You countable nouns (countable nouns), as the name implies, can be counted by numbers and have a plural form.
already the uncountable nouns (countless nouns), do not have a plural form.
One of the things that most generate difficulties in learning this subject is the fact that there are nouns that are countable in Portuguese, but countless in English.
This is the case, for example, with the word luggage (Baggage). In Portuguese, luggage is a countable word. We can say, for example, "The luggage is in the hold." Already in English, luggage is an uncountable word.
If we wish to indicate that there is more than one baggage, we do not inflect the word to the plural. In this case, we resort to the use of the piece of.
The translation of Thepiece of, in this context it is "a piece of", where "piece" corresponds to "unit".
In the sentence below, the phrase helps to define the number of units.
She traveled with two pieces of luggage, each one weighing 20 kilos. (She traveled with two bags, each weighing 20 kilos.)
O All Matter has prepared a series of examples and tables to help you learn this topic. Check out!
countable nouns
When a noun is countable (countable noun), it is possible to indicate quantities through the use of a numeral.
Examples:
- she has two dogs. (She has two dogs.)
- There are three TVs in my house. (There are three televisions in my house.)
- He even have strawberries for dessert. (He ate ten strawberries for dessert.)
List of countable nouns
Check the table below for a list of countable nouns.
| Substantive | Singular | Plural form |
|---|---|---|
| chair (chair) | one chair (a chair) | two chairs (two chairs) |
| computer (computer) | one computer (a computer) | three computers (three computers) |
| strawberry (Strawberry) | one strawberry (a strawberry) | four strawberries (four strawberries) |
| notebook (notebook) | one notebook (a notebook) | five notebooks (five notebooks) |
| dog (puppy) | one dog (a dog) | six dogs (six dogs) |
| cup (Cup) | one cup (a cup) | seven cups (seven cups) |
| TV (television) | one TV (a television) | eight TVs (eight televisions) |
| table (table) | one table (a table) | nine tables (nine tables) |
| painting (frame) | one painting (a board) | have paintings (made pictures) |
window (window) |
one window (One window) | eleven windows (eleven windows) |
uncountable nouns
You uncountable nouns (countless nouns) cannot be counted using numbers and, as a general rule, are only used in the singular.
Examples:
- electricity (electricity)
- rice (rice)
- water (Water)
Uncountable Nouns Lists
See the table below and see some examples of countless English nouns, organized by context.
Abstract idea
| countless noun | Translation |
|---|---|
| advice | advice |
| fun | fun |
| help | help |
| information | information |
| pride | pride |
To indicate quantities of abstract ideas, we can resort to the use of words and phrases such as the piece of (indicates unit), a lot of (much), much (a lot and few (little).
Examples:
- she needs the piece of advice regarding her job. (She needs advice regarding her work.)
- we had a lot of fun at the party. / we had much fun at the party. (We had a lot of fun at the party.)
- they need disappear help. (they need some help.)
- those two pieces of information called my attention. (That two pieces of information caught my attention.)
- he had too much pride to admit he was wrong. (He was too proud to admit he was wrong.)
Note that there are some differences between Portuguese and English when it comes to countable and uncountable nouns.
In the first sentence, for example, the word "council" is countable in Portuguese. We can count it through numbers: one piece of advice, two pieces of advice, three pieces of advice, etc.
In the English language, the same does not happen with the corresponding word advice.
To count it, you must use the phrase the piece of: a piece of advice (an advice), two pieces of advice (two pieces of advice), three pieces of advice (three pieces of advice).
Note that the same is true for all the other nouns in the examples above. The notion of quantity is always expressed through another word or phrase (in bold), which may or may not be inflected to a plural form.
Beverage
| countless noun | Translation |
|---|---|
| coffee | coffee |
| juice | juice |
| tea | tea |
| water | Water |
When we want to indicate the quantity (plural or singular) of a certain drink, we can resort to the use of words such as cup (Cup), glass (glass), jar (jar), liter (liter), disappear (a little bit of), etc.
Examples:
- she drink two cups of coffee. (She drank two cups of coffee.)
- I need a glass of water. (I need a glass of water.)
- Could you please give me some tea? (Could you give me some tea, please?)
- He brought a jar of orange juice. (He brought a pitcher of orange juice).
Food
| countless noun | Translation |
|---|---|
| bread | bread |
| butter | butter |
| meat | beef |
| oil | oil |
| rice | rice |
| salt | salt |
| spaghetti | spaghetti |
When we want to indicate the quantity (plural or singular) of a certain food, we can resort to the use of words or phrases such as kilogram (kilogram), slice (slice), the piece of (a piece of), liter (liter), Theplate of (a plate of), disappear (a bit of), the loaf of (one unit of), etc.
Examples:
- I only bought a loaf of bread. (I just bought a loaf of bread.)
- He bought a kilogram of rice. (He bought a kilo of rice.)
- I did not eat much rice today. (I didn't eat much rice today.)
- We need 500 grams of spaghetti for the recipe. (We need 500 grams of spaghetti for the recipe.)
- She only up to two pieces of meat. (She only ate two pieces of meat.)
See some more examples of countable and countless foods in English.
See too: food in english (food)
Subject (discipline)
| countless noun | Translation |
|---|---|
| grammar | grammar |
| poetry | poetry |
| portuguese | Portuguese |
| vocabulary | vocabulary |
As subjects of an educational institution, the words above are classified as uncountable and, for this reason, are not inflected to the plural form.
Examples:
- He has been reading a lot of poetry lately. (He's been reading a lot of poetry lately.)
- We learned a lot of Italian vocabulary last class. (We learned a lot of Italian vocabulary in the last class.)
- They have three Portuguese classes a month. (They have three Portuguese lessons a month.)
- Learning foreign languages grammar is really difficult. (Learning foreign language grammars is very difficult.)
Substance
| countless noun | Translation |
|---|---|
| air | air |
| iron | iron |
| oxygen | oxygen |
Examples:
- There's too much air in this bag of potato chips. (There is a lot of air in this potato chip package.)
- We need three iron blades. (We need three iron blades.)
- There are only a few oxygen atoms for every million ozone molecules. (There are only a few oxygen atoms for every one million molecules of ozone.)
Use of articles a or an
the indefinite articles The and an (one) are used only with the singular inflections of countable nouns.
Examples:
- I have never seen him wearing a jacket. (I've never seen him wearing a jacket.)
- My son until an apple after lunch. (My son ate an apple after lunch.)
In sentences with countless nouns, the article The it is sometimes used, but only when it includes phrases that help specify a certain amount.
It is the case of bit of (a bit of), a little (a little bit), a lot of (much), the pinch of (a dash of), the spoonful of (a spoon of), the bottle of (a bottle of).
Examples:
- I am going to the supermarket to buy a bottle of oil. (I go to the supermarket to buy a bottle of oil.)
- Add only a pinch of salt. (Add just a pinch of salt.)
- I need a spoonful of butter. (I need a spoon of butter.)
- She would like a little sugar in her coffee. (She would like some sugar in her coffee.)
- Give him a bit of bread. (Give him some bread.)
- A lot of attention is being given to that problem. (A lot of attention is being paid to that problem.)
In the first example, the word oil (oil) is an uncountable noun. It is accompanied by the indefinite article The (one/one), as the amount of oil is being indicated by the bottle of (a bottle of).
Therefore, the indefinite article is agreeing with the word bottle (bottle) and not with the word oil (oil).
The same happens with the nouns salt (salt) and butter (butter), for example. The indefinite article agrees with the words pinch (pinch) and with the word spoonful (spoon), which are countable nouns.
Exercises on countable and uncountable nouns
In each of the alternatives below, only one sentence is correct. Identify it.
a) Laura has black hair./ Laura has black hairs.
The correct phrase is Laura has black hair. (Laura has black hair.)
In English, the word hair is an uncountable noun and therefore cannot be inflected to the plural form.
In addition to the translation indicated above, in Portuguese, we could say the same sentence as the following way: Laura has black hair, that is, in Portuguese, the word "hair" is a noun countable.
b) The tourist guide gave us some information about the museum.
The correct phrase is The tourist guide gave us some information about the museum. (The tour guide gave us some information about the museum.).
In English, the word information (information) is an uncountable noun and, for that reason, cannot be inflected to the plural form.
When we want to specify the amount of information, we can use the phrase a piece of.
Example: These two pieces of information from not make sense. (These two pieces of information make no sense.)
c) Bob has brown eyes./ Bob has brown eye.
The correct phrase is Bob has brown eyes. (Bob has brown eyes.)
In English, the word eye (eye) is a countable noun and therefore can be inflected to the plural form. eyes.
Video about countable and uncountable nouns
Watch the video below and learn more about the use of countable and uncountable nouns.
Want to improve your knowledge of the English language? Be sure to read the texts below:
- Few and little: differences, meanings and when to use
- How much and how many: differences and when to use
- When to use many and many
- When to use some and any
- This, That, These, Those (English demonstrative pronouns)
- Phrasal Verbs - English Phrasal Verbs
- English tenses: everything you need to know
