Course on Countable and Uncountable Nouns - TOEIC® Preparation
In English, nouns are classified into two main categories based on their ability to be counted: countable nouns and uncountable nouns.
This distinction is essential as it influences the use of determiners, quantifiers, and sentence construction.
1. Countable Nouns
Countable nouns refer to distinct elements that can be counted individually. Here is a list of characteristics of countable nouns in English:
- They can be counted with a number: one apple, two chairs, three books.
- They have a singular and plural form.
- They can be preceded by an indefinite article (a / an) in the singular.
- Quantifiers like many, a few, several are used to express quantity.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| chair | chairs |
| apple | apples |
| car | cars |
| student | students |
- I have a book. - I have three books
- She bought three apples.
- There are many students in the classroom.
2. Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable nouns refer to substances, concepts, or abstract elements that cannot be counted individually. Here is a list of characteristics of uncountable nouns in English:
- They cannot be counted directly
- you cannot say "two waters" or "three informations"
- They have no plural (never add -s at the end)
- They are not preceded by an indefinite article (a / an).
- They are generally used with quantifiers like some, much, a lot of, a little.
- Units of measurement can be used to make them countable (a glass of water, a piece of advice).
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Liquids | water, milk, juice |
| Substances and materials | salt, sugar, wood |
| Abstract concepts | happiness, love, freedom |
| Languages | English, French |
| Information and communication | news, information, advice |
| Natural phenomena and elements | weather, rain, wind |
| Leisure and activities | music, art, work |
| Diseases | flu, cancer, asthma |
| Games and sports | chess, tennis, football |
| Feelings and emotions | anger, fear, hope |
| Measures and quantities | money, time, progress |
| Furniture and collective objects | furniture, luggage, equipment |
- She gave me some advice.
- There is too much sugar in this coffee.
- I need more information about the project.
Here is a list of uncountable nouns that often pose problems, especially in the TOEIC®:
| Uncountable | Uncountable | Uncountable | Uncountable | Uncountable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art | Assistance | Baggage | Beer | Behavior |
| Behaviour | Bread | Business | Camping | Cash |
| Chaos | Cheese | Chess | Clothing | Coffee |
| Conduct | Courage | Crockery | Cutlery | Damage |
| Dancing | Dirt | Dust | Electricity | Employment |
| Equipment | Evidence | Feedback | First Aid | Flour |
| Food | Fruit | Fun | Furniture | Hardware |
| Harm | Health | Homework | Housing | Imagination |
| Information | Insurance | Jewellery | Jewelry | Knowledge |
| Leisure | Litter | Luck | Luggage | Machinery |
| Milk | Money | Mud | Music | News |
| Nonsense | Paper | Parking | Pasta | Pay |
| Permission | Photography | Poetry | Pollution | Produce |
| Progress | Proof | Publicity | Research | Rice |
| Room | Rubbish | Safety | Salt | Scenery |
| Shopping | Sightseeing | Software | Space | Sugar |
| Sunshine | Tea | Time | Traffic | Transport |
| Transportation | Travel | Trouble | Underwear | Unemployment |
| Violence | Water | Weather | Work |
3. How to Transform an Uncountable Noun into a Countable Noun?
Some uncountable nouns can become countable by using a unit of measurement or a container.
| Uncountable Noun | Countable Form |
|---|---|
| water | a glass of water |
| bread | a loaf of bread |
| advice | a piece of advice |
| news | a piece of news |
- Can I have a cup of coffee?
- She bought two bottles of milk.
- I heard an interesting piece of news today.
You can also transform an uncountable noun into a countable noun simply by modifying it into a compound noun. By adding a word that specifies a quantity or a category, the uncountable becomes countable.
- furniture (uncountable) → a piece of furniture
- equipment (uncountable) → a piece of equipment
- work (uncountable) → a work of art
4. How to Know if a Noun is Countable or Uncountable?
There is no absolute rule, but here are some tips:
- If a noun represents a distinct object that can be counted, it is often countable.
- apple, book, student
- If a noun represents a substance, an abstract concept, or information, it is generally uncountable.
- happiness, water, news
- Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable depending on the context.
- I'd like some chicken. (Uncountable, refers to the meat.)
- There is a chicken in the yard. (Countable, refers to the animal.)
- I love coffee. (Uncountable, general.)
- Can I have a coffee, please? (Countable, a cup of coffee.)
5. The Nuances Between Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Even though the distinction between countable nouns and uncountable nouns seems clear, there are some subtleties in English. Here are the main nuances to know:
A. Some Nouns Can Be Both Countable and Uncountable
| Noun | Countable (distinct object) | Uncountable (material/concept) |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee | Two coffees, please. | I love coffee. |
| Hair | I found a hair in my soup! | She has long hair. |
| Paper | I need a paper to write on. | She bought some paper. |
| Chicken | There are three chickens in the garden. | I'd like some chicken. |
| Glass | I broke two glasses. | This table is made of glass. |
| Room | There are three rooms in my house. | There isn't much room here. |
| Iron | He lifted an iron. | This bridge is made of iron. |
| Light | There are three lights in the ceiling. | I need more light to read. |
| Experience | She had many exciting experiences during her trip. | Experience is important in this job. |
| Water | Can I have two waters? | Water is essential for life. |
| Business | He owns two businesses. | She works in business. |
| Noise | I heard a strange noise outside. | There is too much noise in this city. |
B. "Much" vs. "Many"
- "Many" is used with countable nouns.
- There are many books in the library.
- "Much" is used with uncountable nouns.
- There isn't much sugar left.
Common Mistake
There are much students (Incorrect, "students" is countable.)
C. "Number" vs. "Amount"
- "Number" is used with countable nouns.
- A large number of students attended the lecture.
- "Amount" is used with uncountable nouns.
- A small amount of water is enough.
Common Mistake
A large amount of students. (Incorrect, "students" is countable.)
D. "Fewer" vs. "Less"
- "Fewer" is used with countable nouns.
- Fewer people attended the meeting.
- "Less" is used with uncountable nouns.
- I drink less coffee now.
Common Mistake
Less people came to the party (Incorrect, "people" is countable.)
E. "Some" vs. "Any"
- "Some" is used in affirmative sentences.
- I have some friends in London.
- "Any" is used in negative and interrogative sentences.
- Do you have any water?
- I don't have any money.
Common Mistake
I have any apples. (Incorrect, "any" is not used in affirmative sentences.)
F. "A lot of" vs. "Lots of" vs. "Plenty of"
- "A lot of" / "Lots of" can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.
- There are a lot of books. (Countable)
- There is a lot of water. (Uncountable)
- "Plenty of" means "more than enough", and is also used with both types of nouns.
- We have plenty of chairs.
- There is plenty of time.
6. Common Mistakes with Countable and Uncountable Nouns
- ❌ Saying "an information" or "two advices"
✅ Some information / Two pieces of advice - ❌ Using "many" with an uncountable noun
✅ Use much instead (There is much water in the bottle.) - ❌ Putting an uncountable noun in the plural
✅ Use a unit of measurement instead (two cups of tea instead of two teas).
Other Courses
Here are other grammar courses for the TOEIC®: