Count and Noncount Nouns: Basic Rules

A count noun is one that can be expressed in plural form, usually with an "s." For

example, "cat—cats," "season—seasons," "student—students."

A noncount noun is one that usually cannot be expressed in a plural form. For example,

"milk," "water," "air," "money," "food." Usually, you can't say, "He had many moneys."

Some/Any: Some and any can be used with countable and uncountable nouns.

• "There is some water on the floor."

• "There are some students here."

• "Do you have any food?"

• "Do you have any apples?"

Much/Many: Much modifies only uncountable nouns. Many modifies only countable

nouns.

• "We don't have much time to get this done."

• "Many Americans travel to Europe."

Little/Few: Little modifies only uncountable nouns. Few modifies only countable

nouns.

• "He had little food in the house."

• "The doctor had little time to think in the emergency room."

• "There are few doctors in town."

• "Few students like exams."

Generally speaking, noncount nouns refer to things that can't be counted because they

are thought of as wholes that can't be cut into parts. They often refer to abstractions and

occasionally have a collective meaning (for example, furniture).

Examples:

anger

courage

progress

furniture

education

weather

warmth

leisure

precision

Example sentences:

• I dove into the water. (How many waters did you dive into? The question doesn't

make any sense; therefore, water is noncountable.)

• I saw the milk spill. (How many milks? Milk cannot be counted.)

• I admired the foliage. (How many “foliages”? Foliage cannot be counted.)

Think of the batter from which a cake is made. Before you put the batter into the oven, it

can't be divided into parts because it's a thick liquid. Once it has been baked, it becomes

solid enough to be cut into pieces. Noncount nouns are like cake batter; count nouns

are like pieces of cake.

An Exception to the Rule

For a number of nouns, the rule needs slight revision. Certain nouns in English belong

to both classes: they have both a noncount and a count meaning. Normally the noncount

meaning is abstract and general and the count meaning concrete and specific. Compare:

Count

• I've had some difficulties finding a job. (refers to a number of specific problems)

• The talks will take place in the Krannert building. (refers to a number of specific

lectures)

• The city was filled with bright lights and harsh sounds. (refers to a number of

specific lights and noises)

Noncount

• She succeeded in school with little difficulty. (refers to the general idea of

school being difficult)

• I dislike idle talk. (refers to talking in general)

• Light travels faster than sound. (refers to the way light and sound behave in

general)

Note: A special case of the use of noncount nouns in a count sense has to do with

classification. Sometimes a usually noncount noun can be understood as one item separate

and distinct from other items of the same category. The nouns that function in this way

often denote foods and beverages: food(s), drink(s), wine(s), bread(s), coffee(s), fruit(s),

and so on. Examples:

• There are several French wines to choose from. (= kinds of wine)

• I prefer Sumatran coffees to Colombian. (= kinds of coffee)

• We use a variety of different batters in our bakery. (= kinds of batter)

Pluralizes with -s Doesn't Pluralize

Count Noun XX

Count Use XX

Noncount Noun XX

Noncount Use XX

Articles

The following chart shows which articles go with which kinds of nouns. Notice that this,

that, these, and those have been included because, like the, they mark the noun that they

modify as definite, which means that the noun refers 1) to a unique individual or 2) to

some person, event, or object known to both the writer and reader from their general

knowledge or from what has been previously mentioned in a piece of writing.

a, an the this, that these,

those no article

Count singular XX XX XX

Count plural XX XX XX

Noncount XX XX XX

Examples:

Count Singular:

I ate an apple.

I rode the bus.

Does she live in this house? No, she lives in that house over there.

Count Plural:

I like to feed the birds.

Do you want these books? No, I want those books up there.

Cats are interesting pets.

Noncount:

The water is cold.

This milk is going sour.

Music helps me relax.

Quantity Terms

The following chart shows which quantity words go with which kinds of nouns. Note that

quantity words can be used in combinations such as many more, many fewer, much more,

and much less, any of which can be preceded by how to form questions or relative clauses.

Negatives like not and no can also be applied to many of these terms.

much, less,

little, a

little, very

little

some, any,

most, more,

all, a lot of,

no, none of

the

many, both,

several,

few/fewer/fewest,

a few, one of the,

a couple of

each, every,

any, one

Count singular XX

Count plural XX XX

Noncount XX XX

Examples:

Count Singular:

I practice every day.

I'd like one donut, please.

Count Plural:

Can I have some chips?

She has a lot of books, and many are autographed.

I have fewer pencils than you.

Noncount:

Can I have some water?

She has a lot of strength, and much is due to her upbringing.

I have less courage than you.

Abstract nouns are uncountable.

The price of freedom is constant vigilance.

Her writing shows maturity and intelligence.

Some concrete nouns are uncountable (when understood in their undivided sense).

The price of oil has stabilized recently.

May I borrow some rice?

While uncountable nouns do not generally take a plural form, sometimes they may be

pluralized when used in a countable sense. The difference between the uncountable and

countable meanings of nouns that are used in either sense can be seen in the following

chart:

Uncountable Sense Countable Sense

Art is often called limitation of

life.

I read a book aout the

folkarts of Sweden.

Life is precious. A cat has nine lives.

Religion has been a powerful

force in history.

Many religions are practiced in

the United States.

She has beautiful skin. The hull of a kayak is made of

animal skins.

Dr. Moulton is an expert in

ancient Greek sculpture.

We have several sculptures in

our home.

We use only recycled paper in

our office.

Where are those

important papers?

Categories of Uncountable Nouns

Abstract Material Generic Non-Plurals with -s

advice

help

information

knowledge

trouble

work

enjoyment

fun

meat

rice

bread

cake

coffee

ice cream

water

oil

fruit

wildlife

equipment

machinery

furniture

mail

luggage

jewelry

mathematics

economics

physics

civics

ethics

mumps

measles

news

recreation

relaxation

grass

hair

clothing

money

tennis

(other games)

Plurals of English nouns taken from Latin or Greek

Words with two plurals

English has borrowed many common words from Latin and Greek, such

as amoeba, appendix, aquarium, criterion, referendum, syllabus, and virus. In

their original language the plurals of such words followed that language’s rules:

the Latin plural of aquarium is aquaria, the Greek plural of criterion is criteria, and

so forth. However, most of these words also form regular plurals in English by

adding an -s, e.g. aquariums, referendums, syllabuses.

Which form to use?

As a rule of thumb, the Latin-style plural is appropriate to formal, scientific, or

technical writing, while the English plural is better suited to everyday language.

Rock guitarists use plectrums, and might be ridiculed if they called them plectra.

Choosing to use the Latin plural form when an English one is also available

can smack of pretentiousness or pomposity, as when talking of online fora rather

than forums.

Common words with both forms

When deciding which to choose, it is important to bear in mind the context in

which it will appear, as outlined above.

SINGULAR PLURAL

addendum addendums or addenda

aquarium aquariums or aquaria

gymnasium gymnasiums or gymnasia

maximum maximums or maxima

memorandum memorandums or memoranda

minimum minimums or minima

moratorium moratoriums or moratoria

referendum referendums or referenda

Though both curricula and curriculums are used, the first is found rather more

frequently.

Common words with plural in -uses

SINGULAR PLURAL

caucus caucuses

f(o)etus f(o)etuses

hiatus hiatuses

phallus phalluses

prospectus prospectuses

sinus sinuses

virus viruses

Both syllabuses and syllabi are used, but the first is used more often in World

English, while the second is often used in American English.

The plural of octopus is another special case.

Latin plurals only

The following words always take the Latin plural:

• alga => algae

• desideratum => desiderata

• larva => larvae

• nucleus => nuclei

Special cases

For a very small group of words, the choice of plural depends on the subject

field: e.g. appendixes in surgery and zoology but appendices in books. In

scientific work foci, formulae, indices, and vortices are regularly used, but in

general writing the ordinary plural forms in -sand -es are more usual.

Be careful with...

Three words have plurals which are regularly used as singulars in a way that

many people will consider a mistake:

SINGULAR PLURAL

criterion criteria

stratum strata

phenomenon phenomena