Countable and uncountable nouns

Countable: A countable noun (e.g. ship) can be singular or plural. We can count ships.
We can say a ship/ one ship or two ships.

Uncountable: An uncountable noun (e.g. water) is neither singular nor plural. We cannot
count water. We can say water or some water but NOT a water or two waters.

Counting the uncountable

We do not say one water, two waters, etc… but we can count:

 The number of liters/ kilos:

A liter of milk/ two kilos of potatoes

 The containers:
A bottle of water/ three jars of jam

 The pieces:
Two slices of bread/ a piece of chocolate

 The item you buy

A loaf of bread/ a bar of chocolate

Nouns that can be countable or uncountable

Some nouns can be either countable or uncountable. For example a potato is a separate,
individual thing, but potato cannot be counted.

Countable Uncountable

I`m peeling the potatoes. Would you like some potato?

Melanie baked a cake for David. Have some/ a piece of cake.

Vicky was eating an apple. Is there apple in this salad?

Someone threw a stone at the police. The house is built of stone.

There`s a hair on your shirt. I must brush my hair.