Count and Non-count nouns

Gonzalo Smith Sifuentes Zavala

Noun

Nouns represent persons , places , things and ideas .

Noun

Persons Places Things Ideas

refers to

Noun

Proper Noun Common Noun

types

Proper Nouns

Proper nouns name particular persons , places or things.

They are usually unique and are capitalized in writing.

Example:

China

Dr. Olsen

The Empire State Building

Common Nouns

Common Nouns refer to people , places , or things but are not the names of particular individuals.

Example

scientist

building

department store.

Common Nouns

Count Nouns No- Count Nouns

types

Count Nouns

Count Nouns refer to things that you can count separately .

They can be singular or plural.

You can use a or an before count Nouns.

Example

Nine planets

That`s an interesting question

This is a delicious sandwich

Non- Count Nouns

Non-Count Nouns refer to things that you can`t count separately.

They usually have no plural form.

We don`t usually use a or an with non-count Nouns , though they are often preceded by some or the.

Common mistakes:

I have a lot of homeworks to do

Se is washing her hairs

The equipments weren`t working well.

Example

I bought rice

Let me give you some advice

Be careful!

Many words have both count and non-count meanings.

Check your dictionary to avoid mistakes.

She heard a noise in the attic.

Noise can be harmful to health

We normally use a singular verb with a non-count noun.

Example: Rice feeds millions.

We use a singular pronoun to refer to the noun.

Example: It feeds millions.

Categories of Non-Count Nouns

Medical Condition:

Cancer

AIDS

Typhoid

Syphilis

Scientific process or procedures:

anesthesia

dissection

electroshock

Wholes composed of individual parts:

mail

clothing

garbage

baggage

jewerly

Abstractions:

honesty

love

hate

education

beauty

maidhood

Activities:

basketball

dancing

tennis

soccer

golf

Foods:

beef

bread

fish

fruit

meat

Gases:

air

carbon dioxide

oxygen

smoke

Liquids:

coffee

gasoline

milk

tea

water

Natural Phenomena:

snow

heat

rain

thunder

Particles:

dust

pepper

salt

sand

sugar

Solid elements:

gold

iron

plutonium

silver

Subjects:

Chinese

English

physics

science

Others:

equipment

furniture

money

news

We frequently make non- count nouns countable by adding a phrase that gives them a form , a limit or a container.

Non count noun countable form

furniture a piece of furniture

lightning a bolt / flash of lightning

meat a piece of meat

rice a grain of rice

tennis a game of tennis

thunder a clap of thunder

Non Count Noun Countable Form

water a cup of water

milk , juice a carton of juice , milk

lettuce a head of lettuce

banana a bunch of bananas

butter a piece / stick / bar of butter

Non Count Noun Countable Form

chocolate a bar of chocolate margarine a tub of margarine bread a loaf / slice of bread ice cream a tub , scoop of ice cream mermelade a jar of mermelade sugar a lump of sugar garlic a clove of garlic

We use many non-count nouns in a countable sense without the addition of a phrase ( such as “ a piece of”).

We can use these nouns with a / an or in the plural to mean kind / type / variety of

Example:

Do you like pasta?

In Italy , I tasted a new pasta.

A / an and plurals can also be used to indicate discrete amounts.

Example:

I drank a soda

Please bring us two orange juices

Some nouns are irregular:

A) A few non-count nouns end in -S-S

News

Mathematics

Economics

physics

B) A few count nouns have irregular plurals:

Singular Plural

criterion Criteria

phenomenon phenomena

nucleus nuclei