Countable and Uncountable Nouns

It is a tricky topic because some uncountable nouns (e.g. information) in English have their equivalents in other languages that are countable. In some cases, a noun is uncountable (e.g. experience) but we can put an indefinite article in front of it making it countable (e.g. an experience). Here we refer to an event. The best way to learn these differences is to consult a good dictionary and practice a lot.

 

 

Concrete and abstract nouns

 

Many countable nouns are concrete:

 

Persons: A boy, a girl, a woman, a man

Animals: A cat, a bird, a snail

Plants: A rose, a pine, a cactus

Objects: A pen, a card, an iron

Groups: A crowd, a bunch, a herd

Units of measurement: A milligram, a kilo, a gallon

Parts of a mass: A piece, a fragment, a shard

 

 

Concrete uncountable nouns

 

Concrete uncountable nouns include:

 

Materials: silk, cotton, metal

Liquids: water, oil, wine

Gases: helium, oxygen, hydrogen

Grains/powder: barley, buckwheat, dust, ground coffee

Activities: hiking, drinking, singing

Languages: Polish, Spanish, English

 

The following countable nouns are abstract:

 

a hope, a situation, an idea, a nuisance, a remark

 

Some abstract nouns can only be used as countable nouns:

 

a statement, a proposal, a denial, a scheme

 

A lot of uncountable nouns are abstract:

 

anger, honesty, equality, equanimity

Comments

Add new comment