Countable & Uncountable Nouns

Form

Countable nouns name things you can count one by one, so they have a singular and a plural form and can take a or an (a book, three books). Uncountable nouns name what English treats as a single mass — liquids and materials, and abstract things like advice, information and progress — so they take no plural -s and no a or an (Water is cheap; She gave me advice). An uncountable noun is grammatically singular, which is why the verb after it is singular too (The news is good; Your luggage looks heavy). To put a number on one, add a counting phrase in front of it: a piece of advice, two pieces of equipment, a glass of water.

When to Use It

• Use much with uncountable nouns and many with countable ones, most often in questions and negatives, as in 'How much homework do you have, and how many classes are left?'
• Use a lot of when you would rather not choose, because it fits both kinds, as in 'There was a lot of traffic and a lot of tourists downtown.'
• Use fewer for countable nouns and less for uncountable ones when you compare amounts, as in 'There are fewer cars on the road, so there is less noise.'
• Use a few and a little to mean "some, and that is enough", and few and little without a to mean "hardly any", as in 'We have a little fuel left' next to 'We have little fuel left.'
• Use some with both kinds in a positive statement, an offer, or a request, and switch to any in other questions and in negatives, as in 'Could I have some water?' next to 'I don't have any information.'
• Treat an uncountable noun as singular for agreement, however much of it there is, as in 'The information was helpful and the equipment is new.'

Signal Words

Common Mistakes

• Adding -s to an uncountable noun: write 'I need some information' and 'She gave me advice', not 'informations' or 'advices' — these nouns have no plural form.
• Putting a or an in front of an uncountable noun: write 'I have homework' or 'a piece of advice', not 'a homework' or 'an advice'.
• Counting an uncountable noun with many or a few: write 'a lot of furniture' or 'a few pieces of furniture', not 'a few furnitures'.
• Using less where the items can be counted: write 'fewer mistakes', not 'less mistakes' — if you can count them, you need fewer.
• Giving an uncountable noun a plural verb: write 'The news is good' and 'The equipment is checked weekly', not 'The news are good'.