15 Countable and Uncountable Nouns
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Introduction
Nouns refer to a person, place, thing, event, substance or quality.
Countable nouns are nouns considered as separate objects that can be counted with numbers.
Uncountable nouns refer to things we consider as a mass, and not as separate objects.
Form
There is not a fixed rule for the formation of countable and uncountable nouns.
Countable nouns
Countable nouns have both singular and plural forms. They can be used with indefinite articles (a/an) and numbers.
Uncountable nouns
Uncountable nouns cannot be used with the indefinite article (a/an) or numbers. They can have:
- Only the singular form that cannot be made plural (advice, baggage, information, energy, furniture, homework, money…);
- Only the plural form that cannot be made singular (the Spanish, news, groceries, clothes, thanks, regards…).
Example
Countable nouns
- I have a dog at home.
- He is so rich that he owns five houses.
- We want to play a tennis match.
Uncountable nouns
- His advice was very important. /
His advices were very important. - There is information in this guide. /
There are informations in this guide. - I have some news about Bulgaria. /
I have a new about Bulgaria.
Use
Countable nouns are used as separate objects and could be counted with numbers.
Uncountable nouns are objects considered as a mass and cannot be separated (words about weather, liquids, materials or abstract nouns).
Summary
Countable nouns refer to separate objects that can be counted with numbers. They can be used with the indefinite article (a/an).
Uncountable nouns refer to abstract nouns, mass objects that cannot be separated. They cannot be used with the indefinite article (a/an) and usually only have the singular form with no plural or the plural form with no singular.
For example:
— “There is a mobile phone on the table.” = Mobile phone is a countable singular noun, that’s why we use indefinite article a.
— “There are two mobile phones on the table.” = Mobile phones is a countable plural noun so we can count them with the number two.
— “My teacher bought furniture for her house.“ / “My teacher bought furnitures for her house.“= Furniture is an uncountable singular noun that does not have a plural form.
— “The police catch killers.” / “The police catches killers.” = The police is an uncountable plural noun that does not have a singular form.
Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.
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