Countable &     Uncountable Nouns

Countable nouns are objects that can be counted
e.g., one apple, two apples, three apples, etc. Countable nouns can be singular or plural.


Uncountable nouns are objects that cannot be counted.

Commonly used uncountable nouns include

• food e.g., chocolate, rice, flour, yogurt
  
  
• gases or liquids e.g., oxygen, water
  
  
• grouped e.g., furniture, money
  
  
• fields of study or languages e.g., Greek, chemistry
  
  
• sports e.g., soccer, basketball
  
  
• gerunds (i.e., nouns formed from the present participle of the verb) e.g., reading, swimming
  
  
• natural phenomena e.g., rain, wind, lightning
  
  
• abstract e.g., sadness, health
  
  

Uncountable nouns are considered as singular ...

• therefore use singular verbs with uncountable nouns
  
  e.g., Is there any cake left for me?
  
  
• however, do not use the definite article ("the") or indefinite articles ("a" or "an") with uncountable nouns
  
  Wrong: Is there a cake left for me?
  Wrong: The crime is a problem in this city.
  Correct: Crime is a problem in this city.
  
  
  

Countable and Uncountable Nouns Quiz

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