ADITIYA FIRMANSYAH, S.Pd.

I
COUNTABLE & UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

ADITIYA FIRMANSYAH, S.Pd.I

19060115710097
Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. DR. Hamka, Jakarta
Welcome!

What Are Countable And

Uncountable Nouns?

3
 Presentation

Introduction Quantifier
01 04
Definition Kinds & Functions

Countable Nouns Summary

02 05
Kinds Resume

Uncountable Nouns Exercise

03 06
Kinds Exercise

ADITIYA FIRMANSYAH, S.Pd.I

19060115710097
Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. DR. Hamka, Jakarta 4
Introduction
 Definition

Nouns can be either countable or uncountable. Countable nouns (or count nouns) are those that refer to something that can
be counted. They have both singular and plural forms (e.g. cat/cats; woman/women; country/countries). In the singular, they
can be preceded by a or an. Most nouns come into this category.

A smaller number of nouns do not typically refer to things that can be counted and so they do not regularly have a plural form:
these are known as uncountable nouns (or mass nouns). Examples include: rain, flour, earth, wine, or wood. Uncountable
nouns can't be preceded by aor an. Many abstract nouns are typically uncountable, e.g. happiness, truth, darkness, humour.

In the Oxford Dictionary of English and the New Oxford American Dictionary, nouns that are chiefly uncountable are described
as ‘mass nouns’. This type of noun entry may also include an example sentence showing a countable use of the type
described above.

ADITIYA FIRMANSYAH, S.Pd.I

19060115710097
Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. DR. Hamka, Jakarta 6
Countable Nouns
 COUNTABLE NOUNS

Countable nouns refer to items that can be counted, even if the number
might be extraordinarily high (like counting all the people in the world, for
example). Countable nouns can be used with articles such
as a/an and the or quantifiers such as a few and many

ADITIYA FIRMANSYAH, S.Pd.I

19060115710097 8
Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. DR. Hamka, Jakarta
 Kinds

 Countable nouns are easy to recognize. They are things that we can count. For example: "pen". We can count pens. We can have one, two, three or
more pens. Here are some more countable nouns: dog, cat, animal, man, person bottle, box, liter, coin, note, dollar, cup, plate,
fork, table, chair, suitcase, bag, etc.

 Countable nouns can be singular or plural: My dog is playing or My dogs are hungry.

 We can use the indefinite article a/an with countable nouns: A dog is an animal.
 We can use some and any with countable nouns: I've got some dollars. Have you got any pens?

 We can use a few and many with countable nouns: I've got a few dollars. I haven't got many pens.

ADITIYA FIRMANSYAH, S.Pd.I

19060115710097
Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. DR. Hamka, Jakarta
9
 Exercise

Write plural nouns for the provided singular nouns in English.

 CAT, DOG, HOUSE, POTATO, TOMATO, CLASS, BOX, WATCH, PHOTO, PIANO,
COUNTRY, BABY, FLY, DAY, BOY, LEAF, LOAF

ADITIYA FIRMANSYAH, S.Pd.I

19060115710097
Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. DR. Hamka, Jakarta
10
Uncountable Nouns
 Kinds

 Uncountable nouns are those that have only one form and we cannot count them.

 We can use some with all these words. We also use grams/kilos/ litres etc. Can I have three litres of milk, please?

 Example :

UNCOUNTABLE:

I like coffee.

My hair is blonde.

I haven't got time.

I always have sugar in my tea,

ADITIYA FIRMANSYAH, S.Pd.I

19060115710097
Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. DR. Hamka, Jakarta
12
 Exercise
 Complete the sentences with the given words. Choose words in parentheses as necessary.

1.Lamb : Joe, would you like (a, some)_____for dinner tonight?

2.Lamb : ______(is, are) born in the spring time

3.Time : it took a lot of_______to write my composition.

4.Time : I really like that movie. I saw it three______

5.paper : students in prof. Young’s literature class have to write a lot of_____

6.paper : student who take throughlecture notes use a lot of_____

7.paper : the new york time is (a, some) famous_____

8.work : Rodin’s statue of “the thinker” is one of my favourite_____of art.

9.Work : I have a lot of _______to do tomorrow

10.Light : if_____accidentally (gets, get) in a darkroom, (it, they) can ruin photographic negatives

ADITIYA FIRMANSYAH, S.Pd.I

19060115710097
Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. DR. Hamka, Jakarta
13
Quantifier
Hi there,

What Are Quantifiers?

15
 Quantifier

Quantifiers with count and

Quantifiers with count nouns Quantifiers with uncounted nouns
uncounted nouns

We can use these quantifiers Some quantifiers can be used only with Some quantifiers can be used only with
with both count and uncounted nouns: count nouns: uncounted nouns:
1. Some 1. Many 1. Much
2. Any 2. A few 2. A bit of
3. More 3. Several 3. A little
4. Most 4. Each
5. A lot of 5. Fewer
6. Lots of 6. Either
7. Enough 7. neither

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Summary
 Summary
It's important to distinguish between countable and uncountable nouns in English because their usage is different in regards to both determiners and
verbs.

COUNTABLE NOUNS

Countable nouns are for things we can count using numbers. They have a singular and a plural form. The singular form can use the determiner "a" or
"an". If you want to ask about the quantity of a countable noun, you ask "How many?" combined with the plural countable noun.

UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

Uncountable nouns are for the things that we cannot count with numbers. They may be the names for abstract ideas or qualities or for physical
objects that are too small or too amorphous to be counted (liquids, powders, gases, etc.). Uncountable nouns are used with a singular verb. They
usually do not have a plural form.

To express a quantity of an uncountable noun, use a word or expression like some, a lot of, much, a bit of, a great deal of , or else use an exact
measurement like a cup of, a bag of, 1kg of, 1L of, a handful of, a pinch of, an hour of, a day of. If you want to ask about the quantity of an
uncountable noun, you ask "How much?“

TRICKY SPOTS

Some nouns are countable in other languages but uncountable in English. They must follow the rules for uncountable nouns. The most common ones
are:
accommodation, advice, baggage, behavior, bread, furniture, information, luggage, news, progress, traffic, travel, trouble, weather, work

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EXERCISES
 Exercise
Decide whether these nouns are countable (C) or uncountable (U)
1. The children are playing in the garden.

2. I don't like milk.

3. I prefer tea

4. Scientists say that the environment is threatened by pollution.

5. My mother uses butter to prepare cakes.

6. There are a lot of windows in our classroom.

7. We need some glue to fix this vase.

8. The waiters in this restaurant are very professional.

9. My father drinks two big glasses of water every morning.

10. The bread my mother prepares is delicious.

11. Drivers must be careful; the road is slippery.

12. Some policemen are organizing road traffic to avoid any accidents.

13. I bought three bottles of mineral water for our picnic.

14. I'd like some juice please!

15. I met some nice people when I was walking along the beach.
Change Before You Have To
Jessica Bendinger

ADITIYA FIRMANSYAH, S.Pd.I

19060115710097
Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. DR. Hamka, Jakarta
21
Thank you!
Any questions?