Nouns in focus: Countable and Uncountable Nouns

List of contents: (Countable and Uncountable Nouns)

• Definition
• Countable Nouns
• Determiners and articles used with singular and plural countable nouns
• Uncountable nouns
• Master list of uncountable nouns
• Determiners for uncountable nouns
• Common unit words for countable and uncountable nouns
• Nouns that are both countable and uncountable

Definition: Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Nouns can be categorised into countable and uncountable nouns. Countable nouns are those that can be counted, whereas uncountable nouns are those that cannot be counted.

Countable Nouns

a. can be counted

b. have singular and plural forms

c. can use numbers in front of them

Singular countable nouns always need articles and determiners.

Plural countable nouns do not take “a/an”, because “a” or “an” means “one”, but use “the” as a determiner.

Determiners and articles used with countable nouns

singular	plural
(a/an), for example – a pen, an apple	(the), for example – the books
(the), for example – the book	(some), for example – some students
(this/that), for example – this ball/that bat	(many), for example – many mistakes
(one), for example – one idea	(few/a few), for example, few pencils
(each), for example – each child	(these/those), for example – those bats, those balls
(every), for example – every student	(several), for example – several childrens
	(a lot of), for example – a lot of people

Uncountable Nouns

a. cannot be counted directly

b. do not have plural forms

c. require unit or measurement word to quantify

Master list of uncountable nouns (common categories)

• A. Liquid – water, milk, coffee, tea, juice, oil, petrol, etc.

• B. Abstract Ideas – bravery, strength, love, happiness, beauty, anger, information, advice, etc.

• C. Substances – sugar, salt, rice, flour, bread, butter, cheese, metal, sand, etc.

• D. Activities/Subjects – homework, research, traffic, news, progress, education, work, etc.

• E. Collection/Groups – luggage, furniture, equipment, clothing, jewelry, etc.

Determiners for uncountable nouns

(The), for example – the bread

(Some), for example – some information

Much, for example – much sugar

Little/a little, for example – a little salt

(Very little), for example – very little time

(A lot of), for example – a lot of water

Common Unit Words for Countable and Uncountable Nouns

These are standard one-word units that can be paired with uncountable nouns to make them countable.

Small Units

• A piece of – paper, furniture, news, cake, advice, information

• A bit of – luck , help, time, trouble, sugar

• A slice of – bread, cheese, cake, pizza

• A strand of – hair, thread

• A grain of – rice, sand, salt, or sugar

• A drop of – water , blood, rain, or oil

Container Units

• a box of – chocolates, toys, tools

• a bag of– rice, flour, vegetables

• a jar of – honey, jam, pickle

• a bucket of – water, sand, paint

• a carton of – eggs, milk, juice

• a crate of – bottles, fruits

• a tube of toothpaste, glue

• a sack of – potatoes, grains

Food and drinks units

• a cup of – tea, coffee, milk, soup, sugar

• a glass of – water, juice, wine, milk

• a bottle of – water, oil, juice, medicine

• a bowl of – rice, soup, salad, noodles

• a plate of – rice, pasta, food

• a slice of – bread, cake, cheese, pizza

• a loaf of- bread

• a bar of – chocolate, soap

• a spoonful of – sugar, salt, oil

• a drop of – water, rain, blood

• a piece of – cake, bread, cheese

• a packet of – biscuits, chips, and sugar

• a tin/can of – juice, beans, soda, or milk

• a handful of – nuts, rice, and grains

• a pinch of – salt and spices

• a scoop of – ice cream

Food Portion

• a serving of – rice, pasta, salad

• a helping of – food

• a portion of – a meal, chips

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Larger quantities

• a loaf of – bread

• a bar of – chocolate, soap

• a lump of – coal, clay, sugar

• a block of – ice, butter, cheese

Shapes and Objects

• a sheet of – paper, glass, or metal

• a roll of – tape, cloth, paper towels

• a strip of – cloth, paper

• a stick of – butter, gum

Natural Units

• a ray of – light, hope

• a speck of – dust, dirt

• a flash of – lightning

• a cloud of – smoke, dust

• a gust of – wind

• a clap of – thunder

Abstract Noun Units (Countable and Uncountable Nouns)

• a moment of – silence , happiness

• a feeling of – joy, fear

• a bit of – luck, trouble

• a sense of – pride, loss

• a piece of– advice, information

• an act of – kindness, courage

‘A kind/type/sort of’ is a general classifier

Measurement Units (Countable and Uncountable Nouns)

• a meter of – cloth, wire, rope

• a gallon of – water, petrol

• a liter of – milk, water, oil

• a gram of – powder, spices, flour, sugar

• a kilo of – rice, flour, vegetables, meat, sugar

• a ton of – metal, coal

Nouns that are both countable and uncountable (Countable and Uncountable Nouns)

These nouns change their meaning depending on whether they are used in general sense (uncountable) or as specific types (countable)

Abstract Nouns

• Love –
  • Example:
  • Love is important. (love is used in general sense); (Uncountable)
  • Shreya has many loves .(Love is used to reference hobbies or interests) (countable).
• Hope –
  • General sense: example: Hope keeps us alive. (uncountable)
  • Specific type: example: His hopes for the future are bright. (countable)

• Trust –
  • General sense: example: Aman has trust issues. Friendship should be based on trust. (uncountable)
  • In case of legal arrangement: The Aditya group of companies set up a trust in their daughter’s name. (countable)

• Dream –
  • General sense or idiomatic sense: example: She married her dream partner.(uncountable noun)
  • Specific aspirations or series of images: example: He had a sweet dream last night. (countable noun)

• Help –
  • General sense of assisting someone: example; she was a great help during my marriage ceremony.
  • A specific thing that provides assistance: for example, my father bought me study helps for my university entrance exam.

• Belief –
  • General feeling of trust; example: Belief gives strength. They possess a strong belief system. (uncountable)
  • Specific conviction; example: They discussed their core beliefs during the annual meeting. (countable)

• Fear–
  • General sense (uncountable): example: He has no fear.
  • Specific types (countable): example: He has a number of fears from his past experiences.

• Thought
  • General act of thinking (uncountable): example: He is lost in thought.
  • Ideas, plans, opinions (countable): example: Here are my thoughts.

• Work –
  • Example:
  • His works are preserved in the museum. (countable noun; here, ‘work’ refers to creations)
  • I have a lot of work. (uncountable; work is used in a general sense)

• Experience –
  • Example:
  • She has teaching experience. (uncountable; ‘experience’ is used as a skill).
  • She has many travel experiences (countable, because here experience is used as an event)

Food and Drink Nouns

• Coffee
  • As a beverage (uncountable), for example, I love the smell of freshly brewed coffee.
  • As a serving (countable), for example, can I have one coffee on the go, please?

• Tea
  • As a beverage (uncountable), for example, tea is our go-to beverage for our break time.
  • As different types or individual servings (countable); for example, we serve different types of teas in our restaurant. I had two teas during my lunch break.

• Cheese
  • As an edible (uncountable), for example, cheese is expensive.
  • As types (countable), for example, we keep a variety of cheeses in our restaurant.

• Chicken
  • As meat (uncountable), for example, we ate chicken for lunch.
  • As birds (countable),
  • For example, they have four chickens on their farm.

• Fish
  • As food (uncountable), for example, we ate fish for dinner last night.
  • As individual water animals (countable), for example, the tiger fish is the most dangerous of all the other fishes.

• Fruit
  • General or collective groups of fruit (uncountable), for example: we should eat more food for better health.
  • Variety of fruits (countable), for example: We grow different types of fruits in our farm.

• Wine
  • As a substance (uncountable), for example: Wine is costly.
  • As specific types or a variety (countable), for example: the hotel is serving a variety of wines to their guests.

• Chocolate
  • General (uncountable), for example: I love chocolate.
  • Individual pieces (countable), for example: I ate a bar of chocolate.

Material Nouns

• Glass
  • Uncountable: The window is made of glass. (as a material)
  • Countable: I bought two glasses. (as a container)

• Paper
  • Uncountable: Paper is expensive. (as material)
  • Countable: The teacher checked the papers (as documents).

• Stone
  • Uncountable: The statue is made of stone. (as material)
  • Countable: There are stones on the road. (as individual pieces)

• Iron
  • Uncountable: Iron is a strong metal. (as a metal)
  • Countable: I bought an iron. (as a product made of iron)

• Wood
  • Uncountable: Wood is useful. (as material)
  • Countable: we are looking for hardwoods in the jungle. (different types)

Other useful examples

• Light
  • Uncountable: Light filled the room. (concept of light)
  • Countable: I switched off the lights of the room after my work was over. (referring to sources of light)

• Language
  • Uncountable: Language is a gift. (general sense)
  • Countable: There are many languages. (variety)

• Study
  • Uncountable: Study requires focus. (general sense)
  • Countable: He completed his higher studies in the USA. (specific study)

• Business
  • Uncountable: Running a business is tough. (general activity of commerce or trade)
  • Countable: He runs three businesses. (specific company or businesses)

• Nature
  • Uncountable: Nature is beautiful. (referring to physical world)
  • Countable. They have very different natures. (characteristics)