Countable and Uncountable Nouns

 

In English, we have two broad categories of nouns that we call countable and uncountable nouns. But what do these categories mean? Luckily, it's (for the most part) exactly what it sounds like.  Usually, if you can imagine yourself actually counting something, it's countable. If you can't imagine counting the noun, it's uncountable. Don't worry, we'll get into some more concrete examples in a bit!

 

But why should I care if I can count an item or not? Well, in English, these two categories use different grammar rules. So knowing the countability of a noun is step one to talking about it clearly.

 

So let's take a closer look at each of these categories to turn you into a countable and uncountable noun pro!

Countable Nouns

Usually, if you can imagine yourself actually counting something, it's countable. Physical things like apples, dogs, people, pages etc. can all be counted easily.

Even some more abstract ideas, like ideas themselves, can be counted. Ideas, religions, governments, flavours, countries, etc. are also considered countable. 

These nouns take the articles "a" or "an" if there is only one. If there is more than one, they may take a specific number as the article or be written in the plural form with no article.

• I ate an apple for lunch.
• You already have a cat and two dogs.
• She rides horses on the weekend. 

These countable nouns can also take articles that do not express a specific number such as several, many, or some. We use these if the exact number isn't known or if we want to talk about a large number.

• I added some nuts to the muffins this time.
• She has several hobbies.
• There are many different animals on a farm.

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns are often the more confusing of the two. But, just as we can imagine counting countable nouns, one way to find uncountable nouns is to think about things that you can't imagine counting.

For example, we can't count liquids. You can't pick up one water and put it somewhere else. It just doesn't make sense in English! It's impossible to have an exact number so we can't use a, an, or a specific number as an article. We also can't use plural forms.  That's why we use the article "some".

• I always start my morning with some coffee.
• She offered me some bread and some cheese.
• I usually drink some water with dinner.

*NOTE* "Some" is not always required. All of these example sentences, in fact, do not require "some" to be grammatically correct.

*NOTE* Some uncountable nouns can be used in the plural form if we're speaking about several varieties. For example, "premium coffees" refers to a group of coffees that are considered premium. "There are three cheeses on the platter" means there are 3 different varieties of cheese.

These rules apply to other things that are impossible to count, such as:

• Liquids (Water, tea, blood etc.)
• Gases (Air, smoke, helium, etc.)
• Kinds of Weather (Fog, rain, etc.)
• Emotions (Excitement, sadness, etc.)
• Abstract ideas (Advice, determination, stress, etc.)
   

They also apply to things that are difficult to count, like:

• Grains/ Mass nouns (Ex. Rice, sand, hair etc.)

These are often things where you could sit and count every every grain of rice in your dinner or strand of hair on your head, but that information is likely to be irrelevant and the number so large,  that we tend to refer to them as uncountable.

• Mass/Category Nouns (Ex. Luggage, furniture, etc.)

Alternatively, nouns like furniture and luggage are considered uncountable because they represent a larger category of items. You could count individual items in those categories, like couches or suitcases, but the category itself cannot be counted.

If you want some more information on some of the more unusual uncountable nouns and the common mistakes associated with them, don't forget to check out this article too!

Making Uncountable Nouns Countable

If we want to make uncountable nouns countable, we normally talk about the vessel or a smaller piece of a larger item paired with "of".

• I always start my morning with two cups of coffee.
• She offered me a piece of cheese for my slice of bread.
• Whenever I cook, I make a huge cloud of smoke.
   

Common Mistakes

When talking about countable and uncountable nouns, there always seems to be some confusion about many and much. So, just to clear things up:

Many = Countable (I ate too many tacos and had too many drinks last night)

Much = Uncountable (ex. I ate too much food and drank too much wine last night)

If you're really stuck though, the phrase "a lot of" can be used for both countable and uncountable nouns.

Ex. I ate a lot of tacos (countable) and drank a lot of wine (uncountable) last night.

 

Another point of confusion is when  we want use the comparative forms. 

 

When we want to say our noun is larger in quantity, it's pretty simple. Both countable and uncountable nouns use "more."

Ex. I ate more tacos, but he drank more wine. 

 

When we want to say our noun is smaller in quantity, things get a bit more complicated. Even native speakers sometimes get confused between fewer and less!

Fewer = Countable

Less = Uncountable

Ex.  He ate fewer tacos, but I drank less wine. 

 

 

And that's it for today's lesson. I hope you learned something new about countable and uncountable nouns!

Like with most things, mixing up a countable and uncountable noun isn't the end of the world. You'll likely be understood. Even if someone notices the error or corrects you, they still will understand what you mean. And, like with all things, practice makes perfect. Advanced English speakers don't sit and calculate if a noun is countable or not. Eventually, it will just become familiar. When you have the time to choose your words, make sure that you're checking if your noun is countable or uncountable. But when you're using English in a fast-paced environment, don't sweat it! Just make sure you're putting in the effort to master this grammar rule when you get the chance, and you'll see your English skills advance.