English Grammar: Countable and uncountable nouns
Why do we say: “I don’t have much money”, but: “I don’t have many coins”? Why is it correct to say: “I want less milk in my tea”, but incorrect to say: “I want less oranges on my plate”? (It should be fewer oranges.)
Nouns can either be countable or uncountable - you need to know which in order to use it correctly in a sentence.
How to use countable nouns
Countable nouns are, quite simply, things that can be counted like animals and types of fruits. You can recongise a countable noun, as they can form a plural (two buildings, many leopards). On top of that, when you’re using the singular of a countable noun, it can be used with the indefinite article (a/an). Here are some examples of how you can describe quantities of countable nouns:
A/an (the indefinite article) can be used to describe singular nouns.
My daughter has a cat, but she wants an elephant.
Some to describe plurals (generally in positive sentences).
I have some friends in Lusaka.
Any to describe plurals (generally in negative sentences or questions).
I don't have any friends in Newcastle.
Do you have any apples?
Many to describe plurals.
How many coins do you have?
More/fewer to compare quantities.
There are more guitars and fewer pianos in this store than in the previous store.
How to use uncountable nouns
Uncountable nouns (also called mass nouns) can’t be counted. This might be because they refer to liquids, powders, substances, or because they represent abstract ideas (for example, knowledge).
We can’t divide them into separate elements, and so we can’t count them. They are used in the singular (without a/an) and don’t have a plural form (with some exceptions). Here are some examples of how you can describe quantities of uncountable nouns:
As with countable nouns, we can use some and any for uncountable nouns.
I'll have some sugar in my coffee.
They don't have any rice.
We use much instead of many with uncountable nouns.
How much time do we have?
More/less to compare quantities.
You have more furniture than I do.
I have less butter on my toast than you.
Quantifying Uncountable Nouns
Remember that you can use a unit of measurement with an uncountable noun to quantify it. For example, it wouldn’t make sense to say: “I’ll have two rices”, as rice is an uncountable noun. But to specify a quantity we could say: “I’ll have two bowls of rice”.
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