A: Countable Nouns
Countable nouns refer to things which are considered to be separate items. They can be counted.
a car, two cars
my brother, my three brothers
a banana, a box of bananas
a dog, a few dogs
Singular and plural
Countable nouns can be singular or plural. We can use ‘a/an’ for singular nouns, or numbers and other determiners (e.g. this, a lot) for singular and plural nouns:
She has two sisters and a big brother.
I like dogs more than cats.
Those cakes are expensive.
I have a book, an umbrella and a few tissues in this bag.
B: Uncountable nouns
Uncountable nouns cannot be separated or counted.
Some examples of uncountable nouns are:
Ideas and experiences: advice, happiness, information, progress, knowledge, luck, work etc.
Materials: paper, wood, plastic, metal, gold etc.
Substances, liquids, dairy products: pork, beef, ham, water, milk, honey, gasoline, oil, butter, cheese etc.
Some things that are too small to count: rice, salt, sugar, flour etc.
Some weather words: weather, thunder, lightning, drizzle, rain, snow etc.
Some names for groups or collections of things: furniture, food, meat, equipment, rubbish, luggage etc.
These uncountable nouns do not use ‘a/an’ or numbers and do not have a plural form.
He made it with wood and metal. Then he covered it in red paint.
It was terrible weather last night. There was a lot of rain and thunder.
Please buy rice, sugar and broccoli when you go shopping.
Do you have any information about my missing luggage? I don’t have much time to wait for it.
Some nouns are always in the plural form but they are uncountable.
We cannot use ‘a/an’ or numbers with them. We have to use a counter to count them. Many of them are made of two parts that are (almost) the same.
Examples: Shorts, pants, pajamas, (eye)glasses, binoculars, scissors, news, clothes, groceries.
I bought two pairs of pants.
Can I borrow your scissors?
The news was not good.
Expressing number with countable or uncountable nouns
With both countable and uncountable nouns, we can use counters, containers, weights, or phrases to show quantity. This is particularly useful for uncountable nouns which cannot, themselves, be counted.
A bit of, a few pieces of, 3 slices of, a lump of, and so on.
A box of, 2 bottles of, a can of, some tubes of, and so on.
A liter of, 500 grams of, 2 teaspoons of, 3m3 of, and so on.
Can I have a small piece of cheese, please?
I bought a bag of apples, two bottles of coke, a kilo of flour, a few slices of ham, and a jar of jam.
I have a couple of cans of paint. It’s enough for 15m2. Is that OK?
Determiners and expressions of quantity
Countable and uncountable nouns can be used with some determiners and expressions of quantity
Determiners: my, his, the, this, those, and so on.
Expressions of quantity: a lot of, a little (uncountable), a few (countable), some, and so on.
I have a little free time so I want to read a few good books.
Do you like the bread? Try it with my jam – it’s delicious.
Those scissors are really sharp.
There’s no work to do. Do you have any advice on what to do next?
Notes:
1. Some nouns which are uncountable in English are countable in other languages (e.g. accommodation, advice, furniture, information):
For more advice and information, ask our staff.
2. Some nouns can be either countable or uncountable depending on context and how they are presented.
Items of food especially are often countable in their whole, uncut form, but uncountable if they are sold or eaten cut.
My box of chocolates only has 3 chocolates left! Who ate the rest?
I sometimes eat a small bar of mint chocolate. It’s a treat.
I bought two pizzas at the supermarket as they were on sale.
Would you like some pizza? One slice or two?
We have two carrots, a head of lettuce and 3 cucumbers. Let’s make a salad.
The salad has some lettuce, a little carrot, and a little cucumber in it.
3. Some uncountable foods and drinks are informally counted, especially when ordering or requesting them, if the container is clear:
Can we get three cups of coffee, two glasses of coke, and two bowls of salad?
Can we get three coffees, two cokes, and two salads?
4. Uncountable nouns are often treated as countable if we are talking about different types of the same thing.
I bought two wines; a red and a white. [I bought two types of wine]
Most of the washing powders smell good.
The jams at the market were all really cheap.