Countability

Number in English is closely associated with the category of Countable vs Uncountable

nouns.
Countable nouns (C nouns) refer to individual, countable entities.
Uncountable (or non-count, mass) (U nouns) nouns refer to an undifferentiated mass
or notion.

The idea of countability is connected with the possibility of combination with certain
determiners:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1153_gramchalle
nge7/

Countable nouns: singularizing & pluralizing determiners

a/ an
e.g. I have bought a new car
Zero article (in the plural)
e.g. Cars cause much pollution
some (in the plural)
e.g. Some cars are really expensive
When some is used with singular countable nouns it means “a certain”: e.g.
Some person said...)
many, several, few, a few, this, that, these, those...
e.g. He has many cars
numerals
e.g. He has three cars

Uncountable (non-count, mass) nouns:

*a/an
e.g. Let me give you *an advice (Wrong!!!)
Zero article
e.g. You have homework to do
some, any, a lot of
e.g. Have you got any homework?
much, little, a little, this, that, specific counters
e.g. I have much homework
I’ll give you a piece of advice
Both C and U nouns can be combined with the

Typical uncountables

• Substances (liquids and gasses):

plastic, paper, cloth, glass, iron, gold, stone, wood, water, ice, blood, oil, beer, wine,
coffee, tea, cream, gin, bread, jam, dust, sand, soap

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• Abstract ideas:

happiness, anger, excitement, music, beauty, advice, courage, death, experience,

fear, help, hope, horror, information, knowledge, mercy, pity, relief, suspicion, work
• Mass/ collection:
furniture, luggage...

Some nouns which are usually U in English are often C in other languages:
furniture
luggage, baggage (vs suitcase, bag)
accommodation
advice (cf. Spanish ‘Te voy a dar un consejo’)
behaviour
bread (vs loaf)
toast (Be careful!: you must say a slice of toast for ‘tostada’)
chaos
information
news
permission (vs a license, a permit)
progress
scenery (vs a view, a scene)
traffic (vs vehicles)
travel (vs trip, journey, voyage)
trouble (vs problem)
weather (Don’t say ‘We had a very bad weather’! vs climate)
work, employment (vs job)
camping (vs camp, camping site)
parking (vs car park, parking slot/ space)
shopping
damage (vs techn. damages in to award damages, to claim/ sue for damages, to pay/
receive/ recover damages)
knowledge
rubbish
clothing (vs a garment)
laughter (vs a laugh)
poetry (vs a poem)
machinery (vs a machine)
cash, money (vs coins)
evidence, proof (vs clues)
gossip (vs rumours)
jewellery (vs jewels)
leisure (vs hobbies)
lightning, thunder (vs storms)
rain (vs showers)
stuff (vs things)

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 Countable use. Change of meaning

Some typically uncountable nouns can be used in a particular sense (i.e. with a different
meaning) and are then countable (i.e. they can take a/an in the singular and can be
used in the plural):

(1) Substances Items

coffee, beer, gin, wine a coffee (a cup of coffee), a beer, two gins, a good wine
some iron an iron (domestic appliance)
some wood a wood (small area of trees)
some paper a paper (a newspaper)

(2) Food Animals

chicken a chicken
lamb a lamb
pork NOT a pork but a pig

(3) General Specific (a type)

fruit a fruit
e.g. She went to the shop and e.g.Various fruits bought some fruit can grow here.

(4) Others:
business (in general) a business (a company)
gossip (talking) a gossip (a person)
hair (all together) a hair (a single example)
e.g. Her hair is black e.g. Whenever she finds a grey hair she pulls it out
help (in general) a help (a helpful person/ thing)
toast (grilled bread) a toast (formal words before drinking)
work (in general) a work (a work of art/ engineering)
e.g. I’m looking for work e.g. Shakespeare’s works
experience an experience
(knowledge of something (things that happened to us)
because you’ve done it before
knowledge a knowledge of
dislike/ dread/ hatred/ horror/
love a dislike/ dread/ hatred/
horror/ love of

Specific counters

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Ways of making inherently uncountable nouns countable.
e.g. A drop of water/ oil = “una gota de agua,...”

A loaf of bread
A slice of bread/ toast/ meat/ ham/ salami/ fish/ cheese/melon
A rasher of bacon/ ham
A lump of sugar/ coal
A pat of butter
A pot of jam
A scrap/ morsel of food
A grain of sand
A speck of dust
A splinter of wood
A sheet of paper
A pane of glass
A wisp of hair (smoke/ fog/ grass), a head of hair
A blade of grass
An item/ a bit of news
A word/ bit/ piece of advice
A term of abuse
A gust of wind (smoke/ rain/ noise/ anger)
A breath of air, a puff of air (wind/ smoke/ dust)
A cloud of smoke
A ray of sunshine
A peal/ clap of thunder
A flash of lightning
A stretch of countryside/ land
A flight of stairs
An article of clothing
A set of cutlery

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/the-noun-phrase
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv259.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv283.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv358.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv128.shtml