The baby’s _______ very curly. FREE IELTS Lessons. I value your privacy. An uncountable noun is also known as a mass noun. The difference between countable and uncountable nouns is if they can be separated into individuals. You might find it confusing that we can count some nouns in English, but we can’t count others. Non-count nouns are distinguished from count nouns. Avoid using a plural verb with a uncountable nouns. The owner of Excel at ESL is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon properties including, but not limited to, amazon.com, and amazonwireless.com. However, we can say “a cup of tea” or “a cup of coffee”. You do this by examining what types of words it can appear with and whether or not you can turn it into a plural. These are all examples of countable nouns. If a word can take the article “a/an”, we know it is countable because this article can only talk about a single entity. Uncountable nouns are substances, concepts etc. You can do this grammar quiz online or print it on paper. This name can help you better visualize this idea. Let’s look at some examples of proper nouns: If you aren’t sure if a word is a noun, there are some tests you can do to check whether a word’s part of speech. They usually do not have a plural form. In the examples above, the words we attach to the uncountable nouns are themselves countable. If you try our tests above, you will find that they fail all of them. (The word “trousers” is always treated as plural.). We have spoken a bit about articles already. Let’s take a closer look at these strategies. (knowledge/, Mathematics _______ my favorite subject. Why is the Plural of Human not Humen? One of the easier strategies is to try and turn the noun into a plural. Words used for drinks like “coffee, tea” are usually uncountable. He is friendly, timely, and approachable while still upholding a strong degree of professionalism. Kyle always has positive attitude and is well prepared for every lesson (perfect!). This is because each of those words groups countable nouns together while still maintaining them as individuals. It is something that has no specific size or amount, such as gold, dust, water, rice, etc. That could be any amount of money. Natural substances that can change shape, depending on natural laws like steam, water, ice, smoke, ashes. 7th ed., Pearson, 2013. Uncountable nouns can be in the form of gas, liquid, powder, etc and used with a singular verb in the sentence because generally they do not have a plural form. Abstract concepts, often ending in -ness, -ance, –. What impressed me about Mr. Sutherland was his desire to deliver engaging yet highly beneficial lessons to his students As a professional, Mr. Sutherland has a very personable demeanor with students. For example, we cannot count “milk”. We cannot separate uncountable nouns into individuals, so we get around this limitation by creating a more complex phrase using countable nouns to describe uncountable ones. The first set of articles are used for a single, undefined noun. – The Hidden History of English, Why is there a D in fridge but not in refrigerator? They are people, places, or events. EnglishClub: Learn English: Grammar: Nouns: Countable Nouns: Uncountable Nouns Uncountable Nouns. Kyle is an IELTS Instructor living in Tokyo, Japan. One of these distinctions is between Countable and Uncountable nouns. Additionally, I earn a commission through each purchase made on Amazon from one of my links. Nouns make up a big class of words in English. Read also: 243 Collective Nouns (List of People, Animals and Things). Keep in mind that “potato” is uncountable noun while “a potato” is countable. We cannot "count" them. Following are some categories of uncountable nouns which are used singular. Liquids that can change shape, depending on the shape of the container like oil, tea, milk, juice etc. If you can, then the noun is countable. Food staples that can be purchased in various forms like bread, butter, meat etc. You learned some simple tests you can use to check whether a word is countable or not. There is only one of these things in the world, so you can’t count them. 7. Almost all common nouns can appear with an article (a/an/the). He graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in English Language Linguistics and holds numerous TESOL certifications. Uncountable nouns are not counted in English. You also find this happening with proper nouns like the United Kingdom, the Rocky Mountains (the Rockies), or the Pacific Ocean. Receive exclusive subscriber content to your email! Proper nouns are almost always unique things. There are a variety of ways for you to predict whether a noun is countable or not. For example, we cannot count "milk". “Scissors are lying on the table.”, Trousers are hanging in almirah. Even though some nouns are considered uncountable, we can still count them in English. Uncountable nouns. There are five tests you can use to check for noun status: From the chart above, “the” in the frame sentence is optional because not all nouns can appear with determiners. that we cannot divide into separate elements. How much of the English language is English? Uncountable nouns are for the things that we cannot count with numbers. – The Hidden History of English. He spends his spare time with friends or learning languages such as: Japanese, German, and Latin. Avoid using a plural verb with a uncountable nouns. So how do we count uncountable nouns? (life / lives), Oil ______ played an important role in economy of the country. Source: Klammer, Thomas P., et al, Analyzing English Grammar. Remember the articles and determiners which can test the category of noun and you should be able to easily navigate the weird world of English nouns. This name can help you better visualize this idea. We will discuss some conditions to understand the concept of mass noun. That was a quick look at countable and uncountable nouns. – Hidden History of English. So what else can we use to check if a word is countable? So you can find this article being used with uncountable nouns as well as countable nouns. It is always good to meet and learn with Kyle. Most simply, a noun is a person, place, or thing. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Here are some examples of common nouns: These types of nouns are used for the names of people, places, or special events. A common noun is a noun that refers to an animal, thing, or idea. Why is the plural of moose not meese? In English, we make many distinctions between nouns and the plural forms they can take.
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