10 Unusual Uncountable Nouns

 

For a full refresher on uncountable and countable nouns, check out this article! 

But don’t worry, before we jump into today’s lesson, we’ll do a quick summary of uncountable nouns!

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns are nouns that we find impossible to count, such as:

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

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

• Grains/ Mass nouns 

These are often things you could (theoretically) count, but that information is likely to be irrelevant and the number so large,  that we tend to refer to them as uncountable. It's not important how many grains of rice are in your dinner, as long as you're full at the end.

• Mass/Category Nouns

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

On to the List!

 

However, there are several uncountable nouns that seem like they should fall into the countable category, but they do not. They fall into the uncountable category, seemingly, without much reason. These are the types of unusual uncountable nouns that I really want to talk about today. 

There are a few vague guidelines that can help. For example, most of these unusual uncountable nouns fall under the category of "mass nouns" which is a noun used to describe a large range of items in the same general category. However, it's not always clear what a mass noun is so, like most things in language learning, most of your progress will come from trial and error and, eventually, memorization.

1. Luggage
• While we can count the number of suitcases, luggage itself describes the category and is uncountable. You can never use the word luggages.
2. Furniture
• Again, we can count couches, chairs, and tables. But the category of furniture is uncountable and cannot exist in the plural.
3. Information / Advice
   
   • Information and advice can include such a wide variety of things that they're considered uncountable category nouns.
   • If you want to talk about a single detail, you can use the phrase "a piece of information"
   • If you want to talk about specific advice, you can use "a bit/piece of advice"
     
4. Music
• Music can only exist in the singular
• If you want to talk about individual pieces of music, they’re called songs (for popular music), or pieces of music (for classical music)
• If you want to talk about different types of music (Rock, Rap, Jazz etc.), they’re called genres.
5. Money
• While you can count units of currencies (like 3 Dollars, 20 Euros, 250 Pesos etc.), money itself is actually an abstract idea and, therefore, uncountable. It never appears in the plural form. Not even when talking about different varieties! You may have noticed I used the word “currencies” earlier. This is the correct way to discuss multiple varieties of money. Monies does not exist in day-to-day English.
  
6. Equipment
• Equipment cannot be counted because this word covers a wide variety of objects. It is a category noun and does not have a plural form.
7. Stuff
• Stuff is a very general word that can be used to describe many things. Therefore, it’s a category noun and uncountable.

These first 7 are pretty straightforward, with pretty simple explanations. The last 3 on the list are a bit more complex. So get ready!

 

        8. Most Materials

 

 Materials tend to exist only in the singular. Here are some examples along with ways you could make some of them countable.

1. Paper
• A sheet of paper
2. Wood
• A plank of wood
3. Ice
• An Ice cube
4. Cement
5. Pavement / Tarmac
6. Glass
• A shard/piece/plane of glass (depending on the form)
7. Rubber
8. Materials used for clothes (ex. cotton, wool, linen etc.)
9. Plaster
10. Clay
     

        9. Materials (Part 2)

 

While these materials are most often uncountable, some can be used in the plural in specific circumstances

• 
  
1. Rock/Stone
• If the rock is one large, solid piece (such as the rock that makes a mountain) it is singular.
• If talking about small pieces you can put in your pocket, these use the plural form rocks or stones
2. Metal
• If we’re describing something made of metal, we use metal in the singular
• However, there are many varieties of metal, meaning we can use the plural metals when describing multiple varieties.
• Ex. They are mining for metals like copper, nickel, gold, and silver.
3. Ceramic
• When describing something made of ceramic, we use the singular.
• We can use ceramics in the plural when talking about the category of things made from ceramic

        10. Food

 

Of course, we can count things that are edible, like strawberries, muffins, and pizzas. However, food itself acts like a category noun. 

• Food exists in the plural only if you’re talking about multiple varieties of foods. (ex. These foods are healthy. These foods are unhealthy) and even then, using the singular mass noun is acceptable.
• There are also a large number of foods that are uncountable themselves. Ex. Loaves of bread, pieces of cheese, slices of cake. But they can be used in the plural, again, when describing multiple varieties. For more examples, read this article!

And that’s all 10 (and more) unusual uncountable nouns! Don’t hesitate to save this article for your reference. These are some pretty common mistakes people learning English make. That said, they won’t stop you from communicating your ideas clearly. This article is just to help you refine your English skills. But as long as you can be understood, that’s the most important thing! 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!