#24 - Countable and Uncountable Nouns - English Grammar

Countable nouns are nouns that can be counted as one or more. An "s" is usually added to make the word plural. Uncountable nouns are nouns that cannot be counted. They usually express a group or a type.

Countable Nouns

Singular form

• Computer
• Bottle
• Spoon
• Desk
• Cup
• Shoe
• Chair
• Finger
• Flower
• Stick
• Balloon
• Book
• Table
• Camera

Plural form

• Computers
• Bottles
• Spoons
• Desks
• Cups
• Shoes
• Chairs
• Fingers
• Flowers
• Sticks
• Balloons
• Books
• Tables
• Cameras

Countable nouns work with expressions such as (a few, few, many, some, every, each, these, and the number of).

• A few computers
• Many bottles
• Some spoons
• Every desk
• Each cup
• Many shoes
• The number of chairs
• Some fingers
• Many flowers
• A few sticks
• Each balloon
• These books
• The number of tables
• Each camera

Countable nouns work with appropriate articles (a, an, or the).

• The computer
• A bottle
• The spoon
• A desk
• The cup
• A shoe
• The chair
• A finger
• The flower
• A stick
• The balloon
• A book
• The table
• The camera

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns usually express a group or a type such as liquids. Uncountable nouns are also used for things that are too numerous to count such as sand and rice.

• Water
• Wood
• Ice
• Air
• Oxygen
• Traffic
• Furniture
• Milk
• Wine
• Sugar
• Rice
• Meat
• Flour
• Sunshine

Uncountable nouns work both with and without definite articles (the) depending on the context of the sentence.

• Sugar is sweet.
• The sunshine is beautiful.
• I drink milk.
• He eats rice.
• We need oxygen.
• The wood is burning.

Uncountable nouns work with expressions such as (some, any, enough, this, that, and much).

• We ate some rice and milk.
• I hope to see some sunshine today.
• This meat is good.
• He does not have much furniture.
• Do you see any traffic on the road?
• That wine is very old.