BEGINNER ENGLISH Lesson 12
Remember: If you don’t know the meaning of a word, look it up in a dictionary or use Google Translate.
for English Language Learners (ELL) – those learning to speak English as a Second Language (ESL), or English as an Additional Language (EAL)
COUNTABLE and UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
or COUNT and NON-COUNT nouns
Lesson 12 – What is an UNCOUNTABLE NOUN?
An UNCOUNTABLE NOUN is a person, place or thing that cannot be counted.
Examples of UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS in English:
- homework
- fruit
- furniture
- advice
- help
- air
- gas
- news
- information
- liquids
The question for a COUNTABLE noun is, “How many?”
The question for an UNCOUNTABLE noun is, “How much?”
e.g., How many cars? One car.
e.g., How much air is in your soccer ball? [You cannot answer, “My soccer ball has two airs.”] You can answer, “My soccer ball has some air.”
TEST YOURSELF
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Be careful! Some words are uncountable in English but they may be countable in another language.
For example, in Spanish homework is countable. In English, homework is uncountable. In English, it is incorrect to say, “I have one homework.”
In English, you say, “I have homework.” If you want to give an amount, you need to provide a more detailed description, such as “I have one assignment.”