

my cousin , my two cousins

a book , a box full of books

a city , several big cities

Singular and plural

Countable nouns can be singular or plural. They can be used with a/an and with numbers and many other determiners (e.g. these, a few ):

She’s got two sisters and a younger brother .

Most people buy things like cameras and MP3-players online these days .

These shoes look old now.

I’ll take a few magazines with me for the flight .

Determiners ( the, my , some , this )

Singular and plural nouns

Uncountable nouns

In English grammar, some things are seen as a whole or mass. These are called uncountable nouns, because they cannot be separated or counted.

Some examples of uncountable nouns are:

Ideas and experiences: advice, information, progress, news, luck, fun, work

Materials and substances: water, rice, cement, gold, milk

Weather words: weather, thunder, lightning, rain, snow

Names for groups or collections of things: furniture, equipment, rubbish, luggage

Other common uncountable nouns include: accommodation, baggage, homework, knowledge, money, permission, research, traffic, travel .

These nouns are not used with a/an or numbers and are not used in the plural.

We’re going to get new furniture for the living room.

Not: We’re going to get a new furniture for the living room . or We’re going to get new furnitures for the living room .

We had terrible weather last week.

Not: We had a terrible weather last week .

We need rice next time we go shopping.

Some nouns always have plural form but they are uncountable because we cannot use numbers with them.

I bought two pairs of trousers .

Not: I bought two trousers .

Other nouns of this type are: shorts, pants, pyjamas, glasses (for the eyes), binoculars, scissors .

Some nouns which are uncountable in English are countable in other languages (e.g. accommodation, advice, furniture, information ):

They can give you some information about accommodation at the tourist office.

Not: They can give you some informations about accommodations at the tourist office .

Can you give me some advice about buying a second-hand car?

Not: Can you give me some advices about buying a second-hand car?

A good learner’s dictionary will tell you whether a noun is countable or uncountable.

Quantity expressions ( a bit/piece )

To refer to one or more quantities of an uncountable noun , expressions such as a bit of, a piece of , an item of or words for containers and measures must be used:

He bought a very expensive piece of furniture for his new apartment.

Maggie always has some exciting bits of news when she comes to see us.

I think we’ll need five bags of cement for the patio.

There’s a litre of milk in the fridge for you. And I bought you a bar of chocolate .

Determiners ( my, some, the )

Uncountable nouns can be used with certain determiners (e.g. my, her , some, any , no , the, this, that ) and expressions of quantity (e.g. a lot of, (a) little ):

They gave me some information about courses and scholarships and things.

Have you heard the news ? Fran’s getting engaged.

She’s been studying hard and has made a lot of progress .

There’s no work to do here, so you can go home if you like.

This milk ’s a bit old, I’m afraid.

Countable phrases for uncountable nouns

We can sometimes use countable noun phrases to talk about an individual example of the thing an uncountable noun refers to.

Finding a place to live is difficult if you’re a student and you’ve got no money. (or Finding accommodation … )

Not: Finding an accommodation …

She brought two big suitcases and a rucksack with her.

Not: She brought two big luggages …

I read a poem once about someone riding a horse at night.

Not: I read a poetry …

We went on a trip to the Amazon when we were in Brazil.

Not: We went on a travel …

Countable and uncountable nouns with different meanings

Some nouns can be used either countably or uncountably, but with different meanings.

Uncountable nouns used countably

Measures and examples.

Sometimes uncountable nouns are used countably, to mean ‘a measure of something’ or ‘a type or example of something’:

Can I have two teas and one coffee , please? (two cups of tea and one cup of coffee …?)

A: How many sugars do you want in your tea? (How many spoonfuls/lumps of sugar?) B: Just one, please .

To some degree we tend to eat the foods that we ate as children. (i.e. types of food)

Abstract nouns

Some abstract nouns can be used uncountably or countably. The uncountable use has a more general meaning. The countable use has a more particular meaning.

Nouns of this type include: education, experience, hatred, help, knowledge, life, love, sleep, time, understanding .

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• A1-A2 grammar

Nouns: countable and uncountable

Do you know how to use a , some , any , much and many ? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how to use countable and uncountable nouns in a sentence.

I'm making a cup of tea. There's some money on the table. Have we got any bread? How many chairs do we need? How much milk have we got?

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Countable and uncountable nouns 1: Grammar test 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

Nouns can be countable or uncountable. Countable nouns can be counted, e.g. an apple , two apples , three apples , etc. Uncountable nouns cannot be counted, e.g. air , rice , water , etc. When you learn a new noun, you should check if it is countable or uncountable and note how it is used in a sentence.

Countable nouns

For positive sentences we can use a / an for singular nouns or some for plurals.

There's a man at the door. I have some friends in New York.

For negatives we can use a / an for singular nouns or any for plurals.

I don't have a dog. There aren't any seats.

Uncountable nouns

Here are some examples of uncountable nouns:

We use some with uncountable nouns in positive sentences and any with negatives.

There's some milk in the fridge. There isn't any coffee.

In questions we use a / an , any or how many with countable nouns.

Is there an email address to write to? Are there any chairs? How many chairs are there?

And we use any or how much with uncountable nouns.

Is there any sugar? How much orange juice is there?

But when we are offering something or asking for something, we normally use some .

Do you want some chocolate? Can we have some more chairs, please?

We also use some in a question when we think the answer will be 'yes'.

Have you got some new glasses?

Other expressions of quantity

A lot of (or lots of ) can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.

There are lots of apples on the trees. There is a lot of snow on the road .

Notice that we don't usually use many or much in positive sentences. We use a lot of instead.

They have a lot of money.

However, in negative sentences we use not many with countable nouns and not much with uncountable nouns.

There are a lot of carrots but there are n't many potatoes. There's lots of juice but there is n't much water.

Go to Countable and uncountable nouns 2 to learn more.

Try this exercise to test your grammar again.

Countable and uncountable nouns 1: Grammar test 2

Language level

Hello, I want to ask a question.Can I answer 'any' in Grammar Test 2 No.7. Why is the answer 'any shirt'?

• Log in or register to post comments

Hello Aung Qui,

'any shirt' is not correct in that sentence. When there's a negative meaning, we use 'a' with singular nouns (like 'shirt') and 'any' with plural nouns and countable nouns in a sentence like this.

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Hi Is there any difference between this grammar in American English ?

Hello reza-3x,

I can't think of any differences, but if you had something specific in mind, please let us know.

After I finished the lessons, I completely understood how prepositions come with a noun. This lesson helps me a lot. Thank the authority.

Hello! I also have some question about using 'uncountable and countable' words. Regarding the word 'waste' as a noun, it can be used both 'waste' and 'wastes' for the meaning as unwanted material or substance(e.g.nuclear waste, plastic waste). When you say 'A lot of plastic waste goes into the ocean.', can you also say 'Lots of plastic wastes go into the ocean.' or 'A lot of platic wastes go into the ocean.'? I am quite confused what makes a real difference between plastic 'waste' and plastic 'wastes'.

Thank you for your advice!

Hello lily7983,

Waste is usually an uncountable noun and we modify it with quantifiers that go with uncountable nouns: a lot of, a great deal of, some, a little etc.

Wastes (plural) is unusual, but it does exist to describe types of waste. The Cambridge Dictionary gives this example: Oil spills are common, as is the dumping of toxic industrial wastes .

I would not say 'plastic wastes' unless in context you are very specifically talking about a number of different types of plastic waste.

The LearnEnglish Team

I have trouble understanding the punctuation applied by some writers, which is inconsistent with what I learned from grammar books. For instance, I learned that a comma should be placed before coordinating conjunctions such as 'and' and 'but.' However, why is a period sometimes placed before them?

I have another question, too. Which of the following is grammatically correct?

People don't have a good life.

People don't have good lives.

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• A1-A2 grammar

Countable and uncountable nouns

It’s the day of Oliver and Alfie’s cooking competition. Daisy is filming the chefs in action, and Mum is on her way home.

Instructions

As you watch the video, look at the examples of countable and uncountable nouns. They are in red in the subtitles. Then read the conversation below to learn more. Finally, do the grammar exercises to check you understand, and can use, countable and uncountable nouns correctly.

Daisy: So, our first chef is Alfie. Alfie, let’s see your ingredients. Alfie: OK, well, I’ve got a lemon, an apple and some garlic, some butter and some chicken breasts ...  livers! Ah, chicken livers! Daisy: Mmm ... chicken livers ... an unusual choice. Are you feeling confident? Alfie: Well, sort of. It’s a challenge! Daisy: OK ... now to Oliver. Hi, Oliver. Oliver: Hello. Daisy: What ingredients have you got, Oliver? Oliver: OK, well I’ve got a steak, some red chilli peppers, some potatoes, cream, onions and some giant prawns. Daisy: Wow – an interesting selection. How do you feel about the competition? Oliver: I’m pretty confident.  I mean ... steak and prawns, or chicken livers ... I know which I prefer! Daisy: OK, well, we’ll be back later.

Mum: Hi, love. Daisy: Hi, Mum. Where are you? Mum: At the airport. What’s going on there? Daisy: Well, right now Alfie and Ollie are having their Master Chef cooking competition. Daisy: Only 53 minutes left! Mum: OK, love, see you soon. Daisy: Bye, Mum – if you’re lucky, you’ll arrive home in time to taste the dishes! Mum: Hmm ... shall I bring some fish and chips just in case?

Daisy: Let’s taste the pâté first, Mum. Mum: OK, it smells and looks delicious! Oliver: OK, OK. Try it first, judges. It’s all in the taste. Daisy and Mum: Oooooh, that’s amazing! Mum: Mmmm! I could eat it all! Alfie: Wow, thanks Sophie! Oliver: OK, leave some space for my dish! Daisy: Mmmm ... it’s tasty ... whoa! How many chili peppers? Mum: Wow, it’s good, Oliver! It’s a taste of Thailand! It’s going to be a difficult decision. Mum and Daisy: This year’s Master Chef champion is ...

Some nouns in English are countable – we can use them in singular and plural forms. Some are uncountable  –  they only have one form.

We often use a/an with singular countable nouns and some with plurals. We can also use some with uncountable nouns.

What are examples of countable nouns?

Here are a few:

I've got a steak, some red chilli peppers, some potatoes… OK, well, I've got a lemon, an apple … and some chicken breasts. I'd like a blue pen, please.

OK, so for things you can count, like one pen, two pens … Why did you say a pen , not one pen ?

We often use a/an before singular countable nouns. Before words that start with a vowel sound, we use an , and before words that start with a consonant sound, we use a .

So is one wrong? As in Would you like one drink?

It sounds as if you're saying one (not two). If you're offering someone a drink, you'd say  Would you like a drink?

But someone who works in a café might say, So that's one coffee and two lemonades.

So it's usually a or an for singular countable nouns and a number or some for plurals. How many is some ?

It can be any number more than one.

I got some new jeans at the weekend. (a pair of new jeans) Some teachers left at the end of the year. (we don't know how many)

Is some or a number always used with plurals?

No, have a look at these examples

I'm frightened of dogs . (dogs in general) Strawberries have a lot of vitamin C. (strawberries in general)

What about uncountable nouns?

These are nouns that don't have a plural form.

I've got some garlic and some butter . I'm looking for i nformation about early rock and roll. I haven't got enough paper . You have to get permission from the head teacher. Do you want some cake ?

So, I can use some with uncountables too?

Yes, we use some with both countables and uncountables.

How do I know whether a noun is countable or uncountable?

A dictionary will tell you. Usually dictionaries use symbols [C] for countable and [U] for uncountable.

Just a minute. You said cake was uncountable. What about  I made a cake this morning ?

Yes that's correct, but there's a difference in meaning.

I made a cake this morning. (a whole cake – countable) Do you want some cake ? (a piece of cake – uncountable) A box of chocolates . (individual chocolates – countable) I'd like some chocolate too. ( a piece or pieces of chocolate from a bar of chocolate – uncountable)

I thought coffee and lemonade were uncountable too.

Yes, they are usually.

I love coffee with hot milk. (uncountable) Can you get some coffee ? (uncountable) I'll have a coffee , please. (a cup of coffee, countable)

Wow, so it's more complicated than I thought.

No, they're not really very difficult.

OK, they're easy. It's a piece of cake ! 

Yes, simple! A piece of cake !

Check your grammar: picture matching - countable and uncountable nouns

Check your grammar: gap fill - countable and uncountable nouns, check your grammar: multiple choice - countable and uncountable nouns, worksheets and downloads.

The expression a piece of cake means something is really easy. Is speaking English a piece of cake for you?

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About Words – Cambridge Dictionary blog

Commenting on developments in the English language

Countable or uncountable, and why it matters

by  Liz Walter

Many dictionaries for learners of English (including the one on this site) show whether nouns are ‘countable’ or ‘uncountable’, often using the abbreviations C and U. Countable nouns are things that you can count – one dog, two dogs, twenty dogs , etc. Uncountable nouns are things that you cannot count – water, sadness, plastic , etc.

It is important to know whether a noun is countable or uncountable, otherwise you are likely to make basic grammar mistakes. For example, countable nouns can have indefinite articles and can form plurals, but uncountable nouns cannot:

You should bring a coat. (‘coat’ is a countable noun)

I have three winter coats.

The teacher gave us a homework. (‘homework’ is an uncountable noun)

We have lots of homeworks.

If you have countable and uncountable nouns in your own language, you need to be very careful because they may not be the same ones. If I had £1 for every time one of my students has said or written ‘an advice’ or ‘some informations’, I would be very rich by now! In English, advice and information are both uncountable nouns, so they cannot have ‘an’ in front of them and they cannot be made plural.

Other common uncountable words that often cause problems are: equipment , furniture , transport , knowledge , countryside , traffic , research , progress , evidence , machinery.

You also need to know whether a noun is countable or uncountable in order to decide whether to say much or many . ‘Many’ is used with plural countable nouns and ‘much’ with uncountable nouns:

How many brothers and sisters do you have?

How much brothers and sisters do you have?

How much money do you have?

Some and any are used with plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns, but not with singular countable nouns:

We don’t have any eggs/sugar.

Would you like some mushrooms/cheese?

Do you have any coat?

Sometimes we may want to make an uncountable noun more like a singular countable one. We do this by using a quantity expression before it:

She gave us an advice/information.

She gave us a piece of advice/information.

We bought a few furnitures/clothings.

We bought a few items of furniture/clothing.

Finally, some uncountable nouns end in ‘s’. They include activities such as aerobics, athletics, gymnastics and darts ; academic subjects such as economics, linguistics, politics and physics and illnesses such as measles, mumps, rabies and diabetes . These nouns look like countable plurals, but they are uncountable and therefore need a singular verb:

Linguistics is a very interesting subject.

Aerobics makes you fit.

You will probably notice that some words in the dictionary are labelled both C and U. In my next post, I’ll look at some of these words and explain how nouns can be both countable and uncountable.

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48 thoughts on “ Countable or uncountable, and why it matters ”

It’s helpful…

Extremely helpful.

A little bit of a headache

Is it? Then you’ll HATE advanced English.

Thanks a lot, Liz, for this excellent explanation. It is clear and concise!

Need to talk to you about the use of an apostrophe though.

One uncountable noun ending in ‘s’ that could be added to the list is news. It is difficult for French students to use a singular verb -what is the news? the news is good- since les nouvelles is a plural and need a plural verb!

Yes, that’s a very good addition.

I loved the article but would have liked to see my personal pet peeve. The countable error I see everywhere I go is the “ten items or less” signs which should be “10 items or fewer”. I did know a checkout clerk who put up their own, corrected sign at their place of employment.

Joshua, see my post on just this subject: https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2014/05/28/less-or-fewer/

I guess maybe you can say: “This piece of news is good” to avoid confusion but I saw it is not very usual. This kind of confusion can happen also in my language, Italian.

Yes, we’d be more likely to say: ‘That’s good news’, but we could say for example ‘I have a piece of news I think you’ll like’.

Hi Liz , Thank you very much for posting this informative article about countable and uncountable nouns.To be honest, I always had a confusion of not having indefinite article before a noun ( I did not know until now that it was because they were uncountable nouns☺). So , keep your good work up of enlightening guys like us about the unseen patterns of grammar in Language of English.

Confusion is also uncountable…. NOT a confusion.

very best issues in my life I need such guidance …

Really now I got why it’s not informatiions…same is the with findings, repercussions etc

Thank you for this article It is very effective to understand a challenging topic I always struggle with!!

About the puzzle of “any” (Some and any are used with plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns, but not with singular countable nouns), which one should be more suitable, 1. Is there any question to ask the speaker? 2. Are there any questions to ask the speaker? Thanks a lot.

The second one is correct. The first one is not correct.

Hello, Liz. I’ve been following some of your posts and they’re all extremely helpful. Thank you for the good work made available through the blog. I’ve seen a few times in American series, though not much frequently, people saying “a water”… For example: A: I went to get her water and she ran away. B: Did you let her all by herself here and went to get her a water? (I imagine a water equals a glass of water, in the context of the scene)

Do people in England also say such a thing?

Thanks in advance,

It sounds quite unlikely to me. In theory, it’s possible in the context of being in a pub or cafe, but it would be much more common to say ‘some water’ or ‘a bottle/glass of water’.

Hi Liz, thanks a lot for the reply.

Yeah, it does seem unlikely to me too, especially for being a non-native speaker and having always been pointed out to by teachers that it’s completely wrong to say such a thing. I guess that’s quite Ame. If you ever want to check it out, it happened in the series Suits, season 01 – episode 06, at the moment 05:36. The precise words were “You left her alone to get her a water?”.

Hello, Liz. Thank you for your articles. Could you explain why did you omit ‘a’ before ‘cafe’ in your previous answer: ‘…it’s possible in the context of being in a pub or cafe…’? Thanks.

Denis – because if you link two countable nouns with ‘and’ or ‘or’, you only need to put an article in front of the first one, although it is not wrong to put them twice.

Yes thank you 😎

Thanks, Liz. It’s a great article on grammar.

It is emerging issue ,thanks for making blog.

Thanks,but how correct is it to use ‘much’ on a countable noun like MONEY instead of ‘many’?.Example;how much do have with you Liz,one US dollar says Liz.Anticipating ur response via my email

We say ‘how much’ as a short form of ‘how much money and money is uncountable: that’s why it’s ‘much’. Dollar is countable, so you’d have to say ‘How many dollars do you have?’ although that’s a very unlikely sentence.

But we can count money

We have to think about the word, not the item. We can’t say one money, two money.

I have a rather odd question. ‘Money’ is listed in the dictionary as an uncountable noun. However its older plural form ‘monies’ has been listed as a plural noun as well. Now as both a life long speaker and a teacher I’ve never used it though I have occasionally come across its use in spoken (I always dismissed it as a spoken error) and a student’s question has left me confused.

Very useful to Asian .Thank you!

I want to be in this group

I want to join in this group please

Very good. I need such guidance..

Hi Liz, I’ve said “Is there any problem?”. But according to your article, I should’ve said “Are there any problems?”

Yes, or ‘Is there a problem.’ However, I must say that your sentence doesn’t sound totally wrong to me – I think it might be possible in a fairly informal situation – just don’t write it in an exam!

Liz, could you comment some more words: salad, toast, pizza, cereal.

Salad and pizza can be C or U depending on whether you are talking about the food in general or a single portion/dish of it, as described above. Toast and cereal would be U in almost all cases, though it is possible to imagine a sentence such as ‘It is made from a mixture of four different cereals.’ I can’t think of a plausible context for making ‘toast’ countable, though someone else might!

Thanks for good post, I enjoy and I feel so easy to understand about articles.

Hi everyone, how can I do to improve my English? Fine some method, please.

My students struggle with “Do you like dog?” versus “Do you like dogs?” – I though this was an obvious place to go from the picture, but…

Hi Liz ‼ I just found that I always make mistakes when I am writing or speaking. I’m poor in English. Thanks very much for your help us 😁

Hi Liz, thank you very much. It helps us a lot. Could you please explain what’s wrong with “do you have any coat” and how to fix it?

See this part of my post: Some and any are used with plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns, but not with singular countable nouns:

Coat is a singular not a plural noun, so you need to say ‘Do you have a coat?’

Thank you, awesome!

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All you need to know about countable and uncountable nouns

What’s the difference between countable and uncountable nouns , and what grammar rules do you need to know to use them correctly?

Also known as  count and noncount nouns , this vocabulary point can trip you up when you’re learning English as a second language. It’s especially tricky because:

• There are no concrete rules for classifying nouns as countable or uncountable (although there are some general guidelines that we will explain later).
• Certain nouns that are countable in other languages may be uncountable in English, so you’ll have to un-learn what you know from your native language and learn a different set of rules for English words.

So, let’s take a detailed look at countable vs uncountable nouns, with plenty of examples showing how to use them with the correct articles, quantifiers, and other determiners.

The basics of countable and uncountable nouns

What is a countable noun.

A  countable noun (also called a count noun) is a noun naming something that can be counted using standard numbers. Countable nouns usually have singular and plural forms. 

Examples of countable nouns include chair, table, rabbit, page, part, and lemon .

So, we can have one chair, five tables, ten rabbits, twenty-three lemons, and three hundred pages .

You are probably already familiar with this pattern of counting things in English.

What is an uncountable noun?

An uncountable noun (also called a mass noun or a non-count noun) is a noun naming something that cannot be counted in English using standard numbers. These nouns cannot be made plural.

Examples of uncountable nouns include rice, money, advice, news, and happiness .

We cannot have one rice, five monies, two advices, or a happiness .

Instead, we must use different determiners to quantify these particular things: a cup of rice , a bag of money , and a piece of advice .

Now you know these basics, it’s time to take a deeper look at what this means in practice. You need to know whether you’re dealing with a countable or uncountable noun so you can select the correct determiners and plural forms in your writing and speech.

Rules for using countable nouns

We’ll begin by going over the rules for using countable nouns, since these are most straightforward.

Countable nouns:

• Can be separated into whole, individual, countable units
• Broadly refer to people, places, and things
• Have a singular and a plural form (with a few exceptions like sheep, deer, fish) – see this site for more about how to form plurals
• May take indefinite articles (a/an) as well as the definite article (the)
• May take other determiners such as this/that/these/those, some/any/few/many/several, my/your/his/her/our/their
• To form a question about a countable noun, we say ‘How many…’

Countable noun example sentences

Most of the nouns we use in English are countable. Here are some example sentences showing correct usage:

• I have two cats as pets .
• She bought a few books from the store .
• We went to the zoo and saw several giraffes .
• The school has six classrooms for different subjects .
• He has a collection of ten stamps .
• My father owns a few bikes .
• The store has a variety of balloons in different colors.
• He has five siblings : three brothers  and two sisters .
• There are many oranges in the fruit basket .
• The bakery doesn’t have any bread left.
• I would like to buy that handbag .
• How many meals should I order at  the restaurant ?

Read about the difference between few vs a few here.

Rules for using uncountable nouns

Uncountable nouns are used less often in English, and they:

• Are abstract ideas, qualities, or masses that can’t be separated and counted individually
• Do not have a plural form and are treated as singular nouns (and therefore take the singular form of the verb)
• May take the definite article (the) but do not take the indefinite articles (a/an)
• May take other determiners such as much/little/less/any/some and my/your/his/her/our/their
• Can be quantified with phrases that contain countable nouns (e.g. a bag of rice)
• To form a question about an uncountable noun, we say ‘How much…’

See also: What’s the difference between less and fewer?

Uncountable noun examples

We can group uncountable nouns into some broad categories. Although we cannot list them all here, the following groups are a general guide that may make it easier for you to identify others in the future:

This may seem like a long list of uncountable nouns; however, there are hundreds more. 

Quantifying an uncountable noun

Although we can’t quantify uncountable nouns using numbers, we can add a countable unit of measurement to refer to one or more quantities of these things. Below are some of the most common quantifiers we can use to refer to things that are uncountable.

• A piece of… advice, art, cheese, equipment, evidence, furniture, homework, information, luck, luggage, music, news, paper, poetry, publicity, rubbish, software
• A bottle of… beer, water, wine, sauce, salad dressing
• A carton of… juice, milk, cream
• A packet of… ketchup, rice, gum
• A plate/bowl of… cereal, pasta, rice
• A drop of… blood, oil, rain, water
• A game of… badminton, chess, football, soccer, tennis
• A ray of… hope, light, sun
• A grain of… sand, rice, sugar, dignity
• A cube of… ice, sugar
• A blob of… toothpaste, mayonnaise, glue
• A pane of glass
• A round of applause
• A bar of soap
• A mode of transport
• A bolt of lightning
• A blade of grass
• A rasher of bacon
• A sheet of paper

Determiners for count and noncount nouns

You’ll have seen from the examples above that certain determiners can only be used for one type of noun, whereas others can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns. Here’s a handy reference table for these, although this is not an exhaustive list.

Most other adjectives can modify both countable and uncountable nouns.

See also:  What’s the difference between advice vs advise?

Some nouns can be countable and uncountable

You might often hear people say something like “I take two sugars in my tea”. What they really mean is “two teaspoons of sugar”, but the noun “sugar” has taken on that meaning and become countable.

In this way, uncountable nouns can sometimes be used as countable when referring to a complete unit or measurement of something, normally in relation to food and beverages. Here are some more examples:

• I’ll have three coffees , please. (three cups of coffee)
• I’ve had too many beers tonight! (glasses/cans/bottles of beer)
• Could I get two more ketchups ? (two sachets of ketchup)

Uncountable nouns may also be used as countable when they refer to a specific type, example, or category of something . For example:

• You should have at least five different cheeses on your cheese board.
• The best wines in the world are produced in France.
• We used three woods to make this beautiful box.
• They encountered a lot of difficulties while completing the project.
• These juices are all freshly squeezed.

These plural countable nouns are exceptions to the rule given earlier.

Nouns with different countable and uncountable meanings

To make things even more confusing, certain nouns in English have two or more meanings. When a noun refers to different things, one countable and one uncountable, you must remember which is which in order to form a correct sentence. Here are some common examples of words with dual meanings:

As you can see,  English can be hard to learn . Fortunately, you can always check in a dictionary to see whether a noun is countable or uncountable. Some dictionaries, such as  Oxford Dictionaries , specify this in the definition.

We hope this information about countable vs uncountable nouns has been helpful. It can be quite a tricky English grammar topic to get right because, even once you have mastered the rules of count and noncount nouns, there is still no hard-and-fast way to know which words are which, unless you look them up.

Leave a comment below if you have any more questions about this topic or want to check your understanding of a particular point we’ve mentioned.

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What are countable and uncountable nouns?  - Easy Learning Grammar

• whether or not the noun gives us information about  singular  and  plural number .
• the other words that can be used in the same noun phrase.
• things that are not normally thought of as countable.
• qualities or abstract ideas.
• Verbal nouns, which are formed from the present participle of verbs, can also be used as uncountable nouns.

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Score: 0 / 5

Are   _____   _______?

It is rude to say this so please don't. It's here to practice vocabulary and structure. 

Are you old?

Are we old?

Nouns - Countable and Uncountable

Review of countable nouns.

Two chair s

Three table s

Three chair s

Four  table s

Five chair s

Six  table s

These nouns are easy to count so we count them.

Review of uncountable nouns

Liquids / hard to count.

There are different amounts of water in each picture, but all are still called water. 

There are different amounts of rice in each picture, but all are still called rice.

Uncountable material but with countable forms

cake - uncountable

slice of cake - countable form = slice

cake - countable as a whole cake

piece of cake - countable form = piece

'Cake' is uncountable but it has three countable forms: slice, whole and piece. For example:

two slices of cake

three cakes

four pieces of cake

'Chocolate' is also uncountable but it has three countable forms: bar, piece and whole.

Nouns where 'pieces' is the countable form

We will look at some uncountable nouns where their countable form is 'piece'. 

Is 'food' countable or uncountable?

 - 'Food' is uncountable. Let's look at why.

One piece of food

Two pieces of food

One  pizza

One  hamburger

Six pieces of food

Four pizzas

Two   hamburgers

On their own, pizzas and hamburgers can be counted. When they are together and called 'food', they can not be counted. 

There is a lot of food on the table. - Correct

There is a lot of food s on the table. - Incorrect

'Food' is uncountable and so 'foods' is incorrect.

This is what you need to make Mexican food. - Correct

This is what you need to make Mexican food s . - Incorrect

When I go to a pub, I have snack food.  - Correct

When I go to a pub, I have snack food s . - Incorrect

There are lots of different types of food here but 'food' is uncountable so it is without the 's'.

Food and the countable form 'pieces'

Five pieces of food

Lots of pieces of food

'Piece' can be counted (one piece, two pieces, three pieces, some pieces etc.) but 'food' remains uncountable.

Is 'furniture' countable or uncountable?

 - 'Furniture' is uncountable. Let's look at why.

One piece of furniture

Four chairs

Two   tables

Two pieces of furniture

Six pieces of furniture

Furniture is a noun which describes things in the home. Chairs, tables, sofas, beds, wardrobes etc are pieces of furniture.

There's a lot of furniture.

There's a little furniture.

Both these pictures have furniture. One has more than the other but we still use the uncountable noun 'furniture'. We never say 'furniture s '.

'Pieces' of furniture

There are two chairs and one table in the room. COUNTABLE ITEMS

There are three pieces of furniture in the room. COUNTABLE FORM

There is some furniture in the room. UNCOUNTABLE

There are six chairs, one sofa and two lamps in the room.

There are nine pieces of furniture in the room.

There is a lot of furniture in the room. 

Other example sentences

I need to buy a lot of new furniture for my new house.

I'm looking at some new furniture for my bedroom. What do you recommend?

Old furniture is my favourite. I love the dated look.

Wooden furniture is the best, but only dark wood.

I have to make all the flat-pack furniture that came yesterday. I'm going to be tired tomorrow.

Is 'homework' countable or uncountable?

- 'Homework' is uncountable. Let's look at why.

One piece of English homework

One piece of maths homework

Three piece s of English homework

Four piece s of maths homework

The countable form of homework is 'piece'.

Conversation

Mum: Did you get any homework today?

Son: Yes, I got two pieces of English and some maths.

Mum: When are they due?

Son: The maths is for tomorrow and the English is for next Monday.

Breaking the conversation down

Mum is asking if her son if he received homework. 'Any' is used to prompt a more specific answer - not just 'yes' or 'no'.

The son replies with the countable form of 'homework' (pieces) for English and the uncountable determiner for maths (some). We do not know if there is one piece, two pieces, or more. We do know there is not a lot.

Mum asks when the pieces of homework should be given back to the teachers.

The maths homework is due for tomorrow and the English homework (two pieces but IT IS NOT 'homeworks') is due next Monday.

Incorrect examples

I have four homework s due tomorrow.

She has not done her three homework s .

My teacher gave me three maths homework s and two science homework s .

Correct examples

I have four pieces of homework due tomorrow.

She has not done her three pieces of homework.

My teacher gave me three pieces of maths homework and two pieces of science homework.

You can play when you've finished all your homework.

Did you get much homework today?

I hate Mr. Simpson - he always gives at least two pieces of homework per day.

Doing homework will never be fun.

If I don't understand the homework, I ask my older brother.  

Is 'fruit' countable or uncountable?

- Fruit is uncountable. Let's see why:

One piece of fruit

Two pieces of fruit

Four  apples

Four pieces of fruit

Three  strawberries

Three pieces of fruit

Eight pieces of fruit

The countable form of fruit is 'piece'.

There is a lot of fruit.

There is some fruit.

There are three piece of fruit

A: Can I have some fruit please?

B: How many pieces to do want?

A: Can I have three apples, one pineapple and a few oranges?

B: Here you go.

A: Did you buy any fruit?

B: Yes, I got a few pieces.

A: What type of fruit did you buy?

B: I got three peaches.

A: Oh, lovely.

Fruit is my favourite dessert to have. It's so refreshing.

What kind of fruit do you like?

Would you like a piece of fruit? I've got some delicious pears today.

You never put tomato in a fruit salad!

I make a smoothie every morning using lots of different fruit. 

'Furniture', 'Homework' and 'Fruit' are uncountable nouns. 

They are words for groups of different items .

Two chairs and one table is a group of furniture.

There is a lot of fruit .

NOTE: there are lots of pieces of fruit. Fruit is the name of a group of items, like apples, pears, bananas etc.

One chair, one table and two sofas is a group of furniture.

There is some fruit .

NOTE: there are three pieces of fruit. Fruit is the name of a group of items, like apples, pears, bananas etc.

More examples

Clothes is an uncountable noun. It is used to describe a group of different items.

The countable form is 'piece' or 'item'.

There are a lot of clothes.

There are about 25 pieces of clothes.

There are not a lot of clothes.

There are three pieces of clothes.

Sushi is an uncountable noun. It is the game of a group of different items.

The countable form is 'piece'.

There are six pieces of sushi. = COUNTABLE FORM

There is some sushi. = UNCOUNTABLE

There are 12 pieces of sushi. = COUNTABLE FORM

There is a lot of sushi. = UNCOUNTABLE

There is one piece of sushi. = COUNTABLE FORM

There is not a lot of sushi. = UNCOUNTABLE

Countable/Uncountable Nouns – Free Exercise

Decide if the sentences are correct or incorrect.

Complete the sentences with a, an, or nothing (-) .

• Rita bought   – a an dress in the sales. dress = singular countable noun|use a because dress starts with a consonant.
• I need   – a an milk. milk = uncountable noun|we don’t use the indefinite article a/an with uncountable nouns
• Lawrence has   – a an new furniture. furniture = uncountable noun|we don’t use the indefinite article a/an with uncountable nouns
• Have you ever seen   – a an elephant? elephant = singular countable noun|use an because elephant starts with a vowel sound
• We ate   – a an sweets for breakfast. sweets = plural countable noun|we don’t use the indefinite article a/an with plural nouns

Choose the correct countable/uncountable noun to complete the sentences.

• Rita asked for a glass of   milk silver . use the unit glass with liquids → milk | silver is a metal not a liquid, so can’t be used with glass | a glass of silver
• Alex eats six   bread oranges every week. number + plural countable noun → oranges | bread is an uncountable noun so can’t be used with a number| six bread
• Can you buy a bar of   chocolate bread at the shops? to count chocolate we use units like bar, piece or square |to count bread we use units like loaf, piece or slice | bar of bread
• There are a few   fruit vegetables in the fridge. a few + plural countable noun → vegetables | fruit is an uncountable noun, so can’t be used with a few | a few fruit
• I got home quickly because there was very little   cars traffic on the road. little + uncountable noun → traffic | cars is a plural countable noun and can’t be used with little | very little cars

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• Teacher's Toolkit

Why do we say There weren’t many people at the party but There wasn’t much wine ?

When you look at these sentences carefully, you’ll notice that it all depends on the noun. People are countable, in that you can count them – 1 person, 2 people. Wine , on the other hand, cannot be counted. You cannot say 1 wine, 2 wines. 2 glasses (or bottles!) of wine, yes, but not just 2 wines. So wine is an uncountable noun.

Countable nouns are nouns we can talk about in the singular and in the plural. Uncountable nouns usually don’t have a plural form.

Countable nouns are objects and things, which is why they are able to be easily counted. Uncountable nouns, on the other hand, are usually abstract concepts ( knowledge, advice) or things or objects which are of a substance such that it is difficult to count ( sand, milk ).

How do we use countable and uncountable nouns?

Countable and uncountable nouns differ in which quantifiers can be used with them. Countable nouns can use: many, a few ; uncountable nouns use: much, a little . Both sets of nouns can use: lots of or a lot of .

What problems do learners have with countable and uncountable nouns?

The first problem learners have with countable and uncountable nouns is understanding the concept and so using incorrect quantifiers.

For example: How many money do you have?

The second problem arises because certain nouns can be countable and uncountable depending on their usage.

For example:

I’ve seen that movie many times.

I didn’t have time to do my homework.

Here, time is countable in the first sentence but uncountable in the second.

A final problem is the fact that uncountable nouns are not used in the plural. Learners may not realise this and may use them in the plural form. This may also be a transfer problem from their first language in which the same noun is countable.

For example: He gave me a lot of informations about the course.

When teaching your students about the different parts of speech, don’t gloss over nouns because you think they are a simple aspect of English. In fact, there are lots of rules relating to nouns which need to be clarified to our learners in order for them to be able to use nouns appropriately in their English production. You need to actually focus on the grammar of nouns. In other words, you need to make sure your students know not only the form, meaning and pronunciation of the words, but also the rules governing their use.

A helpful teaching idea is to utilise a categorisation activity in class. Write down a set of countable and uncountable nouns on big pieces of paper and allow the students to put them into two categories on the board – countable and uncountable. Allowing them time to think about and discuss the nouns will help them remember the rules.

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• If you do not pass an assignment after submitting it up to three times in accordance with clause 10.2 you will be deemed to have failed the course. Should you wish to dispute this decision, you can do so in accordance with The TEFL Academy’s Appeals policy for students which can be  found here . If you fail the course due to not passing your assignments you will be provided with a full refund. As extensions are an optional expenditure, any extension payments will not be refunded.
• In order for you to legitimately fail the course, a clear attempt to answer the assignment requirements must be made. This requires uploading the required assignment templates for each submission, and an attempt to address feedback and recommendations provided by the tutor for the second and third attempts. If we deem your attempts at the assignments to not be genuine a refund will not be provided.
• Any student who has been removed from their course due to plagiarism will be banned indefinitely from enrolling in any course with The TEFL Academy.

12. Liability

• The TEFL Academy accepts no liability, nor shall it have any liability whether in contract, tort, under statute or otherwise, for any loss, damage, costs, liabilities or additional expense arising from, or in connection with, any delay or interruption to travel services, weather conditions, civil disturbance, industrial action, strikes, wars, floods, sickness or other events of force majeure. Such losses or additional expenses are your responsibility. Force majeure (for the purposes of this clause) means any unusual and/or unforeseeable circumstances such as war or the threat of war, riots, terrorist activity, civil strife, pandemics, epidemics, industrial disputes, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, flood or adverse weather conditions.
• The TEFL Academy accepts no responsibility, nor shall it have any liability whether in contract, tort, under statute or otherwise, for death, bodily injury or illness caused to you or any other person included on the booking, except where it arises from any negligent act or omission of The TEFL Academy.
• The TEFL Academy accepts no liability, nor shall it have any liability whether in contract, tort, under statute or otherwise, any technical or IT issues arising from or connected with the usage of the online courses such as systems crashing.
• Our internship/volunteer opportunities and the jobs posted on our jobs board are provided by third parties. Although we will endeavour to assist students, we accept no liability for the actions or conduct of any third-party organisation.
• The TEFL Academy endeavours to ensure all assignments are marked promptly. However, there can be delays in busier times or due to moderation requests from our accrediting body. The TEFL Academy accepts no responsibility for any loss or other circumstances resulting or arising from such delays.
• The TEFL Academy accepts no liability, nor shall it have any liability whether in contract, tort, under statute or otherwise, for any loss or additional expense arising for students where they fail the course whether such failure is alleged to be due to trainers allegedly lacking competency, for plagiarism or for any other reason whatsoever.

13. Complaints Handling Policy

• If you have any questions or complaints about the TEFL Course, please contact us. You can telephone our customer service team at +1 347 434 9694 or write to us at  [email protected] or The TEFL Academy, Suite 4 The Hub, 3 Drove Road, Newhaven, BN9 0AD, United Kingdom.
• If your complaint is not dealt to your satisfaction with you may make a complaint to the course accrediting body. You can find the contact details for the accrediting body in the The TEFL Academy’s Appeals Policy which can be found  here .

14. Conduct

• Our staff have the right not to be subjected to aggressive, abusive or offensive language or behaviour, regardless of the circumstances. Examples of this behaviour include but are not limited to; threats of physical violence; swearing; inappropriate cultural, racial or religious references; rudeness, including derogatory remarks. The TEFL Academy practises a zero-tolerance policy in relation to such behaviour. All students are required at all times to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner including in their dealings with other students, staff and external organisations. Disruptive or antisocial behaviour could result in being asked to leave the course.
• Any student who fails or is removed from the course by failing to meet the academic standards or through being found guilty of plagiarism will be removed immediately from the course without refund.

15. Data Protection

• Any use which we make of your personal data which you may provide in using The TEFL Academy site will be in accordance with all applicable data protection laws and The TEFL Academy Privacy Policy which can be found  here .
• Please read The TEFL Academy Privacy Policy carefully as it contains important information on how the TEFL Academy uses your personal information.

16. Governing Law

• This Agreement is governed by the laws of England & Wales.
• Any claims made in connection with these Terms shall be subject to English law and all proceedings shall be within the sole domain of the English courts.

17. Acceptance of these Terms

• By verbally agreeing on the telephone or having clicked ‘Enrol Now’ on the website you accept these Terms including all payment obligations and you are acknowledging that placing an order creates an obligation to pay for the services ordered and confirms that you have read, agreed to and accepted these terms. The person who agrees to the enrolment agreement, does so on behalf of all the individuals included on it, so that all are bound by the enrolment conditions.

Privacy Policy

LAST UPDATED: 19th July 2023

Please read all of the following information carefully.

By using our site and/or registering with us, you are agreeing to the terms of this Policy.

ELEARNING FUTURES LTD (“we”) are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.

ELEARNING FUTURES LTD  takes the security of and our legal responsibilities around your personal data seriously. This statement explains relevant information about our processing of your personal data collected via this website (“website” or “site”).We aim to always respect your data protection rights in compliance with the latest Data Protection Laws, including the GDPR.

• This website is owned and operated by ELEARNING FUTURES LTD , (we) a limited company registered in the United Kingdom. Registered company number 13725845, Palmeira Avenue Mansions, 19 Church Road, Hove, BN3 2FA.
• This Policy sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us.
• Our Data Protection Officer (DPO) can be contacted by email at  [email protected]
• This policy (and any other documents referred to on it) sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us.  Please read the following carefully to understand our practices regarding your personal data and how we will treat it.
• For the purpose of the General Data Protection Regulation, the data controller is ELEARNING FUTURES LTD.

Contact Details

• ELEARNING FUTURES LTD collects and processes personal information for a variety of reasons. If you wish to communicate with us about this privacy notice, or any issue relating to information governance or data protection, please contact us using the following details: By post: Information Governance & Risk Management Team ELEARNING FUTURES LTD, Palmeira Avenue Mansions, 19 Church Road, Hove, BN3 2FA, United Kingdom Email:   [email protected]

International transfers

• ELEARNING FUTURES LTD shares personal information within the wider ELEARNING FUTURES LTD group of entities situated both within and outside the EU. We do this under a data-sharing agreement that includes the appropriate EU model international data transfer clauses to make sure your personal information is protected, no matter which entity in the ELEARNING FUTURES LTD group holds that information.
• Where ELEARNING FUTURES LTD makes transfers of personal information outside the ELEARNING FUTURES LTD Group to another organisation we rely on the use of the EU model international data transfer clauses where the country the organisation is situated in is not listed as ‘adequate’ by the European Commission.

Collection and Use of your data

• Some data will be collected automatically by our site, other data will only be collected if you voluntarily submit it and consent to us using it for the purposes set out in section 5, for example, when signing up for an account. depending upon your use of our site, we may collect some or all of the following data: Name, address, bank details and so forth.
• All personal data is stored securely in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) (GDPR). For more details on security see section 6, below.
• Providing and managing your account;
• Providing and managing your access to our site;
• Personalising and tailoring your experience on our site;
• Supplying our services to you;
• Personalising and tailoring our services for you;
• Responding to communications from you;
• Supplying you with email newsletters or alerts etc. that you have subscribed to, you may unsubscribe or opt-out at any time by clicking on the ‘unsubscribe to the list’ link at the footer of our email newsletters or by contacting our Customer Services Team at  [email protected]
• Market research;
• Analysing your use of our site and gathering feedback to enable us to continually improve our site and your user experience;
• Ensuring our investigations and appeals are handled accurately and fairly;
• In some cases, the collection of data may be a statutory or contractual requirement, and we will be limited in the services we can provide you without your consent, for us to be able to use such data.
• With your permission and/or where permitted by law, we may also use your data for marketing purposes which may include contacting you by email AND/OR telephone AND/OR text message AND/OR post with information, news and offers on our services. We will not, however, send you any unsolicited marketing or spam and will take all reasonable steps to ensure that we fully protect your rights and comply with our obligations under the GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, as amended in 2004, 2011 and 2015.
• In order to facilitate completion of enrolment, we do collect data from our online booking forms and may remind you of your saved order so that you can complete your enrolment
• you have given consent to the processing of your personal data for one or more specific purposes;
• processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party or in order to take steps at the request of you prior to entering into a contract;
• processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are  subject;
• processing is necessary to protect the vital interests of you or of another natural person;
• processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or the exercise of official authority vested in the controller; and/or
• processing is necessary for the legitimate interests pursued by us or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data, in particular where the data subject is a child.

We collect and use personal information to offer people information, products and services. This policy will apply in all locations where we operate to all forms of information and to all systems used to collect, store, process or transfer information.

• performing privacy impact assessments to protect the privacy and rights of its customers and employees
• protecting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the information it collects, stores, transfers and processes in accordance with law and international good practice, and meeting its legal requirements and contractual obligations
• explaining why it needs personal information, only asking for the personal information it needs and only sharing personal information within the ELEARNING FUTURES LTD and with other organisations as necessary or where the person concerned has given their consent
• allowing people to request access to the personal information it holds on them and to complain if they believe their information has been mishandled
• not keep personal information for longer than necessary
• taking measures to protect the rights and freedoms of individuals whose personal information may be transferred to countries with differing data protection laws
• ensuring that actual or suspected breaches of information security are reported and investigated
• assessing and measuring the maturity of its information security controls annually
• applying these standards to its supply chain and delivery partners.
• Provide customer service, surveys and marketing
• Personalise our services
• Process payments
• Carry out fraud and other legal investigations
• We also, in certain situations, share personal information with government bodies and law enforcement bodies. Where we do share personal information with these types of organisations we’ll make sure it’s protected, as far as it is reasonably possible.

We’ll use your personal information to send you direct marketing and to better identify products and services that interest you. We do that if you’re one of our customers or if you’ve been in touch with us another way (such as registering to attend an ELEARNING FUTURES LTD event).

This means we’ll:

• create a profile about you to better understand you as a customer and tailor the communications we send you (including our marketing messages);
• tell you about other products and services you might be interested in;
• try to identify products and services you’re interested in; and

We use the following for marketing and to identify the products and services you’re interested in.

• Your contact details. This includes your name, gender, address, phone number, date of birth and email address.
• Information from cookies and tags placed on your connected devices.
• Information from other organisations such as aggregated demographic data and publicly available sources like the electoral roll and business directories.
• Details of the products and services you’ve bought and how you use them.

We’ll send you information (about the products and services we provide) by phone, post, email, text message, online banner advertising. We also use the information we have about you to personalise these messages wherever we can as we believe it is important to make them relevant to you.  We do this because we have a legitimate business interest in keeping you up to date with our products and services. We also check that you are happy for us to send you marketing messages before we do so. In each message we send, you also have the option to opt-out.

We’ll only market other organisations’ products and services if you have said it is OK for us to do so.

You can ask us to stop sending you marketing information or withdraw your permission at any time.

ELEARNING FUTURES LTD retains personal information in line with our corporate retention requirements.  Your data will be stored within the European Economic Area (“the EEA”) (The EEA consists of all EU member states, plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein). However, in some circumstances, part or all of your data may be stored or transferred outside of the European Economic Area (“the EEA”). You are deemed to accept and agree to this by using our site and submitting information to us. If we do store or transfer data outside the EEA, we will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your data is treated as safely and securely as it would be within the EEA and under the GDPR. Such steps may include, but not be limited to, the use of legally binding contractual terms between us and any third parties we engage with, and the use of the EU-approved Model Contractual Arrangements. If we intend at any time to transfer any of your data outside the EEA, we will always obtain your consent beforehand.

Right to access personal information

• Under the law, any individual has a right to ask for a copy of the personal information held about them. This means that you can ask for the information that ELEARNING FUTURES LTD holds about you. This is known as the right of ‘subject access’.
• a request in writing (by post or by email)
• proof of your identity
• proof of your home address
• any information that we reasonably need to locate the information you have requested (for example details of the ELEARNING FUTURES LTD offices or staff that you have had contact with and when)

Rights concerning the processing of your personal information

• Right to restrict processing of personal information
• In some situations, you have the right to require us to restrict the processing of your personal information. We may restrict your personal information by temporarily moving the information to another processing system, making the information unavailable to users, or temporarily removing published information from a website. We may also use technical methods to ensure the personal information is not subject to further processing and cannot be changed. When we have restricted processing of personal information, this will be clearly indicated on our systems.
• You are concerned that the information we hold about you is inaccurate. You can ask us to restrict the information until we can determine whether the information is accurate or inaccurate.
• We are processing your personal data unlawfully and you do not want us to delete the information but restrict it instead.
• We no longer need the information for the purposes for which we collected it, but they are needed by you for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
• You have objected to the processing (see below), and we need to decide whether the legitimate grounds we have to process the information override your legitimate interests.

Processing you think is unlawful

• If you tell us that you think we are processing your personal information unlawfully, but you do not want the information to be erased, you have the right to require us to restrict the processing of that information.
• We will ask you for an explanation about why you think the processing is unlawful, and may also ask that you provide evidence to support this view.

Processing of personal information you think is inaccurate

• You can tell us if you think the personal information we are processing about you is factually inaccurate. You can require us to restrict how we use your personal information until we can verify the accuracy of the information. We will ask you for an explanation about why you think the information is inaccurate, and may also ask that you provide some supporting evidence of the alleged inaccuracy.
• If we find that the personal information we are processing about you is inaccurate, we will take appropriate steps to correct the information.

Personal information is no longer needed by ELEARNING FUTURES LTD but needed by you in connection with a legal claim

• In most circumstances, we will securely delete or dispose of personal information when we no longer need it for our legitimate business purposes. Our approach to retention is outlined in our corporate retention schedules.
• However, if the personal information we no longer need would assist you in establishing, exercising or defending a legal claim, you can require us to keep the information for as long as necessary. We may ask you to provide an explanation and any available supporting evidence that a legal claim is ongoing or contemplated.

Right to erasure of personal data (“the right to be forgotten”)

In the following circumstances, you have the right to require that ELEARNING FUTURES LTD securely deletes or destroys your personal information:

• If the personal information we hold about you is no longer necessary for the purposes for which we originally collected it.
• The processing is based on consent – if you have previously given your consent to ELEARNING FUTURES LTD collecting and processing your personal information, and you notify us that you withdraw your consent. Please note: withdrawing your consent does not mean the processing of your personal data which occurred before the withdrawal was unlawful.
• We are processing your personal information for direct marketing purposes, and you want us to stop.
• If you think ELEARNING FUTURES LTD has processed your personal information unlawfully.

If you think any of the above situations apply, we may ask you for an explanation and further information to verify this.

Right to object to processing

You have the right to object to the ELEARNING FUTURES LTD processing your personal data in the following circumstances:

Personal information used for direct marketing

If we are using your personal information to send you direct marketing, you have the right to object at any time. If you exercise this right, we will stop processing your personal information for direct marketing purposes. However, we may keep your information on a “suppression list” to ensure your information is not added to any marketing lists at some point in the future.

Automated decision making and profiling

• ‘Profiling’ is the automated use of personal data held on a computer to analyse or predict things that have a legal effect, or other similarly significant effects, on the individual. Examples would include economic situation, health, personal preferences or interests and location. You have the right not to be subject to a solely automated decision (that is, a decision made electronically, with no human intervention), and this may include profiling (although there is no general right to object to profiling). If you are concerned the ELEARNING FUTURES LTD has made a solely automated decision about you, you can object.
• Please note, ELEARNING FUTURES LTD is allowed to carry out automated decisions with no human intervention where you have given your explicit consent to this processing (although you have the right to withdraw your consent).
• The automated decision is necessary to enter into, or perform a contract, or complete a contract involving you and the ELEARNING FUTURES LTD.
• The automated decision is allowed under a law passed at the European Union level, or at the level of the European Union or EEA member state level (i.e., is allowed under national law). The law will provide safeguards to protect your rights and freedoms.

Right to data portability

• If you have provided your information to ELEARNING FUTURES LTD, you have the right to request and receive a copy of that information in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.
• You also have the right to ask us to send the information we hold about you to another organisation.
• There are some situations in which the right to data portability does not apply. For further information, please contact us.

Exercising your rights concerning the processing of your personal information

If you wish to exercise any of the above rights concerning the way in which we process your personal information, please contact:

By post: Risk Management Team ELEARNING FUTURES LTD, Suite 101b, 21-22 Old Steine, Brighton, BN1 1EL, United Kingdom

Email:   [email protected]

Your right to complain to a national data protection regulator (data protection supervisory authority)

• If you think we have processed your personal information unfairly or unlawfully, or we have not complied with your rights under GDPR, you have the right to complain to a national data protection regulator.
• Complaints about how we process your personal information can be considered by the data protection regulator.

Changes to Our Privacy Policy

We may change this Privacy Policy as we may deem necessary from time to time, or as may be required by law. Any changes will be immediately posted on our site and you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Privacy Policy on your first use of our site following the alterations. We recommend that you check this page regularly to keep up-to-date.

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Countable and Uncountable Nouns (List, Examples & Exercise)

Countable and uncountable nouns.

The nouns are the names of things, people, or places. The nouns have different classifications. Countable and uncountable nouns are types of nouns. These can be counted or not. Let’s discuss their usage with the help of examples and exercise.

Countable Nouns

Countable nouns are the things that we can count. For example, one book, three chairs, one room, etc. Countable nouns can be singular or plural such as chair (singular), chairs (plural).

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns are the things that we cannot count. For example, sand, advice and yoga etc. These words are in singular form.

Some words are used as both countable and uncountable nouns like room, hair, weight etc.

• There is no room for luggage. (here room means space) Uncountable Noun
• There are five rooms in this building. Countable Noun

Some words are used with the Countable Nouns only such as few, a few, many

Some words are used with Uncountable Nouns only such as little, a little, much

10 Examples of Countable Nouns

• There are twenty books on the bookshelf.
• I drank a glass of fresh juice.
• There are many animals in this zoo.
• The monkeys were eating bananas.
• There was no magazine on the table.
• I took an apple and some grapes in the morning.
• There are 9057 public libraries in the United States.
• I have a few questions for you to ask.
• Jonathan attended a webinar last night.
• Only ten students passed the intelligence test.

20 Examples of Uncountable Nouns

• I could not see anything in the darkness.
• Success is a combination of hard work and determination.
• Do you like sandwiches with cheese topping?
• There is no return policy in this market.
• Tom is interested in research work.
• She spent many hours sitting on the beach sand.
• The soil of this land is fertile.
• Sound sleep is essential for good health.
• There is no transportation between these two cities?
• Do you need lots of energy to complete the assignment?
• I do not have time to go there.
• Positive behavior can turn an enemy into a friend.
• There was plenty of cheese on the pizza.
• The kids were having a lot of fun at the zoo.
• Jacob has been learning Spanish for two weeks.
• Cotton is widely used to make textile products.
• This building is a great symbol of architecture.
• Is there any recreation resort in this town?
• Tom controlled his anger and responded politely.
• She went to the park for fun.

Read also: 50 Sentences with Countable and Uncountable Nouns

List of Uncountable Nouns (a-z)

• Accommodation
• Engineering
• Electricity
• Environment
• Information
• Intelligence
• Mathematics
• Punctuation
• Temperature
• Unemployment

You can find here list of uncountable nouns with meaning and sentences.

Exercise / Worksheet

Read the bold words in the given sentences and point out whether it is a countable noun or uncountable noun.

• There were a lot of coins in the box. ( __________ )
• I need your help to complete this project. ( __________ )
• My advice fell flat on him. ( __________ )
• Julia ordered two cups of coffee. ( __________ )
• There are 20 bananas in the basket. ( __________ )
• Mr. Johnson specializes in mathematics. ( __________ )
• I prefer rugby over soccer. ( __________ )
• There are plenty of houses in this zone. ( __________ )
• The cold wind and snow stopped my jouney. ( __________ )
• Tom is studying history . ( __________ )
• Uncountable

• Types of Noun with Examples
• Material Nouns
• Abstract Nouns
• Common Nouns
• Proper Nouns

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Countable and Uncountable Nouns: the Complete Guide (2021)

Countable Nouns

Singular and plural, determiners, uncountable nouns, making uncountable things countable – quantity expressions, nouns that can be countable and uncountable, how to use countables and uncountables, grammar in action.

You probably already know that nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas. You might also remember that there are different categories of nouns based on certain features they share. For example we can distinguish abstract and concrete nouns .

Another way we can categorize nouns is whether they are countable or uncountable . In this article, we’ll explain the difference between these two categories, look at the examples of both and see why it is important to know whether a noun is countable or uncountable.

So, as we’ve already mentioned, nouns in English can be countable or uncountable .

As their name suggests, countable nouns are those that refer to something that can be counted . For example, we can count cars :

• one car, two cars, three cars…

Even if the number might be extraordinarily high (like counting all the stars in the sky), countable nouns can be individually counted.

Some more examples of countable nouns:

• car, man, bottle, house, key, idea, accident
• dog, cat, animal, man, person
• cup, plate, fork
• table, chair, suitcase, bag, etc.

Concrete nouns may be countable.

• New cars are very expensive.
• I got some books from the library yesterday.

Collective nouns (words that denote a group of people or things) are countable.

• She attended three  classes  last week.
• This house is perfect for two families .

Even some proper nouns are countable.

• There are many Italians in New York.
• There are five Johns in the room.

Since countable nouns can be counted, they can be singular (=one) and plural (=two or more):

You probably remember that plural forms of nouns usually have the ‘ -s ‘ (‘ -es ‘) ending. For example:

• There is an egg .
• There are four eggs .
• They’ve got great toys for babies here.
• We need to get some new dishes for this evening.

Learn more about how to form the plural forms here .

Note that singular verbs are used with singular countable nouns, while plural verbs are used with plural countable nouns.

• Your book   is on the kitchen table.
• How many candles   are on that birthday cake?

Countable nouns can be used with articles such as  a/an  and  the,  numbers or quantifiers such as  a few, a lot  and  many . These words in general are called determiners because they describe nouns, i.e. make it clear what a noun refers to. For example:

• I bought a jacket and a shirt .
• My house is near the center.
• There’s a lot of flowers in the garden .
• She’s got  two   sisters  and  a  younger  brother .

You can’t use singular countable nouns alone, i.e. without a/the/my, etc.

• We can’t get into the house without a key . (not key)
• I want a banana . (not banana)
• Paris is an interesting city .

We use ‘ a ’ and ‘ an ’ with singular countable nouns when we do not need to make clear which person or thing we are talking about:

• an accident, a banana, a couch, a dream, a neighbourhood.

When people can understand which person or thing we mean, we use ‘ the ‘ with singular and plural countable nouns:

• The pie won the prize but the judges didn’t like the cookies .

We use no article (the so-called ‘ zero article ‘) with plural countable nouns and with uncountable nouns when we are talking in general:

• Dogs usually don’t like cats .
• Good health is more important than money .

Unlike singular countable nouns, plural countable nouns can be used alone:

• I like bananas .
• Accidents can be prevented.

We can use ‘ some ’ and ‘ any ‘ with plural countable nouns meaning ‘ a bit, a quantity of ‘. We use ‘some’ in affirmative sentences and ‘any’ in negative sentences and questions :

• I’d like some bananas , please.
• Did you buy any apples ?

We use ‘ many ‘ and ‘ few ‘ with plural countable nouns.

• We didn’t take many pictures.
• I have a few words to say.

Uncountable nouns are seen as a whole or mass. They cannot be separated or counted and come in a state or quantity that is impossible to count . For example, we cannot count air:

• one air, two airs, three airs…

Examples of uncountable nouns include:

– abstract nouns :  homework, knowledge, money, permission, research, traffic, travel – ideas and experiences :  advice, information, progress, news, luck, fun, work – materials and substances :  water, rice, cement, gold, milk – food and drinks : juice, wine, meat, rice, bread, cheese, coffee – weather words :  weather, thunder, lightning, rain, snow – names for groups or collections of things :  furniture, equipment, rubbish, luggage

Uncountable nouns are always considered to be singular . They have no plural, even if they end in ‘-s ‘. The verb form is singular and we can use  some .

• Put some sugar .
• How much wine is there?
• Your hair is really long!
• The news was a complete shock!

Thus, uncountable nouns have always only one form:

money — the money — my money — some money — much money etc.

• I’ve got some money .
• There isn’t much mone y in the box.
• Money isn’t everything.

There are, however, some uncountable nouns that are plural and are followed by a plural verb . Be careful with the following words:

• Your clean clothes are on the bed.
• Your new jeans look great!

Uncountable nouns can stand alone or be used with determiners (e.g.  my, her ,  some, any ,  no ,  the, this, that ) and expressions of quantity (e.g.  a lot of, (a) little, some, much ):

• She’s been studying hard and has made  a lot of progress .
• This coffee is a bit old, I’m afraid.
• I’d like some water , please.
• There is a lot of snow on the road.
• They gave me  some information  about the courses.

Since uncountable nouns have no plural, we can’t use ‘ a ’ and ‘ an ’ with them:

As we have seen, some determiners can be used with all nouns whether countable or uncountable. For example, the word ‘ some ‘ can be used with both:

• I would like some crackers.
• He would like some water.

However, other determiners can only be used with countable nouns and some can only be used with uncountable nouns. For example, the article ‘ a ‘ is used with singular countable nouns and isn’t used with uncountable nouns:

• I would like a sandwich .
• I would like some juice . (Not: I would like a juice. )

With uncountable nouns we use the determiners ‘ much ‘ and ‘ little ‘:

• There isn’t much milk in the bottle.
• They have little money .

Uncountable nouns can be paired with words expressing plural concept. These are words and phrases like ‘ a glass of ’, ‘ a bottle of ’ or ‘ a piece of ’ or words for containers and measures. We cannot say ‘an information’ or ‘a music’. But we can say  a ‘something’ of .

In short, uncountable nouns can become countable when the noun is in a container. For example:

• some sugar — a bag of sugar
• some water — a bottle of water
• some cereal — a bowl of cereal

Thus, you can’t say ‘two waters’ but you can say ‘two bottles of water’ .

• Try to drink at least eight glasses of water each day.
• I’d like a glass of water , please.
• We bought two bottles of wine .
• This is a beautiful piece of music .
• I bought you  a bar of chocolate .

Sometimes uncountable nouns are used as countable, to mean ‘ a measure of something ’ or ‘ a type of something ’:

• Can I have  two teas  and  one coffee , please?  (two cups of tea and one cup of coffee …?)
• There are some juices  on the table.  (different types of juice)

Sometimes, the same noun can be both countable  and  uncountable, often with a change of meaning. The meaning will depend of the context.

Consider the following examples:

• Our house has seven rooms . – Is there room for me to sit here? (‘rooms’ vs ‘space’)
• Have you got a paper to read? – I want to write a letter. Have you got some paper ? (‘magazine’ vs ‘paper’)
• There are four lights in our bedroom. – Close the curtain. There’s too much light ! (‘lamps’ vs ‘light’)
• I had some interesting experiences while I was travelling. – They offered me the job because I had a lot of experience . (‘things that happened to me’ vs ‘not experiences’)

Why is it so important to know whether a noun is countable or uncountable? That’s because we use different words with countables and uncountables — see the rules below.

In positive sentences, we use:

In negative sentences, we use:

See more examples:

To make pancakes…

• … you need a frying pan .
• … you don’t need an electric mixer .
• … you need some plates .  
• … you don’t need any chopsticks .

In questions, we use a/an , any and how many :

In questions, we use any and how much :

LET’S SUMMARIZE:

Note the verb forms. Singular nouns take singular verbs, while plural nouns take plural verbs:

• There is a frying pan. (singular noun)
• There aren’t any eggs. (plural noun)
• There is some milk. (uncountable noun)
• There isn’t any flour. (uncountable noun)

So, how should we use expressions with countable and uncountable nouns in everyday situations?

1. We use a / an , some and any with nouns to talk or ask about the quantity of something, for example, when talking about food:

• Have you got any cheese or meat ? I could make a pasta dish . – Great idea. I’ve got some tomatoes and a chilly pepper . We could add them, too.

2. We use a / an and some with nouns to make requests, for example, when we are at a restaurant:

• We’ll have some water and some bread , please. – I’d also like a glass of orange juice .

3. We use some with nouns when we offer something, for example, to our guests:

• Would you like some toasts or some cake ? – Yes, with pleasure.

Here’s a good video from mmmEmglish explaining what countable and uncountable nouns are and how they are used:

Abstract and Concrete Nouns

Plural and Singular Nouns

Pronouns and Determiners: Quantifiers

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Countable and Uncountable Nouns in English

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Are you looking to understand nouns in English and learn to use them properly? You’ve come to the right place. In this reference, we will explore the differences between countable and uncountable nouns , explore common examples, and even how to make uncountable nouns countable!

Countable vs Uncountable Nouns

The difference between countable and uncountable nouns lies in their ability to be counted. Countable nouns, or count nouns, are words that we can easily put a number next to. They have a singular and plural forms and can be used with the numbers one, two, etc.

On the other hand, uncountable nouns, also known as non-count nouns, are nouns that cannot be counted. They do not have a plural form and they cannot be used with numbers.

For example, the word 'apple' is a countable noun. You can say "I have one apple" or "I have two apples". The word 'information' is an uncountable noun. You cannot say "I have one information" or "I have two informations".

Countable and uncountable nouns are further classified into collective nouns, proper nouns, concrete nouns, abstract nouns , and mass nouns.

• Collective nouns  are nouns that refer to groups of people or things, such as "team" or "family".
• Proper nouns refer to a specific person, thing, or place, such as "John" or "London".
• Concrete nouns are nouns that refer to physical objects, such as "chair" or "building".
• Abstract nouns  are nouns that refer to ideas, feelings, or qualities, such as "happiness" or "honesty".

Common Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Now that you understand the difference between countable and uncountable nouns, let’s take a look at some common examples.

Common countable nouns include "person", "book", "pen", "dog", "cat", "flower", and "car". Common uncountable nouns include "water", "air", "information", "money", "advice", "energy", and "love".

It is important to note that some nouns can be both countable and uncountable. For example, the word "bread" can be countable ("I have two slices of bread") or uncountable ("I have some bread").

Context is key when determining whether a noun is countable or uncountable. If you are unsure, consult a dictionary for clarification.

Making Uncountable Countable

Now that you understand differences between countable and uncountable nouns, let’s take a look at how you can make uncountable nouns countable.

One way to make an uncountable noun countable is to add a word that is used for counting. For example, you can add "piece" or "slice" to "bread" to make it countable ("I have two pieces of bread"). You can also add "cup" or "bottle" to "water" to make it countable ("I have two bottles of water").

Another way to make an uncountable noun countable is to add a measurement word. For example, you can add "gram" or "pound" to "sugar" to make it countable ("I have two pounds of sugar"). You can also add "mile" or "hour" to "distance" to make it countable ("I have two miles of distance").

Here are some more useful words for you to use:

• Counting words : piece, slice, cup, bottle, box, bag
• Measurement words : gram, pound, ounce, mile, hour

Common Mistakes with Noun Count

One of the most common mistakes is using a plural verb with an uncountable noun. For example, "information" is an uncountable noun and it should be used with a singular verb, such as "The information is useful".

Another common mistake is using "many" with an uncountable noun. For example, "happiness" is an uncountable noun and it should not be used with "many", such as "I have many happiness". Instead, you should say "I have a lot of happiness".

Finally, be aware that some nouns can be both countable and uncountable. For example, the  noun "time" can be used as both countable and uncountable. If you are talking about a specific amount of time, it is countable ("I have two hours of time"), but if you are talking about an indefinite amount of time, it is uncountable ("I have a lot of time").

We explored the difference between countable and uncountable nouns, common countable and uncountable nouns, how to make uncountable nouns countable, and common mistakes with noun count, and provided many helpful tips to help you understand the concept. Now, it's time to practice and work with your own countable and uncountable nouns!

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Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Writing > Understanding the difference between countable and uncountable nouns

Understanding the difference between countable and uncountable nouns

The English language is full of rules and irregularities, so if you’re having trouble keeping track of all of them, you’re not alone. An important grammar rule to know is which nouns can and can’t be counted.

If you’re confused by what that means, don’t worry: you’re about to understand the difference between countable and uncountable nouns. If you’re aiming to improve your writing and editing abilities, it’s important that you learn what countable and uncountable nouns are.

What are countable nouns?

By definition, a countable noun is one that has ‘both singular and plural forms and names something that can be counted when there is more than one of it.’ 1 Countable nouns are sometimes referred to as ‘count nouns.’ Here are some examples of countable nouns:

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All the nouns above have both a singular and plural version, making them countable nouns. For example, you can have a dog, or you can have two dogs or even three dogs. You can easily determine if a noun is countable if:

• You can make it plural
• It can take indefinite articles, like ‘a’ or ‘an’
• You can use quantifiers with it, like ‘a few’ or ‘several’

Here are some examples of countable nouns being used in a sentence:

• A few of the students stayed home sick.
• Most of the dogs at the shelter have been adopted.
• Here are a few quarters.

Countable nouns can be paired with the determiner or adjective ‘many.’ For example:

• There are so many songs on the album.
• How many cars do you own?
• So many decisions were made.

What are uncountable nouns?

The definition of an uncountable noun is one that ‘cannot be plural and names something that there can be more of or less of, but cannot be counted.’ 2 Ideas, concepts, and substances are considered uncountable since there is no way to quantify them. Here are some examples of countable nouns:

If you’re not sure if a noun is countable or uncountable, try making it plural to see if it makes sense. You wouldn’t say, “I have lots of moneys.” In this case, you would say, “I have a lot of money.”

Uncountable nouns can be modified by the adjective ‘much.’ For example:

• He has so much money.
• My cat doesn’t eat much food.
• How much air does the tire need?

You wouldn’t say, “he has so many money.” ‘Many’ is used for countable nouns. Uncountable nouns can also be modified by the adjective ‘little’ or ‘a little bit of.’ For example:

• Put a little bit of honey in the tea.

‘Honey’ is an uncountable noun since it is a liquid. Liquids can’t be counted.

• He has little knowledge of the subject.

Since knowledge is an abstract concept, it can’t be counted. ‘Knowledge’ is an uncountable noun.

Nouns that are countable and uncountable

It’s important to note that some nouns can be both countable and uncountable depending on how they are used. Sometimes, a word will have a different meaning in its countable or uncountable form. For example:

• He has blonde hair.

In this context, ‘hair’ is uncountable because it refers to hair in general.

• He wishes he could count the number of hairs on his head.

In this context, ‘hair’ is countable because it refers to individual pieces of hair.

Here’s another example of a noun that can be both countable and uncountable:

• My doctor told me to eat less meat.

In this case, ‘meat’ is uncountable because it is referring to meat in general.

• Processed meats have been linked to health problems.

In this case, ‘meat’ is countable because it is referring to a specific type of meat (processed meats).

Let’s look at one more noun that can be countable and uncountable:

• I want a chicken sandwich.

In this sentence, ‘chicken’ is uncountable because it refers to a general type of food.

• My mom has pet chickens.

In this sentence, ‘chicken’ is countable because it refers to a specific type of animal.

Knowing the difference between countable and uncountable nouns will greatly improve the quality and clarity of your writing. If you’re interested in learning more about how to improve your grammar, explore the most common grammatical errors and how to avoid them.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/countable-noun .

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/uncountable-noun .

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