Exercises for this card
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A1 · ⑦ Nouns
Countable and uncountable
Some nouns you can count, some you cannot — and several that other languages count but English does not.
45minthe whole
sheet
49questions
in the practice
3pages,
one at a time
01 · First page · the switch every noun sits on
Countable or not
Countable · you can put a number in front
- a book · two books
- an idea · three ideas
- a euro · fifty euros
- a suitcase · two suitcases
- takes a/an · takes a plural · takes many
Uncountable · no number, no plural, no a/an
- water
- money
- information
- advice
- furniture
- takes some · takes much · takes a piece of
countable noun: A countable noun is something you can count one by one: one book, two books, three books. It takes a or an in the singular, it has a plural, and it goes with many and a few.
uncountable noun: An uncountable noun is a substance, a mass or an idea seen as one whole: water, money, music, information. It never takes a or an, it has no plural -s, and the verb after it is singular: The news is good.
a piece of: To count something uncountable you count its containers or portions instead: a piece of advice, two slices of bread, a bottle of water, a bit of luck. The counted word is the container — the noun itself stays singular.
- I need some information.
- She gave me two pieces of advice.
- The news is very good.
- How many books did you buy?
- How much money do you need?
| What to do | ||
|---|---|---|
| Noun ends in… | Rule | Example |
| most nouns | add -s | book → books |
| -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x | add -es | bus → buses · watch → watches |
| consonant + -y | -y becomes -ies | city → cities · baby → babies |
| -f, -fe | often becomes -ves | knife → knives · leaf → leaves |
| old survivors | no rule, learn them | child → children · man → men · foot → feet · tooth → teeth |
| same in both | nothing changes | fish → fish · sheep → sheep |
Golden rule
Do not ask whether the thing can be counted in real life — ask what the English word does. Furniture can obviously be counted as objects, and money is coins you can hold, but both words are uncountable in English. This is not logic, it is vocabulary: learn each noun together with its behaviour, exactly as you learn a verb together with its past.
Three nouns worth memorising today, because they trip up speakers of most European languages: money is singular (money is, not money are), news is singular despite the -s (the news is good), and hair is uncountable when it is on your head (she has long hair, not long hairs).
02 · Second page · how much, how many
The quantities
With countable
many, a few, few, a number of — and a plural noun after them.
many booksa few friendsHow many people?
With uncountable
much, a little, little, a great deal of — and a singular noun.
much timea little sugarHow much water?
With both
some, any, a lot of, lots of, plenty of, no — these never make you choose.
some bookssome watera lot of friendsa lot of money
The safe way out
In an affirmative sentence a lot of sounds more natural than much or many.
I have a lot of work.rather than: I have much work.
some
In affirmative sentences, and in offers or requests where you expect yes.
I bought some bread.Would you like some tea?
any
In negatives and in real questions, where the answer is genuinely open.
I don't have any money.Do you have any questions?
a few or a little?
a few counts, a little measures. Both mean «not much but enough».
a few minutesa little patience
few and little, alone
Without a they turn negative: few friends means almost none.
He has few friends.There is little hope.
The nouns that sit on both sides of the switch
Some nouns flip between countable and uncountable, and the meaning flips with them. coffee is a substance (I like coffee) or a cup of it (two coffees, please). paper is a material (a sheet of paper) or a newspaper (I bought a paper). time is a flow (I have no time) or an occasion (three times). glass is a material or a drinking glass. So the question is never «is this noun countable?» but «what does it mean here?».
🌍 For everyone
A rare place where all three agree: trousers, glasses and scissors are plural in English, Polish and Italian alike. English only adds a pair of when it wants to count them.
due paia di pantaloni → two pairs of trousers
How much and how many are not interchangeable, and the choice happens before you speak: how many counts things, how much measures substances. If you hesitate, a lot of works with both and is what people actually say — but in a question you still have to choose.
I have two informations. → I have two pieces of information.
information is uncountable: count the pieces, not the noun.
He gave me an advice. → He gave me some advice.
advice takes no a/an and has no plural.
The money are on the table. → The money is on the table.
money is uncountable in English and takes a singular verb.
The news are good. → The news is good.
news looks plural but is not: the verb stays singular.
How much books do you have? → How many books do you have?
how many counts things; how much measures substances.
We bought new furnitures. → We bought new furniture.
furniture never takes a plural, however many objects there are.
She has beautiful long hairs. → She has beautiful long hair.
hair on your head is uncountable; hairs would be single strands.
- There isn't much time left.
- I only have a few euros with me.
- Would you like some more coffee?
- We didn't get any information about the delay.
03 · Third page · now it's your turn
Exercises
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