NOUNS
Countable
Uncountable nouns
can be both: countable & uncountable
singular
plural
Definition: Countable nouns are nouns that can be counted. Most nouns in English are countable.
Examples:
I have two dogs.
Sandra has three cars.
some uncountable nouns that we often use
Advice // Could you give me some advice?
Accommodation
Baggage
Behaviour
Chaos
Dust //The old table was covered with dust.
Electricity // Electricity runs through this wire.
Equipment // Could you give me a list of the equipment we need for the trip?
Evidence// What evidence is there against John?
Fog // I could hardly see because of the thick fog.
Fun// We had a lot of fun at the party.
Furniture // I really need to buy some new furniture for my new flat.
Happiness // How can we increase our happiness?
Help // The teacher would like some help with moving the chairs.
Homework // How much homework do you get?
Information // Could you give me some information about things to do in London?
Knowledge // He has such a lot of knowledge about history.
Luck // I need a bit of luck!
Luggage// Please put leave all your luggage at the hotel and we'll pick it up later.
Money// How much money do you have in your purse?
News // The news is good! John has passed the exam!
Pasta// I love pasta!
Permission
Progress We haven't made much progress on our project.
Research// Julie is doing research in neuroscience.
Snow // There's been a lot of snow this year.
Spaghetti// Could we have spaghetti with meatballs?
Spinach /ˈspɪnɪtʃ/ //She likes spinach with garlic.
Scenery
Traffic Was there a lot of traffic in central London?
Vocabulary// Vocabulary is very important in language learning.
Work// Do you have any work to do this weekend?
the same meaning
different meaning
Hair
Countable = one hair // Urg! There's a hair in my food!
Uncountable = all the hair on a person's head
She has very beautiful hair.
Paper
Countable = a newspaper
I bought all the papers this morning.
Uncountable = paper in general
Could you give me some paper to write on?
Light
Countable = a single lamp or light bulb
The Christmas tree was covered in lights.
Uncountable = light in general
The room was full of light.
Experience
Countable = one event
I travelled to Thailand and it was a really great experience.
Uncountable = when you've done something for a long time
She has a lot of experience with children.
always plural:
Trousers// My trousers are too long.
Tights // I need to wear tights with this dress.
Shorts// He bought some blue shorts.
Scissors// There are three pairs of scissors in the drawer.
Tweezers // Could you pass me those tweezers?
Binoculars /bɪˈnɒkjələz/ // She gave me some binoculars.
Glasses (for seeing better) // I've lost my glasses!
Sunglasses // My sunglasses are in my bag.
Clothes /kləʊðz/ // She put her clothes in the suitcase.
Belongings /bɪˈlɒŋɪŋz/ Whose belongings are these?
Congratulations // Many congratulations!
Noise
Countable = a specific noise
IDid you hear a noise just now?
Uncountable = in general
There is too much noise
Room
Countable = a room in the house // Urg! There's a spare room
Uncountable = space // You can't sit here. There is not room
Many, many words can be used in both an uncountable way and a countable way. This is especially true of uncountable food and drink, such as 'coffee' or 'yogurt'. When we're talking in general about coffee or yogurt, the words are uncountable. But, we can use them in a countable way when we mean 'one cup of' or 'one pot of':
Uncountable: Coffee is my favourite drink.
Countable: Could you buy two coffees and two teas, please?
Uncountable: My children eat a lot of yogurt.
Countable: I bought a pack of six yogurts.
Other words that act like this include: water, juice, salad, curry and cake.