Countable & Non Count Nouns

Countable/ Count nouns

  A countable noun is that which can be counted. Banana is a countable noun. A countable noun can be singular (banana) or plural (bananas). We can use numbers with countable nouns. So we can say 'one banana', 'two bananas' etc. 

Examples of nouns usually countable:

Kate was singing a song.

There's a nice beach near here.

Do you have a ten-pound note?

You can use a/an with singular countable nouns:  a beach, a student, anumbrella

You cannot use singular countable nouns alone (without a/the/my etc.):

I want a banana. (not I want banana)

There's been an accident. (not There's been accident)

You can use plural countable nouns alone:

I like bananas. (=bananas in general)

Accidents can be prevented.

Uncountable/ Non-Count Nouns

An uncountable noun has only one form. It is only used in singular form. It cannot take a plural form. Thus, we cannot use numbers with uncountable nouns. We cannot say 'one rice ', 'two rices' etc.

Examples of nouns usually uncountable:

I don’t want this water.

Equipment used in this experiment is not costly.

We don’t normally use a/an with uncountable nouns. We do not say 'a sand’.

But you can often use a….of….. For example:

a bowl of tomatoes I a packet of wheat I a grain of rice.

The following nouns are usually uncountable. And they take singular verbafter them.

Accommodation   Air   Advice    Advertising   Astrophysics   Checkers    Clothing  Baggage  Behavior   Billiards   Butter   Equipment    Evidence   Enjoyment   Food  Fun   Fruit   Intelligence   Jealousy   Bread   Chaos   Damage   Dominoes  Economics  Physics   Peeper   Postage   Pottery   Poverty   Rice  Furniture   Happiness   Information   Linguistics   Mathematics   Molasses   Milk    knowledge  Measles  News   Jewelry   Politics  Soap   Sand   Significance   Statistics   Summons   Scenery  Sadness   Salt   Silver   Thermodynamics    Fruit Luggage   Luck   Violence  Machinery   Mumps   Meat   Cheese   Coffee   Courage   Homework    Traffic   Money   Ethics   Honesty   Rickets   Customs   Music Tea   Traffic   Transportation  Sugar

Example: 

Rickets was once endemic to some Asian countries.

Billiards is easier than pool or snooker.

This summons for a midnight card play was a great idea. 

• Advertisement is a count noun.

-       There are too many advertisements during a TV program now a days.

• Some non-count nouns, such as food, meat, money and sand may be used as count nouns in order to indicate different types.

-       I like the foods of our country. (Different types of foods)

-       He studies meats.

-       Wines of California are strong in taste.

See Cliff’s TOEFL, page: 45

When the word ‘time’ means occasion, it is countable. When is means a number of hours, days, years, it is non count.

-        I have seen him three times in a row today. (count)

-       You should not waste much time before exam. ( non-count) 

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