Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Some nouns can be counted individually; others cannot. This distinction affects the articles, quantifiers, and verb forms you use with them.
Countable nouns
A countable noun names something you can count as separate, individual units. Countable nouns have both a singular and a plural form.
- They can follow a / an in the singular: a dog, an apple, a chair
- They can follow a number: two dogs, five apples, three chairs
- They take a plural form: dogs, apples, chairs
I saw a cat in the garden. / I saw three cats in the garden.
She bought an orange. / She bought six oranges.
There is one problem. / There are many problems.
Uncountable nouns
An uncountable noun (also called a mass noun) names something that cannot be divided into individual units and counted. These nouns have no plural form and are always treated as singular.
- They cannot follow a / an: ✗ a water, an advice
- They cannot follow a number directly: ✗ two waters, three advices
- They are always singular: Water is essential. Music helps me relax.
I need some water. (not: a water / two waters)
She gave me good advice. (not: an advice / two advices)
There is a lot of traffic today. (not: many traffics)
Common categories of uncountable nouns
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Liquids & substances | water, milk, oil, coffee, tea, air, blood |
| Food in bulk | rice, bread, sugar, flour, pasta, cheese, butter |
| Abstract ideas | love, freedom, happiness, knowledge, advice, information |
| Academic subjects | music, maths, history, physics, homework |
| Natural phenomena | weather, rain, snow, sunshine, darkness, light |
| Materials | wood, gold, plastic, paper, glass, wool |
| Other common ones | money, luggage, furniture, equipment, traffic, news |
Side-by-side comparison
- a book / two books
- an idea / three ideas
- one bag / four bags
- a suggestion / many suggestions
- a coin / several coins
- some information
- a lot of luggage
- a little sugar
- much advice
- plenty of money
Quantifiers: which to use
The type of noun determines which quantifiers are correct. Using the wrong one is one of the most common errors in English.
| Quantifier | Countable | Uncountable | Both |
|---|---|---|---|
| many | ✓ many books | ✗ | |
| much | ✗ | ✓ much water | |
| a few | ✓ a few apples | ✗ | |
| a little | ✗ | ✓ a little milk | |
| a lot of | ✓ both | ||
| some | ✓ both | ||
| any | ✓ both | ||
| no | ✓ both | ||
| plenty of | ✓ both |
There are many chairs but not much space. ✓
I have a few friends but only a little free time. ✓
She has a lot of experience and a lot of ideas. ✓
Making uncountable nouns countable
We often use a partitive expression — a container, portion, or unit — to count an uncountable noun.
| Uncountable noun | Countable expression |
|---|---|
| water | a glass of water, two bottles of water |
| bread | a slice of bread, two loaves of bread |
| advice | a piece of advice, two pieces of advice |
| information | a piece of information |
| furniture | a piece of furniture, three items of furniture |
| news | a piece of news |
| coffee | a cup of coffee, two coffees (informal) |
Nouns that can be both countable and uncountable
Some nouns change meaning depending on whether they are used as countable or uncountable.
| Noun | Uncountable (general) | Countable (specific type or instance) |
|---|---|---|
| experience | She has a lot of experience. | It was a great experience. |
| hair | She has long hair. | There is a hair in my soup! |
| time | I don't have much time. | I've been there three times. |
| paper | We need more paper. | I read an interesting paper. |
| light | There isn't much light. | Turn off the lights. |
Watch out: Some nouns that are uncountable in English are countable in other languages. Common traps: information (not informations), advice (not advices), luggage (not luggages), furniture (not furnitures), news (not newses).
Tip: Not sure if a noun is countable? Try putting a / an in front of it. If it sounds wrong — an advice, a furniture, a music — it is almost certainly uncountable. Use some instead: some advice, some furniture, some music.