Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Countable nouns can be counted and have plural forms; uncountable nouns name things we see as a mass and have no plural. The distinction controls which determiners and verbs you can use.
Level A2
Nouns & Determiners
Summary
- Countable nouns can be counted and have plural forms; uncountable nouns name things we see as a mass and have no plural. The distinction controls which determiners and verbs you can use.
Structure
countable: a/an, plural, many | uncountable: some, much, no plural
Examples
- I'd like an apple, please.
- There isn't much water left.
- She gave me some useful advice.
- We need three chairs for the meeting.
Common mistakes
- • Saying 'an advice' or 'advices' — advice is uncountable.
- • Using 'many' with uncountable nouns, e.g. 'many money' instead of 'much money'.
More nouns & determiners
Plural and Quantifiers: Some / Any
A1
Use 'some' in positive sentences and offers/requests, and 'any' in negatives and most questions. They work with plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns.
Plural Nouns
A1
Most English nouns add -s to show more than one. Nouns ending in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, or -x take -es, and a noun ending in consonant + y changes y to -ies.
Possessive 's
A1
Add 's to a noun to show ownership or relationship. For plural nouns already ending in -s, add only an apostrophe.
This, That, These, Those
A1
These demonstratives point to things by number and distance. This/these are for things near you; that/those are for things farther away.
There Is and There Are
A1
Use 'there is' and 'there are' to say that something exists or is present. The verb agrees with the noun that follows: singular takes 'is', plural takes 'are'.