2. COUNTABLE NOUNS
Countable nouns are things we can count – for
example, cats:
My brother has a cat.
My sister has two cats.
My friend has three cats.
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3. COUNTABLE NOUNS
Other examples of countable nouns:
Things – book, table, computer, banana, shirt,
television, pen, house.
People – man, woman, child, friend, brother, sister,
uncle, teacher, boss.
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4. COUNTABLE NOUNS
With countable nouns, you can use many, a few,
some, or any:
How many brothers do you have?
I have a few books in my backpack.
She bought some bananas at the store.
Does he have any children?
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5. UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
Uncountable nouns are words that we can’t count, or
can’t divide into separate parts:
Ideas and concepts – love, fun, sadness, work,
money, peace, safety
Information – advice, information, news,
knowledge
Categories – music, furniture, equipment, jewelry,
literature, meat
Liquids and foods that can’t be counted – water,
butter, rice, flour, milk
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6. UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
With uncountable nouns, you can use much, a
little, some, or any:
Our teacher gives us too much homework!
Add a little butter to the recipe.
We heard some great music on the radio this
morning.
He doesn’t have any furniture in his new house. 6
7. UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
Don’t add -s to make uncountable nouns plural:
I need some informations about the course.
I need some information about the course.
You can use other words to help:
She bought three bottles of wine and five boxes
of rice.
He gave me two pieces of advice: eat less and
exercise more.
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8. COUNTABLE VS UNCOUNTABLE
A countable noun has a plural form. For example we say:
1 dog and 2 dogs. The singular form and the plural form
are different and for this reason dog is a countable
noun, like pen, car, etc.
Note that most irregular nouns are countable. For
example 1 child, 2 children. There is no "s" in the plural
but the singular form and the plural form are different so
it is a countable noun.
Other examples of irregular countable nouns: man -
men, woman - women, person - people.
An uncountable noun has no plural form. It is always
singular. For example money is always singular, we
can't say moneys.
Examples of uncountable nouns:money, milk, petrol,
coffee, tea, water, traffic, furniture, bread, traffic.
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9. COUNTABLE VS UNCOUNTABLE
The difference is in the negative and in the question not in the
positive sentences.
Note that in positive sentences as well as as a lot of we can also
say lots of, although it is more informal
She has lots of friends.
We've got lots of time.
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10. EXAMPLES
Drivers must be careful; the road is slippery. Countable
Some policemen are organizing road traffic to avoid any
accidents. Countable
I bought three bottles of mineral water for our picnic. Countable
I'd like some juice please! Uncountable
Successful candidates will join the camp later this
year. Countable
A rise in oil prices is inevitable since there is more and more
world demand for energy. Uncountable
The exercises on this website are interesting. Countable
Dehydrated babies must drink a lot of water. Uncountable
Adult illiterates learn through a special
government program. Countable
I met some nice people when I was walking along the
beach. Countable
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11. EXERCISE
Is the underlined noun countable or uncountable?
The children fell asleep quickly after a busy day of fun.
Be careful! The water is deep.
The parade included fire trucks and police cars.
We like the large bottles of mineral water.
My mother uses real butter in the cakes she bakes.
How many politicians does it take to pass a simple law?
Most kids like milk, but Joey hates it.
Most pottery is made of clay.
Michael can play several different musical instruments.
I was feeling so stressed that I ate an entire box of cookies.
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