COUNTABLE & UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

Todos los sustantivos se dividen en dos grande grupos:

A) Contables

B) Incontables.

• Los sustantivos contables son aquellos que se pueden contar.

• Los sustantivos incontables son aquellos que no se pueden contar.

Los sustantivos incontables más comunes son:

UNCOUNTABLE UNCOUNTABLE
NOUNS NOUNS
cloth equipment
ice furniture
plastic experience
wool traffic
steel harm
aluminium publicity
metal homework
glass advice
leather peace
porcelain information
hair education
dust violence
air knowledge
oxygen experience
water time
milk friendship
wine trouble
beet work
cake progress
sugar chalk
rice justice
meat chaos
cheese wood
flour luggage

No obstante, las bebidas, entre otros, como coffee, water, orange juice, etc, que son
incontables, pueden ser contables cuando por ejemplo en un bar le pido al mozo:
“Two beers and two coffees, please”.

Lic. Mg. Martin I. Cieri.- 1

Para poder contar los sustantivos incontables, se puede utilizar o un partitivo o un
cuantificador:

a) Partitivos:

Ej.: two cups of sugar

two glasses of water
a cup of coffee
a spoonful of flour

Los partitivos más comunes son:

1) specific items or amounts: 2) containers: 3) games: 4) measures:

a bar of chocolate/soap/metal a barrel of beer a game of a gallon of petrol
a blade of grass a basket of fruit -billiards an ounce of gold
a block of marble/ice/wood a bottle of milk -bridge a pint of beer/milk
a box of matches a packet of -cards a yard of cloth
a book of stamps cigarettes -chess
a breath of air a glass of water -darts
a bar/cake of soup a jug of water -tennis
a cloud of dust a mug of cocoa
a crust of bread a tin of soup
a cube of ice a tube of paste
a dash of soda a vase of flowers
a drop of oil
a flash of light
a grain of corn 5) types/species: 6) abstract nouns: 7) pairs:
a jar of jam a species of fish a piece of advice a pair of....
a jet of water a type of drug a bit of.knowledge -boots
a loaf of bread a variety of pasta a grain of truth -shoes
a lump of coal/sugar a sort of cake a spell of work -braces
a pat of butter a wink of sleep -glasses
a clap of thunder -jeans
a piece of -pants
wood/furniture/paper -pyjamas
a piece of glass/chalk -scissors
a piece of information/wisdom -shorts
a pile of earth -socks
a pinch of salt -stokings
a portion of food -thongs
a puff of smoke -trousers
a role of paper -etc.
a sip of tea
a speck of dust
a slice of bread/cake
a sheet of paper
a stick of chalk
a strand of hair/wool

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b) Cuantificadores:

1) much / many

Much → unc. → [-,?] Ej.: [-] I do not have much money.

[?] Do you have much money?

many → c. → [+,-,?] Ej.: [+] I have many students.

[- ] I do not have many pets.
[? ] Are there many houses?

2) some / any

some → c. y unc. → [ + ] Ej.: [+] I have some money.

[+] I have some students.

any → c. y unc. → [-,?] Ej.: [-] I do not have any money/tudents.

[?] [?] Do you have any money/students?

ATENCIÓN

Se debe usar some para la pregunta, cuando se pide o se ofrece algo…

Ej.: Would you like some money?

Can I have some money?

3) how much / how many

how much → unc.

[?]
how many → c.

Ej.: How much water do you need?

Ej.: How many students do you have?

4) not much / not many

not much → unc.

Se utilizan en la respuesta.
not many → c.

Ej.: Do you have children? Ej.: Do you have sugar?

Rta.: Not many. Rta.: Not much.

Lic. Mg. Martin I. Cieri.- 3

5) a / an

a / an → c. (sólo en singular) → [+ , - , ? ] Ej.: a car

6) few / a few / little / a little

few Ej.: I have few friends

c. → [+,-,?]
☺ a few Ej.: I have a few friends

little Ej.: I have little money.

unc. → [+ , - , ? ]
☺ a litle Ej.: I have a little money.

7) lots of /a lot of

lots of
= c. y unc. → [+ , - , ? ]
a lot of

Ej.: I have lots of sugar.

I have a lot of sugar.
I have lots of friends.
I have a lot of friends.

8) (quite) a lot

(quite) a lot → (se usa para dar respuesta) Ej. Do you have children?
Rta.: (quite) a lot.

9) none

none /nan/ → (se usa para dar respuesta) Ej.: Do you have children?
Rta.: None.

Some Common Uncountable English Nouns

• Food and Drink: bacon, beef, beer, bread, broccoli, butter, cabbage, candy,
cauliflower, celery, cereal, cheese, chicken, chocolate, coffee, corn, cream, fish,
flour, fruit, ice cream, lettuce, meat, milk, oil, pasta, rice, salt, spinach, sugar,
tea, water, wine, and yogurt

Lic. Mg. Martin I. Cieri.- 4

 • Nonfood Substances: air ,cement, coal, dirt, gasoline, gold, ice, leather, paper,
petroleum, plastic, rain, rubber, silver, snow, soap, steel, wood and wool.

• Abstract nouns: advice, anger, beauty, confidence, courage, employment, fun,

happiness, health, honesty, information, intelligence, knowledge, love, poverty,
satisfaction, truth, and wealth

• Others: biology, clothing, equipment, furniture, homework, jewelry, luggage,

lumber, machinery, mail, money, news, poetry, pollution, research, scenery,
traffic, transportation, violence, weather, and work

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