Countable vs. Uncountable NounsDid

Countable vs. Uncountable Nouns

Did you know that not all nouns are countable in English? Knowing the difference between countable and uncountable nouns can help you in many areas of English grammar.

Countable Nouns

Countable nouns are nouns that can be counted. Most nouns in English are countable.

Examples:

I have two dogs.
Sandra has three cars.
Jessie has ten dollars.
Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns are not counted in English. This usually has to do with the way English speakers think of these nouns. We often picture these nouns as a single concept or one big thing which is hard to divide. Many of these words are countable in other languages, but they ARE NOT countable in English. Generally, we do not use plural forms of these words; however some of these words do end in "s", so don't get confused.

Examples:

Mack drinks a lot of water.
Cindy gives great advice.
Paul enjoys politics. Ends with "s" but uncountable
Uncountable nouns tend to belong to one of the following categories:

Liquids and Gases

water
coffee
milk
air
oxygen
Solid and Granular Substances

wood
metal
cheese
sand
rice
Energy Words and Forces

electricity
sunshine
radiation
heat
magnetism
Subjects

French
chemistry
economics
science
math
Grouped Concepts

fruit
money
food
vocabulary
news
Information and Abstract Concepts

information
advice
education
democracy
intelligence
Uncountable Plurals

Sometimes in English, we do use uncountable nouns in plural forms. This is most commonly done with liquids and substances. It usually takes on the meaning of "cups of", "bottles of" or "types of".

Examples:

We'll have two coffees. Cups of coffee
I bought two waters. Bottles of water
The company produces two leathers. Types of leather
Different Meanings

There are certain words which have multiple meanings. It is possible for one meaning to be countable and the other to be uncountable. Take for example the word "light":

Examples:

I couldn't see anything because there was no light. Uncountable noun
The Christmas tree was covered with hundreds of lights. Countable noun
Generally, the rules are still the same. The first use of "light" is a form of energy. The second use of "light" means "small light bulbs", which are normal countable objects.

ผลลัพธ์ (อังกฤษ) 1:

Countable vs. Uncountable nouns are countable nouns Did you know that not all in English? Knowing the difference between countable and uncountable nouns can help you in many areas of English grammar. Countable Nouns Countable nouns are nouns that can be counted. Most are countable nouns in English. Examples: I have two dogs. Sandra has three cars. Jessie has ten dollars. Uncountable nouns Uncountable nouns in English are not counted. This usually has to do with the way English speakers think of these nouns. We often these nouns as a single image or concept which is hard to divide one big thing. Many of these words are countable in other languages, but they are not countable in English. Generally, we do not use these words of plural forms; however do some of these words end in "s", so do not get confused. Examples: Mack drinks a lot of water. Cindy Gives great advice. Paul enjoys politics. Ends with "s" but uncountable nouns Uncountable Tend to belong to one of the following categories: Liquids and Gases , Water, coffee milk air oxygen and Granular Substances Solid wood, metal cheese sand rice Forces Energy Words and electricity sunshine radiation heat magnetism Subjects French chemistry economics science math Grouped Concepts fruit money food vocabulary news Information and Abstract Concepts information advice education Democracy intelligence Uncountable Plurals Sometimes in English, we do use the plural forms uncountable nouns. Liquids and Substances This is most commonly done with. It usually takes on the meaning of "cups of", "bottles of" or "types of." Examples: We'll have two Coffees. Cups of coffee I bought two waters. Bottles of water two Leathers Produces the company. Types of leather Different Meanings There are certain words which have multiple meanings. It is possible for one to be the other meaning to be countable and uncountable. Take for example the word "light": Examples: I could not see anything because there was no light. Uncountable noun The Christmas tree was covered with hundreds of lights. Countable noun Generally, the rules are still the same. The first use of "light" is a form of energy. The second use of "light" means "small light bulbs," objects which are countable normal.