Nouns - Count and Non-Count Nouns

Nouns -
Count and Non-Count Nouns

Count and Non-Count Nouns

Introduction

In English, there are two kinds of nouns:

count nouns and
non-count
nouns. It is important to understand the difference between them, because
they often use different articles, and non-count nouns usually have no
plural. Here is a summary of the differences:

Type of noun Explanation Example

Count nouns	Count nouns are things which can be counted. That means that there can be more than one of them. Also, when a count noun is singular and indefinite, the article “a/an” is often used with it. (The real meaning of “a” is “one”.)	“There are two books on the table.” “There is an elephant in my car.”
Non-count nouns	Non-count nouns (or uncounted nouns) are usually things which cannot be counted, such as rice or water. Non-count nouns have a singular form, but when they are indefinite, we either use the word “some” or nothing at all instead of an article.	“Could I have some water please?” “I'd like rice with my steak.”

How to tell whether a noun is count or non-count

You can usually work out whether a noun is count or non-count
by thinking about it. Count nouns are usually objects which can be
counted. Non-count nouns are often substances (such as sand, water or
rice) which cannot be easily counted, or they may be large abstract
ideas such as “nature”, “space” or “entertainment”. Here are some more
examples:
Count nouns Non-count nouns

pen

table

car

idea

answer

class

exam

shoe

education

intelligence

clothing

soap

air

cheese

grass

literature

Nouns -
How to Count Non-Count Nouns

How to Count Non-Count Nouns

Introduction

Although non-count nouns are supposed to be

uncountable, we sometimes need to count them. At
least, we sometimes need to explain the quantity of something which is
non-count. We can do this by using a
measurement word,
or counter, like this:

	a bar of chocolate
	two loaves of bread
	three slices of meat

It's useful to learn some of the most common measurement words
and how they are used. Here are some examples:

Measurement word Nouns used with it

bar	chocolate soap
cube	sugar ice
game	tennis soccer cards
glass	wine beer water juice
piece	advice information baggage clothing furniture homework machinery

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