Use a lot of or lots of for nouns, you cannot count and for plurals. These adverbs of quantity refer to frequency, quantity and degree. For countable and uncountable nouns use exact quantities in your answer or use a lot of / lots of. Examples: I've got 10 pens. I'v got a lot of pens.
1a : an indefinite amount or number. b : a determinate or estimated amount. c : total amount or number. d : a considerable amount or number —often used in pluralgenerous quantities of luck— H. E. Putsch.
In the noncount form, the noun refers to the whole idea or quantity. In the count form, the noun refers to a specific example or type. When the noun is countable, it can be used with the indefinite article "a" or "an" or it can be made plural.
A quantifier is a word that usually goes before a noun to express the quantity of the object; for example, a little milk. There are quantifiers to describe large quantities (a lot, much, many), small quantities (a little, a bit, a few) and undefined quantities (some, any).
Comparative Form and Superlative Form (irregular comparisons)
| positive form | comparative form | superlative form |
|---|
| much / many | more | most |
| far (place + time) | further | furthest |
| far (place) | farther | farthest |
| late (time) | later | latest |
Enough is used to mean sufficient.
Uncountable Nouns
- music, art, love, happiness.
- advice, information, news.
- furniture, luggage.
- rice, sugar, butter, water.
- electricity, gas, power.
- money, currency.
The definition of a count noun is a grammar term used for persons, places or things that can be either singular or plural and that can be counted. Any word that can be made plural, such as books, cats or kids is an example of a count noun. noun. 5.
Uncountable nouns are for the things that we cannot count with numbers. They may be the names for abstract ideas or qualities or for physical objects that are too small or too amorphous to be counted (liquids, powders, gases, etc.). Uncountable nouns are used with a singular verb.
Uncountable nouns never take the indefinite article (a or an), but they do take singular verbs. The is sometimes used with uncountable nouns in the same way it is used with plural countable nouns, that is, to refer to a specific object, group, or idea. Information is a precious commodity in our computerized world.
Countable nouns have singular and plural forms while uncountable nouns can be used only in the singular form. In English grammar, words that refer to people, places or things are called nouns.
In this page you can discover 11 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for uncountable, like: countless, inestimable, incalculable, incomputable, infinite, innumerable, big, infinitesimal, indeterminable, immeasurable and measureless.
Examples of a Common Noun
- People: mother, father, baby, child, toddler, teenager, grandmother, student, teacher, minister, businessperson, salesclerk, woman, man.
- Animals: lion, tiger, bear, dog, cat, alligator, cricket, bird, wolf.
- Things: table, truck, book, pencil, iPad, computer, coat, boots,
Examples of Collective Nouns
- Flock.
- Crowd.
- Committee.
- Choir.
- Group.
- Team.
In English grammar, an abstract noun is a noun or noun phrase that names an idea, event, quality, or concept—for example, courage, freedom, progress, love, patience, excellence, and friendship. An abstract noun names something that can't be physically touched. Contrast that with a concrete noun.
Advice is a countable noun but doesn't take 's' in/at the plural form; therefore, you can say: how much advice did you get from your boss.
Why is money an uncountable noun? Because it's a word that only (usually) exists in the singular form, like the words 'information' or 'advice' : nouns that are always singular. If there is no plural form ( in this sense of the word), then it's uncountable.
Bread is usually uncountable because it's a collective noun for which individual examples can be counted. For example, I have several kinds of bread in this basket: three rolls, two croissants, and a brioche. Fruit and produce behave the same way.
These are called uncountable nouns, because they cannot be separated or counted. 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.
For example, in the given sentence, Gold is not countable since it does not have a plural form. Therefore, it is classified in the category of uncountable objects.
How to Teach Countable and Uncountable Nouns
- Don't focus on uncountable nouns being “things that you cannot count”, this will confuse students, especially since many uncountable nouns can be counted (e.g. rice)
- Don't focus on the practical reasons of why a noun can't be countable, because some English uncountable nouns are countable in other languages!
Most uncountable nouns don't have an 's' at the end!
| UNCOUNTABLE FOOD | COUNTABLE FOOD |
|---|
| pasta | a plate of pasta / a bowl of spaghetti |
| noodles | a bowl of noodles / a packet of noodles |
| milk | a carton of milk / a glass of milk |
| butter | a packet of butter |
Bread. A bread or breads are wrong expressions to use; however, we can use quantifiers, i.e. words before the uncountable noun, like some bread, a loaf of bread, and a slice of bread.
Recognize an item in a series when you find one.
- To make her famous muffins, Paulette bought fresh broccoli, baker's chocolate, flour, sugar, and eggs.
- Broccoli, chocolate, flour, sugar, and eggs = list of nouns.
