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In this post we are going to learn how to use Countables & Uncountables in English.
Countable Nouns
Countable Nouns have a singular and a plural form.
Example
shop / shops
baby / babies
dish / dishes
* We use these words with countable nouns: a, an, many, a few, one, two, three, etc.
* A few countable nouns have irregular plurals:
one child / two children
one foot / two feet
one man / two men
one person / two people
one tooth / two teeth
one woman / two women
Uncountable Nouns
We cannot count some nouns, that is why they are called uncountable. They are usually:
Abstract ideas: love, freedom, education, luck, help, beauty, music, thunder, etc.
Made of smaller parts, portions: sugar, rice, sand, flour, dirt, dust, grass, spaghetti, etc.
Some food: bread, fish, cheese, chocolate, meat, bacon, ham, etc.
Liquids and gases: water, milk, wine, oil, coffee, rain, soup, air, smoke, blood, juice, fog, etc.
Materials: wood, glass, paper, gold, silver, ice, iron, cotton, wool, steel, etc.
Other examples: advice, furniture, hair, homework, information, money, news, luggage, work, etc.
* We use these words with uncountable nouns: a little, much, a bit of, a piece of, etc.
* Special Rules – Countable & Uncountable Nouns
There are some words that can be considered countable and uncountable with different meanings:
Example
Paper (sheet to draw) – uncountable / a paper (newspaper) – countable
Glass (material) – uncountable / a glass (container for drinks) – countable / glasses (lenses) – uncountable
Hair (human head / body) uncountable
Fish (animal) – uncountable / fishes (species) – countable
Fruit (individual) – uncountable / fruits (different kinds) – countable
* We use these words with countable and uncountable nouns: a lot of, lots of, some, any, the, etc.
EXERCISES
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