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INGLÉS
ANUAL SAN MARCOS
Countable and Uncountable Nouns
In English grammar, words that refer to people, places, or things are called nouns. They can be classified
in many ways.
One way to classify nouns is according to whether they can be counted or not. Many English mistakes are
related to this point. By reading through this page, you will understand:

• what countable and uncountable nouns are

• how to use them correctly in a sentence

Countable (or count) nouns are words which can be counted. They have a singular form and a plural
form. They usually refer to things. Most countable nouns become plural by adding an ‘s’ at the end of the
word.

For example:

Singular Plural
chair chairs

bottle bottles

student students

Uncountable (or non-count) nouns are words which cannot be counted. Therefore, they only have a
singular form. They have no plural forms. These words are thought of as wholes rather than as parts. They
usually refer to abstractions (such as confidence or advice) or collectives (such as equipment or luggage).

For example:

Singular

money

furniture

information

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Using Countable & Uncountable Nouns

When using countable or uncountable nouns, pay attention to articles and adjectives! Some articles and
adjectives can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns. However, others can be used with
only countable or only uncountable nouns.

Used with Countable Nouns Only

a a doctor, a pen, a meal, a class, a college

many many cups, many books, many libraries, many

flights
few few questions, few tables, few apples, few holi-
days, few countries
a few a few questions, a few problems, a few issues, a
few issues

Used with Uncountable Nouns Only

much much money, much time, much food, much wa-
ter, much energy
little little trouble, little equipment, little meat, little
patience
a little bit of a little bit of confidence, a little bit of sleep, a little
bit of snow

Used with Countable & Uncountable Nouns

the countable the monkeys, the schools,
the teachers, the boats, the
bananas
uncountable the cheese, the machinery,
the luggage, the grass, the
knowledge
some countable some tables, some stores,
some grapes, some cities,
some nurses
uncountable some time, some news, some
bread, some salt, some mail
any countable any forks, any socks, any ba-
throoms, any waiters, any
beliefs
uncountable any advice, any soap, any
transportation, any gold, any
homework

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 no countable no magazines, no chocolates,
no pilots, no rings, no markers
uncountable no trouble, no grass, no sce-
nery, no money, no furniture
a lot of countable a lot of animals, a lot of coins,
a lot of immigrants, a lot of
babies
uncountable a lot of help, a lot of aggrava-
tion, a lot of happiness, a lot
of fun
lots of countable lots of computers, lots of bu-
ses, lots of parties, lots of
colleges
uncountable lots of cake, lots of ice cream,
lots of energy, lots of laughter
enough countable enough plates, enough
onions, enough restaurants,
enough worries
uncountable enough courage, enough wis-
dom, enough spaghetti, enou-
gh time
plenty of countable plenty of houses, plenty of
concerts, plenty of guitars,
plenty of
uncountable plenty of oil, plenty of sugar,
plenty of cheese, plenty of
space

List of Uncountable Nouns (These are sample uncountable nouns only! There are many more.)

General • perfume
• soap
• homework • paper
• equipment • wood
• luggage • petrol
• clothing • gasoline
• furniture • baggage
• machinery • hair
• gold • traffic
• silver
• cotton Abstract
• glass • advice
• jewelry • help

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• fun • thunder
• recreation • lightning
• enjoyment • snow
• information • rain
• knowledge • sleet
• news • ice
• patience • heat
• happiness • humidity
• progress • hail
• confidence • wind
• courage • light
• education • darkness
• intelligence
• space Languages
• energy
• laughter • English
• peace • Portuguese
• pride • Hindi
• Arabic
Food • Japanese
• Korean
• food • Spanish
• flour • French
• meat • Russian
• rice • Italian
• cake • Hebrew
• bread • Chinese
• ice cream
• cheese Subjects/Fields
• toast
• pasta • mathematics
• spaghetti • economics
• butter • physics
• oil • ethics
• honey • civics
• soup • art
• fish • architecture
• fruit • music
• salt • photography
• tea • grammar
• coffee • chemistry
• history
Weather • commerce
• engineering

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 • politics • chess
• sociology • poker
• psychology • bridge
• vocabulary
• archaeology Activities
• poetry
• swimming
Sports • walking
• driving
• golf • jogging
• tennis • reading
• baseball • writing
• basketball • listening
• soccer • speaking
• football • cooking
• cricket • sleeping
• hockey • studying
• rugby • working

Excercises

Text 1: Purple Martins 1. It is clear in the passage that swallows

Purple martins are the largest swallows in Nor-
th America. A swallow is a small bird that spends A) are poor fliers.
much of its time in the air. Swallows are fast and B) are large birds.
acrobatic fliers and can twist and turn in all direc-
C) spend much of their time on the ground.
tions when hunting insects like dragonflies and
moths. D) eat insects.
The purple martin is the largest swallow in
North America. Males are totally purple and fema- 2. Where do purple martins spend winters?
les are grayish and white. In the eastern United Sta-
tes, purple martins use man-made martin houses
A) South America
to nest in. These houses are different from most
birdhouses. Martin houses are placed high up on B) Eastern United States
poles and have room for lots of nesting martins. C) North America
Some martin set-ups have a few pairs of martins, D) The passage doesn’t tell
while others may have hundreds of pairs in several
houses. People who care for colonies of martins are 3. Why are “landlords” important? Circle all that
called “landlords.” Landlords care for their martin
are true.
colonies by taking steps to make sure owls, snakes,
sparrows, and starlings don’t destroy their colonies.
In the late summer, martins start the long jour- A) They help martins migrate
ney to their winter homes in South America. This B) They keep them in the air
is called migration. When purple martins migrate, C) They clean martin houses
landlords begin cleaning the houses and preparing
D) They help martins get dragonflies and
them for the spring, when, if all goes right, their be-
moths
loved martins return.

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4. Which is true?
A) Starlings are not a threat to martins
B) Many pairs of martins often nest together
C) Purple martins don’t usually come back to
the same martin house
D) Male and female martins look alike
5. According to the passage, what is the closest
meaning to journey?
A) trip
B) rest
C) nap
D) home
Text 2: Juan Ponce de Leon
Juan Ponce de Leon was born in 1460 in San-
teveras, Spain. De Leon was an explorer and fighter
from an early age. He helped fight the Muslims in
southern Spain in the early 1490s. He was on board
Christopher Columbus’s second expedition to the
Americas in 1493. Rather than returning to Spain,
the adventurer remained at an island called Santo
Domingo (now called the Dominican Republic).
De Leon was soon appointed as the governor
of the Higuey region of Santo Domingo. Like many
Spanish explorers, he was bloodthirsty for gold.
When he heard rumors that a nearby island called
Borinquen (now Puerto Rico) was full of gold, he
invaded the island and brutally conquered the nati-
ves. He was soon appointed governor of the island
but lost his title in 1511 because of his extreme bru-
tality towards the natives.
De Leon’s misfortunes as governor did not stop
him from looking for gold and the Fountain of You-
th. During his search, he conquered many islands,
including Bimini. After returning to Puerto Rico, de
Leon took three ships and 200 men on a mission to
explore lands to the north. De Leon hoped to find
the Fountain of Youth, a mythical spring that was
said to make anyone who drank its water young
forever. After making several stops at Caribbean
islands, de Leon and his men reached the east
coast of Florida (St. Augustine) on April 2, 1513. He
named the land “Pascua de Florida,” or Feast of
Flowers because he discovered it on Palm Sunday.
He claimed all of the land for Spain.
On April 8, 1513, de Leon and his men left
northern Florida and sailed south along the Gulf
Stream. After a fight between his men and natives
in southern Florida, he sailed to Cuba. He tried to
sail back to Bimini but could not find it. De Leon
soon returned to Puerto Rico, where he sacked a
rebellion of natives against Spanish rule. After re-
turning to Spain, he was named Captain General by
the king on September 27, 1514.
De Leon did not return to the New World until
1521 when he once again tried to find the island
of Bimini. Instead, de Leon and his men landed on
the Gulf Coast of Florida where they were met by
hostile Indians who shot his men with arrows. De
Leon himself was wounded and died a short time
after sailing to Havana, Cuba, in July of 1521.
6. Where was Ponce de Leon in 1493?
A) Spain
B) America
C) Europe
D) Dominican Republic
7. What does “bloodthirsty” mean?
A) He or she is scared of something
B) He or she would do anything to have it
C) He or she is worried
D) He or she wants it
8. The Fountain of Youth was supposed to make
those who drank from it ____ forever.
A) beautiful
B) tough
C) young
D) healthy
9. What word best describes the Fountain of Youth?
A) faraway
B) mythical
C) nonfiction
D) believable
10. When was Ponce de Leon named Captain Ge-
neral by the king of Spain?
A) before April 2, 1513
B) before April 8, 1513
C) before 1521
D) after 1521

01- D 03- C 05- A 07- B 09- B

6 02- A 04- B 06- D 08- C 10- C