Countable nouns are individual objects, people, places, etc. which can be counted.

• books, Italians, pictures, stations, men, etc.

• There is a book on the table.• That student is excellent!

There are some students in the classroom.• Those houses are very big, aren't they?

A countable noun can be both singular - a friend, a house, etc. - or plural - a few apples, lots of trees, etc. Use the singular form of the verb with a singular countable noun:

Use the plural form of the verb with a countable noun in the plural:

• Information, water, understanding, wood, cheese, etc.

• There is some water in that pitcher.• That is the equipment we use for the project.

Uncountable nouns are always singular. Use the singular form of the verb with uncountable nouns:

Uncountable nouns are materials, concepts, information, etc. which are not individual objects and can not be counted

Some uncountable nouns in English are countable in other languages. This can be confusing! Here is a list of some of the most common, easy to confuse uncountable nouns.

furnituregarbageinformationknowledgeluggagemoneynewspastaprogressresearchtravel

work

accommodationadvicebaggagebreadequipment

Obviously, uncountable nouns (especially different types of food) have forms that express plural concepts. These measurements or containers are countable:

water - a glass of waterequipment - a piece of equipmentcheese - a slice of cheese

COUNTABLE NOUNS UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

• A or an before the noun (e.g. an apple, a banana)• They have plural form (two bananas, three apples)• They have the form there is for singular, and there are for plural.• In the plural form they have some, many, a lot of, lots of, a few before the noun.• Question form: HOW MANY…?

• They don’t have a, or an before the noun.• They don’t have plural form.• They have the form There is…• They have some, much, a lot of, lots of, a little before the noun.• Most of categories are uncountable nouns.• Liquids are uncountable nouns.• Question form: HOW MUCH…?

Is there a banana on the table?

Yes, there is.

No, there isn’t any banana on the table./ No, there is no banana on the table

Isn’t any = is no

Aren’t any = are no

Are there any oranges in the fridge?

Yes, there are.

No, there aren’t any oranges in the fridge/ No, there are no oranges in the fridge.

any = for questions and negative statements.

Would you like some coffee?

Yes, I would.

No, I wouldn’t.some = for offers

Identify the following objects as countable or uncountable. When you are finished click on the "Next Question" button. There are 25 questions to this quiz. Try to use only 10 seconds per question.

Q: Rules__ Countable__ Uncountable

Q: Information__ Countable__ Uncountable

Q: Sheep__ Countable__ Uncountable

COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE - NOUN QUANTIFIERS

Q: Clothes__ Countable__ UncountableQ: Music__ Uncountable__ CountableQ: Deserts__ Countable__ UncountableQ: Land__ Countable__ UncountableQ: Nations__ Countable__ Uncountable

Q: Money__ Countable__ UncountableQ: Learning__ Countable__ UncountableQ: Rice__ Countable__ UncountableQ: Bottles Of Wine__ Countable__ UncountableQ: Equipment__ Countable__ Uncountable

Q: Traffic__ Countable__ UncountableQ: Stone (the material)__ Countable__ UncountableQ: Stones__ Countable__ UncountableQ: Talent__ Countable__ UncountableQ: Web Sites__ Countable__ Uncountable

A glass of …

A bottle of …

A package of …

A cup of…

A can of…

A slice of…

A stick of…A dozen eggs

A kilo of… A carton of…

A dish of…

A cup of…

1. Bag2. Bar3. Bottle4. Box5. Bunch6. Can/tin7. Carton8. Container9. Dozen**10.Ear11.Head12.jar

**A dozen eggs instead of a dozen of egges

13. Loaf/loaves14. Pack15. Package16. Roll17. six-pack18. stick/bar19. Tube20.Pint21.Quart22. Half-gallon23. Gallon24. Liter25. Pound

WITH COUNTABLE NOUNS WITH UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

There are too many bananas. a few apples. (very) few donuts. not many biscuits. plenty of peas. a lot of / lots of nuts. (not) enough tomatoes. hardly any eggs. no pineapples.

There is too much fruit. a little milk. (very) little cheese. not much orange juice. plenty of salt. a lot of / lots of sugar. (not) enough water. hardly any rice. no butter.

Complete these sentences with phrases from the box above:

1. There __________________ snow in the winter, but there___________________ rain in the summer.

2. Unemployment is high in the north of the country because there ___________ industry there.

3. It’s best to visit in April or May. There ____________ tourist then, and it’s easy to get an hotel room.

4. Unfortunately, there ____________ pollution because there ___________ factories in the city.

5. If there _________ rain in the spring, then we often have a drought in July.

6. It’s a safe city because there ___________ crime.

e.g.: You’re too to stay out late. This kind of food is too fat.

• Use adjective or adverb + enough (full infinitive) or nouns. Enough has a positive meaning.

Enough means "sufficient", or“ as much or many (of something) as necessary".

• Use too + adjective or adverb (+full infinitive). Too has a negative meaning and it means ‘more than necessary’.

Too means "more than enough" or "more than is needed or wanted".

e.g.: It’s a healthy enough diet. The water isn’t warm enough. We have enough food for tonight. Does such a diet have enough protein?

• Too and enough are often followed by full infinitive.

e.g.: It’s never too late to eat healthy. Maria is old enough to drive. We have enough money to go to the movies.

Too low

too warm

too far

too short

too stupid

too narrow

too small

too cowardly

too sad

too boring

too slow

too young

too expensive

too dark

Not high enough

Not cool enough

Not fast enough

Not light enough

Not long enough

Not close enough

Not big enough

Not wide enough

Not old enough

Not happy enough

Not cheap enough

Not intelligent enough

Not interesting enough

Not brave enough

EQUIVALENT PHRASES: Match the two columns