Have you ever asked yourself what is a countable noun? Do you know if the word you’re saying is countable or uncountable? Maybe you have many questions and Inglés Individual will tell you some tips and how to identify them. First, let’s answer the question ‘what is a countable noun’?
It is a noun that can be numbered or counted, they are used almost all the time. Usually, they refer to things or objects that we can see, feel or touch. For instance, vegetables, toys, cars, books, countries, oceans, days, rooms, friends and stars are all “countable” nouns. Of course, stars are countable nouns because you can still say a number before it. When you look up at the night sky, you may never finish counting the stars, but you can certainly begin counting them. You can say, ‘I saw five stars from my rooftop tonight’. Did you know it?
How to identify countable nouns?
Singular
A countable noun can be expressed with an article, for example a laptop, an apple, the pencil.
Plural
- You can place a number before the noun, for example: Two People, three children, six trees and fifteen cars.
- You have to check if you can add -s at the end of the word.
- .Nouns can be preceded by words like “a few”, “many” and “several”.
If you are talking about liquids, feelings, moods, abstract things, then it is not a countable noun.
How to identify uncountable nouns?
They are nouns that can not be counted or they refer to abstract nouns. We have come examples, information, travel, work, time, money, magic, furniture, happiness, jealousy, justice and advice, are all uncountable nouns.
- To express the amount or quantity, such nouns are often preceded with words like “some,” “much,” ” a lot”.
However, it’s possible to turn an uncountable noun into a countable noun.
An uncountable noun into a countable noun.
To express an uncountable noun in terms of exact numbers or measurements, you need to add a countable noun before it.
Inglés Individual gives you some examples:
Can I have some water?
Sure, there is a glass of water in the fridge.
We bought 3 slices of cheese yesterday.
We had bought a bar of soap in the supermarket.
Be careful because everything depends on the context, we tell you this because we can use some expressions that can be countable or uncountable.
For example:
The floor is covered with loose hair. (uncountable)
A stray hair clung to her sweaty face. (countable)
And sometimes, an abstract noun can be used as a countable noun.
Only the truth can set you free. (uncountable)
There are two truths in this story. (countable)
You should practice this topic by yourself, you can do some exercises but remember, Inglés Individual can help you to learn more about them!