See also: More like ‘hardly’
Most other adjectives can modify both countable and uncountable nouns.
See also: What’s the difference between advice vs advise?
You might often hear people say something like “I take two sugars in my tea”. What they really mean is “two teaspoons of sugar”, but the noun “sugar” has taken on that meaning and become countable.
In this way, uncountable nouns can sometimes be used as countable when referring to a complete unit or measurement of something, normally in relation to food and beverages. Here are some more examples:
Uncountable nouns may also be used as countable when they refer to a specific type, example, or category of something . For example:
These plural countable nouns are exceptions to the rule given earlier.
To make things even more confusing, certain nouns in English have two or more meanings. When a noun refers to different things, one countable and one uncountable, you must remember which is which in order to form a correct sentence. Here are some common examples of words with dual meanings:
Noun | Definition – countable | Definition – uncountable |
---|---|---|
Part of a machine used to change speed | Equipment used for a particular activity | |
A drinking vessel | A material used for windows | |
Drinking vessels | Spectacles (eye glasses) | |
An individual strand of hair | The growth of hair on a particular creature or area of the body | |
A device for getting wrinkles out of clothes | A chemical element | |
A newspaper or published academic work | A material used for writing, printing, etc. | |
A special ability | A source of energy | |
A walled area within a building | Physical space | |
A young person or teenager | The period of life when one is young |
As you can see, English can be hard to learn . Fortunately, you can always check in a dictionary to see whether a noun is countable or uncountable. Some dictionaries, such as Oxford Dictionaries , specify this in the definition.
We hope this information about countable vs uncountable nouns has been helpful. It can be quite a tricky English grammar topic to get right because, even once you have mastered the rules of count and noncount nouns, there is still no hard-and-fast way to know which words are which, unless you look them up.
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The basic rules: count and noncount nouns.
A count noun is one that can be expressed in plural form, usually with an "s." For example, "cat—cats," "season—seasons," "student—students."
A noncount noun is one that usually cannot be expressed in a plural form. For example, "milk," "water," "air," "money," "food." Usually, you cannot say, "He had many moneys."
Most of the time, this does not matter with adjectives. For example, you can say, "The cat was gray" or "The air was gray." However, the difference between a countable and uncountable noun does matter with certain adjectives, such as "some/any," "much/many," and "little/few."
Some/Any : Some and any countable and uncountable nouns.
Much/Many : Much modifies only uncountable nouns. Many modifies only countable nouns.
Little/Few : Little modifies only uncountable nouns.
Few modifies only countable nouns.
A lot of/lots of : A lot of/lots of are informal substitutes for much and many . They are used with uncountable nouns when they mean much and with countable nouns when they mean many .
A little bit of : A little bit of is informal and always precedes an uncountable noun.
Enough : Enough modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.
Plenty of : Plenty of modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.
No : No modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.
From Middle English assignement , from Old French assignement .
Audio ( ): | ( ) |
assignment ( countable and uncountable , plural assignments )
From English assignment .
Variety | Location | Words |
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Formal ) | , | |
Northeastern Mandarin | , | |
Cantonese | , , | |
Hakka | , | |
, | ||
, | ||
, | ||
, | ||
Southern Min |
Countable nouns.
Some nouns refer to things which, in English, are treated as separate items which can be counted. These are called countable nouns. Here are some examples:
a car , three cars
my cousin , my two cousins
a book , a box full of books
a city , several big cities
Countable nouns can be singular or plural. They can be used with a/an and with numbers and many other determiners (e.g. these, a few ):
She’s got two sisters and a younger brother .
Most people buy things like cameras and MP3-players online these days .
These shoes look old now.
I’ll take a few magazines with me for the flight .
Determiners ( the, my , some , this )
Singular and plural nouns
In English grammar, some things are seen as a whole or mass. These are called uncountable nouns, because they cannot be separated or counted.
Some examples of uncountable nouns are:
Ideas and experiences: advice, information, progress, news, luck, fun, work
Materials and substances: water, rice, cement, gold, milk
Weather words: weather, thunder, lightning, rain, snow
Names for groups or collections of things: furniture, equipment, rubbish, luggage
Other common uncountable nouns include: accommodation, baggage, homework, knowledge, money, permission, research, traffic, travel .
These nouns are not used with a/an or numbers and are not used in the plural.
We’re going to get new furniture for the living room.
Not: We’re going to get a new furniture for the living room . or We’re going to get new furnitures for the living room .
We had terrible weather last week.
Not: We had a terrible weather last week .
We need rice next time we go shopping.
Some nouns always have plural form but they are uncountable because we cannot use numbers with them.
I bought two pairs of trousers .
Not: I bought two trousers .
Other nouns of this type are: shorts, pants, pyjamas, glasses (for the eyes), binoculars, scissors .
Some nouns which are uncountable in English are countable in other languages (e.g. accommodation, advice, furniture, information ):
They can give you some information about accommodation at the tourist office.
Not: They can give you some informations about accommodations at the tourist office .
Can you give me some advice about buying a second-hand car?
Not: Can you give me some advices about buying a second-hand car?
A good learner’s dictionary will tell you whether a noun is countable or uncountable.
To refer to one or more quantities of an uncountable noun , expressions such as a bit of, a piece of , an item of or words for containers and measures must be used:
He bought a very expensive piece of furniture for his new apartment.
Maggie always has some exciting bits of news when she comes to see us.
I think we’ll need five bags of cement for the patio.
There’s a litre of milk in the fridge for you. And I bought you a bar of chocolate .
Uncountable nouns can be used with certain determiners (e.g. my, her , some, any , no , the, this, that ) and expressions of quantity (e.g. a lot of, (a) little ):
They gave me some information about courses and scholarships and things.
Have you heard the news ? Fran’s getting engaged.
She’s been studying hard and has made a lot of progress .
There’s no work to do here, so you can go home if you like.
This milk ’s a bit old, I’m afraid.
We can sometimes use countable noun phrases to talk about an individual example of the thing an uncountable noun refers to.
uncountable | countable |
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Finding a place to live is difficult if you’re a student and you’ve got no money. (or Finding accommodation … )
Not: Finding an accommodation …
She brought two big suitcases and a rucksack with her.
Not: She brought two big luggages …
I read a poem once about someone riding a horse at night.
Not: I read a poetry …
We went on a trip to the Amazon when we were in Brazil.
Not: We went on a travel …
Some nouns can be used either countably or uncountably, but with different meanings.
Countable use | Uncountable use |
new iron and an ironing board. | would sink. |
yesterday. | . |
? | ? |
and see what’s on at the cinema. | . |
. | to do so I couldn’t go out. |
Measures and examples.
Sometimes uncountable nouns are used countably, to mean ‘a measure of something’ or ‘a type or example of something’:
Can I have two teas and one coffee , please? (two cups of tea and one cup of coffee …?)
A: How many sugars do you want in your tea? (How many spoonfuls/lumps of sugar?) B: Just one, please .
To some degree we tend to eat the foods that we ate as children. (i.e. types of food)
Some abstract nouns can be used uncountably or countably. The uncountable use has a more general meaning. The countable use has a more particular meaning.
Nouns of this type include: education, experience, hatred, help, knowledge, life, love, sleep, time, understanding .
uncountable use | countable use |
is the best investment in Britain’s future. (education in general) | at a private school in France. (the time one person spent at school) |
is like a physical pain for some people. (love in general/all love) | , ever since I was a child. (a specific liking for something) |
knowledge. (all knowledge/knowledge in general) | . (a specific type of knowledge) |
passes more and more quickly as you grow older. (time in general) | in Ibiza. We didn’t want to come home. (a specific period of time) |
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Published on June 21, 2019 by Fiona Middleton . Revised on April 18, 2023.
Uncountable nouns , also known as mass nouns or noncount nouns, refer to a mass of something or an abstract concept that can’t be counted (except with a unit of measurement). In contrast, countable nouns can be counted as individual items.
The main rules to remember for uncountable nouns are that they cannot be pluralized , and that they never take indefinite articles (“a” or “an”).
Type of noun | Examples |
---|---|
Abstract concepts and physical phenomena | research, advice, information, knowledge, money, logic, gravity, acceleration, pollution, feedback, traffic, radiation, biomass, lightning |
Substances, materials and foods | air, water, blood, algae, mud, grass, seaweed, graphite, clay, quartz, rice, flour, meat |
Elements, chemicals and gases | helium, iron, copper, hydrochloric acid, calcium carbonate, carbon monoxide, methane |
Disciplines and fields | biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, geography, psychology, economics, aquaculture, trigonometry |
Countable noun or uncountable noun, are uncountable nouns singular or plural, using articles with uncountable nouns, numbers and amounts, “research” and “data”, other interesting language articles.
Some nouns in English, like those in the table above, are always (or nearly always) uncountable. Many other nouns, however, can be countable or uncountable depending on the context.
To identify whether a noun is countable or uncountable in a particular context, consider whether you are referring to a single tangible item, entity or type of something, or if you are describing a general mass or idea of something.
Type of noun | Uncountable | Countable | Other examples |
---|---|---|---|
Abstract concepts | He rarely feels fear. | A fear of spiders is known as arachnophobia. | Concepts can often be countable or uncountable: weight, love, courage, strength, time, beauty, pressure, vision, business. |
Substances, materials and phenomena | Houseplants need the optimum amount of light to thrive. | She saw a light at the end of the tunnel. | Many nouns referring to substances are also used to refer to individual items or types of the substance in question: bone, skin, light, sound, solid, liquid, gas, plastic, acid, alkali. |
Types of something | Fish is an excellent source of protein. | Coral reefs are home to a huge variety of fishes. | Many uncountables, including food, drink, and other substances, can become countable when referring to a specific type of the noun in question: a Chilean wine, soft cheeses, toxic gases. |
Drinks | Java produces excellent coffee. | I had two coffees this morning. | Liquids are usually uncountable, but when referring to a single drink they are often colloquially used as countables: a beer, a tea, a water, a coke. |
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Uncountable nouns should be treated as singular, and thus should always be used with singular verbs to ensure correct subject-verb agreement .
Singular countable nouns generally require an article or other determiner (e.g., “the interview ,” “a participant,” “my hypothesis “). Uncountable nouns, in contrast, can usually stand alone without an article.
Because uncountable nouns can’t be counted as a single item, indefinite articles (“a” or “an”) should never be used with them.
The definite article “the” can be used when you are referring to a particular instance or specific mass of an uncountable noun.
Many uncountable nouns are associated with words that break them up into countable units. This is helpful when you want to refer to a single or numbered instance or unit.
Finding the correct term to describe amounts can be tricky. Many terms that describe amount (e.g., “some,” “ a lot of” and “most”) can be used with both uncountable and countable nouns (although note that these terms are often too vague to use in academic writing).
However, there are certain terms that can only be used with either uncountable or countable nouns. Make sure to choose correctly between “less vs. fewer,” “much vs. many,” and “amount vs. number.”
Uncountable | Countable | ||
---|---|---|---|
Less | Isolated parts of the ocean contain less pollution. | Fewer | Isolated parts of the ocean contain fewer pollutants. |
Much | Too much money has been spent on this project. | Many | Too many dollars have been spent on this project. |
Amount of | We discovered a significant amount of green algae in the lake. | Number of | We discovered a significant number of microorganisms in the lake. |
In academic writing , “research” and “data” are two uncountable nouns that are notoriously difficult to use correctly.
Never add “s” to pluralize “research” or “data”. (Note that the word “researches” is only correct when used as the third-person singular of the verb “to research.” )
Always use “research” as a singular noun.
Data, however, can be used as a singular or plural noun.
If you want to know more about nouns , pronouns , verbs , and other parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations and examples.
Nouns & pronouns
We strongly encourage students to use sources in their work. You can cite our article (APA Style) or take a deep dive into the articles below.
Middleton, F. (2023, April 18). How to Tell if a Noun is Countable or Uncountable | Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved June 18, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/nouns-and-pronouns/uncountable-nouns/
Aarts, B. (2011). Oxford modern English grammar . Oxford University Press.
Butterfield, J. (Ed.). (2015). Fowler’s dictionary of modern English usage (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Garner, B. A. (2016). Garner’s modern English usage (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
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IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
/əˈsaɪnmənt/ [countable] a task or piece of work that somebody is given to do, usually as part of their job or studies. Students are required to complete all homework assignments. You will need to complete three written assignments per semester. a business/special assignment. I had set myself a tough assignment.
1. countable noun. An assignment is a task or piece of work that you are given to do, especially as part of your job or studies. The assessment for the course involves written assignments and practical tests. Synonyms: task, work, job, charge More Synonyms of assignment. 2. uncountable noun.
From Longman Business Dictionary as‧sign‧ment /əˈsaɪnmənt/ noun 1 [ countable] a piece of work that someone is given My assignment was to save the company, whatever it took. 2 [ uncountable] when someone is given a particular job or task, or sent to work in a particular place or for a particular person With the agreement, GM got more ...
Uncountable nouns, or mass nouns, are nouns that come in a state or quantity that is impossible to count; liquids are uncountable, as are things that act like liquids (sand, air). Abstract ideas like creativity or courage are also uncountable.
What’s the difference between countable and uncountable nouns, and what grammar rules do you need to know to use them correctly? Also known as count and noncount nouns , this vocabulary point can trip you up when you’re learning English as a second language.
The Basic Rules: Count and Noncount Nouns. A count noun is one that can be expressed in plural form, usually with an "s." For example, "cat—cats," "season—seasons," "student—students." A noncount noun is one that usually cannot be expressed in a plural form. For example, "milk," "water," "air," "money," "food."
assignment ( countable and uncountable, plural assignments) English Wikipedia has an article on: homework assignment. English Wikipedia has an article on: sex assignment. English Wikipedia has an article on: assignment (computer science) The act of assigning; the allocation of a job or a set of tasks .
In English grammar, some things are seen as a whole or mass. These are called uncountable nouns, because they cannot be separated or counted. Some examples of uncountable nouns are: Ideas and experiences: advice, information, progress, news, luck, fun, work. Materials and substances: water, rice, cement, gold, milk.
To identify whether a noun is countable or uncountable in a particular context, consider whether you are referring to a single tangible item, entity or type of something, or if you are describing a general mass or idea of something.
As you have perhaps noticed, individual activities like jobs and assignments, which are closely identified with uncountable nouns like work and homework, are countable. As such, it would be incorrect to say "I have lots of homeworks to do.”