NOUNS

Nouns are words that give a name to people, places or things, though they can also refer to ideas and
other abstract objects. The nouns in the lyrics of the song My Favourite Things from the film Sound of
Music have been highlighted in bold fonts below:

Raindrops on roses Whisker: any of the long, stiff hairs growing on

And whiskers on kittens the face of a cat, mouse, or other mammal
Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favourite things Mitten: a type of glove with a single part for all
the fingers and a separate part for the thumb
Cream-coloured ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells
And schnitzel with noodles Strudel: a type of cake made from fruit that is
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings wrapped in a thin layer of pastry and then baked
These are a few of my favourite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes Sleigh: a type of sledge pulled by animals,
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes especially horses or dogs
Silver-white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favourite things
Schnitzel: a thin slice of meat covered in egg and
very small pieces of bread before being fried
When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
Sash: a long, narrow piece of cloth worn around
I simply remember my favourite things the waist and fastened at the back
And then I don't feel so bad

Count nouns, also known as countable nouns, are nouns that can be separated into individual units and
counted. They usually have both a singular and a plural form. In the exercise below, mention if the noun
is singular/plural, and then change it to the other form.

noun noun
raindrops plural raindrop noodles
roses geese
whiskers moon
kittens wings
kettles dresses
mittens sashes
packages snowflakes
strings nose
things eyelashes
ponies winters
strudels springs
doorbells dog
bells bee
 Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Countable nouns can be counted in Uncountable nouns cannot be counted in
numbers. E.g. a burger / two burgers; an numbers. We cannot say two informations /
apple / six apples 3 advices.

Countable nouns can be singular or plural.

Uncountable nouns only have one form.
E.g. an apple / six apples; a person / many
E.g. bread / milk / rice / cheese / clothing
people

Singular countable nouns cannot be used Uncountable nouns can be used without
without an article / determiner. an article / determiner. E.g. Do you like
Plural countable nouns can be used alone. coffee?
E.g. Eggs are healthy alternatives to meat.

Indefinite articles a/an can be used with

Indefinite articles a/an are normally not
singular countable nouns. E.g. a song / a
used with uncountable nouns.
girl / an apple

Many/few/a few/fewer are used with Much/little/a little bit of/less are used
plural countable nouns only. E.g. on many with uncountable nouns only. E.g. much
occasions / few rupees / a few questions / a time / little money / a little bit of
few issues / fewer buses confidence / a little bit of sleep / less traffic

The/some/any/no/a lot of/lots of/enough/plenty of are used both with countable

and uncountable nouns.

Countable: the students / the teachers / the classmates / the classrooms

Uncountable: the information / the advice / the news / the traffic / the furniture

Countable: some coins / some stores / some shoes / some friends

Uncountable: some money / some time / some sugar / some coffee

Countable: any cookies / any children / any friends / any questions

Uncountable: any water / any money / any advice / any petrol

Countable: no jobs / no pictures / no chocolates / no hospital

Uncountable: no information / no milk / no money / no accommodation

Countable: a lot of people / a lot of books / a lot of friends / a lot of well-wishers

Uncountable: a lot of fun / a lot of hair / a lot of information / a lot of traffic

Countable: lots of things / lots of choices / lots of computers

Uncountable: lots of love / lots of energy / lots of laughter

Countable: enough doctors / enough plates / enough worries / enough chairs

Uncountable: enough time / enough space / enough courage / enough food

Countable: plenty of examples / plenty of options / plenty of chairs

Uncountable: plenty of money / plenty of research / plenty of time
Some Common Uncountable Nouns

Advice Can I give you a piece of advice?

Baggage How many pieces of baggage do you have?

We had to pay extra for our excess baggage.

I only had hand baggage so I went straight to the departure gate.

Can we leave our baggage at the hotel?

Cash Do you have any cash on you? He gave me a large amount of cash.

Can you lend me some cash? Do you wish to be paid in cash or by cheque?

I don't have any cash - can I put this on my credit card?

Cheese I’d like a pizza with extra cheese, please.

Confidence I have complete confidence in her.

I don't have much confidence in him after his behaviour in recent months.

Courage People should have the courage to stand up for their beliefs.

When I looked down and saw how far I had to jump, my courage failed me.

Data They had data on health, education, and economic development.

Determination I admire her determination to succeed.

Her ambition and determination helped her rise to the top of her profession.

Equipment All of the medical equipment must be sterilized before use.

Evidence All the evidence points to a substantial rise in traffic over the next few years.

The jury heard conflicting evidence from three different witnesses.

Furniture They have a lot of antique furniture.

The only piece of furniture he has in his bedroom is a bed.

You've moved the furniture around - the sofa is in a different position.

Homework Have you got any homework tonight?

The kids are busy with their homework.

She usually finishes her homework before it's due.

Housework I hate doing housework.

I don't want to spend every Saturday doing the housework.

Information I'd like some information about your flights to Kolkata, please.

Do you have any information about/on train times?

I read an interesting bit/piece of information in the newspaper.