Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Countable Nouns
Countable
nouns are easy to recognize. They are things that we can count. For example:
"pen". We can count pens. We can have one, two, three or more pens.
Here are some more countable nouns:
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Countable nouns can be singular or plural:
· My dog is playing.
· My dogs are hungry.
We can use the indefinite article a/an with countable nouns:
· A dog is an animal.
When a countable noun is singular, we must use a word like a/the/my/this with it:
· I want an orange. (not I want orange.)
· Where is my bottle? (not Where is bottle?)
When a countable noun is plural, we can use it alone:
· I like oranges.
· Bottles can break.
We can use some and any with countable nouns:
· I've got some dollars.
· Have you got any pens?
We can use a few and many with countable nouns:
· I've got a few dollars.
· I haven't got many pens.
· My dog is playing.
· My dogs are hungry.
We can use the indefinite article a/an with countable nouns:
· A dog is an animal.
When a countable noun is singular, we must use a word like a/the/my/this with it:
· I want an orange. (not I want orange.)
· Where is my bottle? (not Where is bottle?)
When a countable noun is plural, we can use it alone:
· I like oranges.
· Bottles can break.
We can use some and any with countable nouns:
· I've got some dollars.
· Have you got any pens?
We can use a few and many with countable nouns:
· I've got a few dollars.
· I haven't got many pens.
Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable nouns are substances, concepts etc that we cannot divide into separate elements. We cannot "count" them. For example, we cannot count "milk". We can count "bottles of milk" or "litres of milk", but we cannot count "milk" itself. Here are some more uncountable nouns:
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We usually treat uncountable nouns as singular. We use a singular verb. For example:
· This news is very important.
· Your luggage looks heavy.
We do not usually use the indefinite article a/an with uncountable nouns. We cannot say "an information" or "a music". But we can say a something of:
· a piece of news
· a bottle of water
· a grain of rice
We can use some and any with uncountable nouns:
· I've got some money.
· Have you got any rice?
We can use a little and much with uncountable nouns:
· I've got a little money.
· I haven't got much rice.
· This news is very important.
· Your luggage looks heavy.
We do not usually use the indefinite article a/an with uncountable nouns. We cannot say "an information" or "a music". But we can say a something of:
· a piece of news
· a bottle of water
· a grain of rice
We can use some and any with uncountable nouns:
· I've got some money.
· Have you got any rice?
We can use a little and much with uncountable nouns:
· I've got a little money.
· I haven't got much rice.
Nouns that can be Countable and Uncountable
Sometimes, the same noun can be countable and uncountable, often with a change of meaning.
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Countable
There are two hairs in my coffee.
There are two lights in our bedroom. Shhhh! I thought I heard a noise. Have you got a paper to read? (=newspaper) Our house has seven rooms. We had a great time at the party. Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s greatest works. |
Nouns
hair
light noise paper room time work |
Uncountable
I don’t have much hair.
Close the curtain. There’s too much light! It’s difficult to work when there is too much noise. I want to draw a picture. Have you got some paper? Is there room for me to sit here? Have you got time for a coffee? I have no money. I need work! |
Source: http://www.englishclub.com
Plural Noun Forms
The plural form of most nouns is created simply by adding the letter s.
· more than one snake = snakes
· more than one ski = skis
· more than one Barrymore = Barrymores
Words that end in -ch, x, s or s-like sounds, however, will require an -es for the plural:
· more than one witch = witches
· more than one box = boxes
· more than one gas = gases
· more than one bus = buses
· more than one kiss = kisses
· more than one Jones = Joneses
There are several nouns that have irregular plural forms.
· more than one child = children
· more than one woman = women
· more than one man = men
· more than one person = people
· more than one goose = geese
· more than one mouse = mice
· more than one barracks = barracks
· more than one deer = deer
Special Cases With words that end in a consonant and a y, you'll need to change the y to an i and add es.
· more than one baby = babies
· more than one gallery = galleries
· more than one reality = realities
This rule does not apply to proper nouns:
· more than one Kennedy = Kennedys
Words that end in o create special problems.
· more than one potato = potatoes
· more than one hero = heroes
. . . however . . .
· more than one memo = memos
· more than one cello = cellos
. . . and for words where another vowel comes before the o . . .
· more than one stereo = stereos
Plurals of words that end in -f or -fe usually change the f sound to a v sound and add s or -es.
· more than one knife = knives
· more than one leaf = leaves
· more than one hoof = hooves
· more than one life = lives
· more than one self = selves
· more than one elf = elves
There are, however, exceptions:
· more than one dwarf = dwarfs
· more than one roof = roofs
When in doubt, as always, consult a dictionary. Some dictionaries, for instance, will list both wharfs and wharves as acceptable plural forms of wharf.
· more than one snake = snakes
· more than one ski = skis
· more than one Barrymore = Barrymores
Words that end in -ch, x, s or s-like sounds, however, will require an -es for the plural:
· more than one witch = witches
· more than one box = boxes
· more than one gas = gases
· more than one bus = buses
· more than one kiss = kisses
· more than one Jones = Joneses
There are several nouns that have irregular plural forms.
· more than one child = children
· more than one woman = women
· more than one man = men
· more than one person = people
· more than one goose = geese
· more than one mouse = mice
· more than one barracks = barracks
· more than one deer = deer
Special Cases With words that end in a consonant and a y, you'll need to change the y to an i and add es.
· more than one baby = babies
· more than one gallery = galleries
· more than one reality = realities
This rule does not apply to proper nouns:
· more than one Kennedy = Kennedys
Words that end in o create special problems.
· more than one potato = potatoes
· more than one hero = heroes
. . . however . . .
· more than one memo = memos
· more than one cello = cellos
. . . and for words where another vowel comes before the o . . .
· more than one stereo = stereos
Plurals of words that end in -f or -fe usually change the f sound to a v sound and add s or -es.
· more than one knife = knives
· more than one leaf = leaves
· more than one hoof = hooves
· more than one life = lives
· more than one self = selves
· more than one elf = elves
There are, however, exceptions:
· more than one dwarf = dwarfs
· more than one roof = roofs
When in doubt, as always, consult a dictionary. Some dictionaries, for instance, will list both wharfs and wharves as acceptable plural forms of wharf.
Source: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu
