Uncountable have no plural. you cannot say ‘salts’ ‘airs’ or sugars’.
Before uncountable nouns you can use determiner such as : the, some, any, much, this, his, etc. :
- the music
- some gold
- a little salt
- much excitement
- his blood
No Indefinite Articles Before Uncountable Nouns
We cannot use indefinite article ( a/an) before an uncountable noun. So you cannot say ‘a music’, ‘an air’, ‘a water’. We can use uncountable noun alone, with no article. Let’s see the following examples.
- This ring is made of gold.
- Water becomes more and more expensive.
Nouns That Can Be Countable And Uncountable
Many nouns can be used as countable or as uncountable nouns. Usually there is a difference in meaning. Let’s see the following example.
- I bought a paper. ( = a newspaper – countable)
- I bought some paper. ( = material for writing on – uncountable noun)
- There’s a hair in my meatball soup. ( = one single hair – countable noun)
- Jane has beautiful hair. (= hair on her head – uncountable noun)
Uncountable Nouns That Can Be Countable In Other Languages
Some nouns are usually uncountable in English but often countable in other languages. Let’s see the following examples.
- accommodation
- advice
- baggage
- behavior
- bread
- chaos
- furniture
- information
- luggage
- news
- permission
- progress
- scenery
- traffic
- travel
- trouble
- weather
- work
Let’s see their use in sentences.
- I’m looking for accommodation. (not’ an accommodation’)
- I’m going to buy some bread. (or ‘a loaf of bread ‘; but not ‘ a bread’)
- Tom gave me some good advice. ( not ‘some good advices’)
- Where are you going to put all your furniture? ? (not ‘furnitures’)
- The news is very depressing today . ( not ‘the news are … ‘)
- We had a good journey . ( not ‘ a good travel ‘)
Uncountable Noun Exercises
Exercise I
In this exercise you have to choose the right word(s) in the bracket to complete the sentences given.
- Good news ( don’t, doesn’t ) make people interested.
- Ann has got very beautiful ( hair, hairs).
- We haven’t bought any ( furnitures, furniture ) yet.
- I need ( a bread, some bread ) to make some sandwiches.
- I’m going to write an application letter. I need ( a, some) writing paper.
- More and more people look for a ( work, job ) each year.
- The police asked for some ( information, informations ) from those two witnesses.
- Have you got any ( luggage, luggages) ?
- The teacher often gives the students ( advice, advices )
- What a lovely ( view, scenery ).
Exercise II
Answer the following questions. Or ask and answer with your partner.
- Have you got any salt in your kitchen?
- How much water do you drink a day?
- Is there any milk in your fridge?
- How much sugar do you put in your tea?
- Do you drink coffee?
- Do you eat rice or potatoes?
- Which one do you prefer, meat or fish?
- Is there anything you do before you go to bed?
- Where can the earth get the light?
- Do you need any light when you are in bed?
Answers
Exercise I
- Good news doesn’t make people interested.
- Ann has got very beautiful hair.
- We haven’t bought any furniture yet.
- I need some bread to make some sandwiches.
- I’m going to write an application letter. I need some writing paper.
- More and more people look for a job each year.
- The police asked for some information from those two witnesses.
- Have you got any luggage ?
- The teacher often gives the students advice.
- What a lovely view.
Exercise II
Different answers are possible.
- Yes, there’s a lot of salt.
- I usually drink around 6 glasses of water a day.
- No, there isn’t any.
- I usually put one and a half spoon of sugar.
- Yes, I do.
- I eat rice.
- I prefer fish to meat.
- Yes, I usually say a prayer.
- It gest the light from the sun.
- Yes, I do.
Download the exercise here.
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Great content.