Jam countable or uncountable. Countable and uncountable nouns. Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Therefore, in English, all objects are divided into countable (those that can be counted) and uncountable (those that cannot be counted).

This topic is basic and very important. Therefore, if you don’t deal with it from the very beginning, you will make mistakes as you further study the language.

In this article I will tell you about countable and uncountable nouns and the features of their use.

From the article you will learn:

• General table comparing countable and uncountable nouns

How to determine whether a noun is countable or not?

Noun- a part of speech that denotes an object or person and answers the question “who?”, “what?”.

How to understand which object is in front of us: countable or not?

It seems that everything is simple. However, there is a little trick here.

Let's take the floor money (money). Can we count the money? Of course we can, you say. However, in English money is an uncountable noun.

Can we really say: “one money, second money, third money”? No, we count rubles/dollars/euros: one ruble, two rubles, etc. But we cannot count the word money, so it will be uncountable.

The same goes for water, milk, lemonade and other drinks. We cannot count these concepts themselves: one is water, the other is water.

Therefore, liters and containers will be countable, but the liquid itself will be uncountable.

Let's look at each concept separately.

Countable nouns in English

Countable nouns(count nouns) are those objects that we can count.

For example:

One apple, two apples, three apples.
One apple, two apples, three apples.

Such words have their own characteristics, let's look at them.

1. Countable nouns have plural

• singular (one subject)
• plural (several subjects)

In English, plurals are formed by adding the ending -s to a word.

For example:

cat - cats
cat - cats

cup-cups
cup - cups

bag - bags
bag - bags

pen - pens
pen - pens

I talked in detail about the formation of the plural in this article.

2. With countable nouns we use the article a/an

An article is a small tag that is placed before certain words to help us grasp information about them.

The article a/an comes from the word one and means “one thing”, “some, some”.

We use this article when we speak about one subject. Therefore, we can only use it with items that we can count.

For example:

a cat
(one) cat

a bag
(one) bag

a phone
(one) phone

a pen
(one) handle

You can read more about articles in English.

In addition to the article, we can use other words, depending on the meaning we want to convey.

Let's look at all the words that can appear in front of the subject.

• Article a/an (when we are not talking about something specific, but about a general concept)

She bought a dress.
She bought a dress (some kind of dress, we don't know which one exactly)

• Article the (if we are talking about something specific)

She bought the dress.
She bought a dress (we are talking about a specific dress that we know about)

• Possessive pronouns my, your, his, her, their, our (mine, yours, his, her, theirs, ours). They show who owns the item.

She bought my dress.
She bought my dress.

• Words this (this), that (that)

She bought this dress.
She bought this dress.

3. With plural numbers we use the words many and few/afew

Eat words that we can only use with objects that we can count:

• many - a lot
• few - few
• a few - several

For example:

We've dealt with countable nouns, now let's move on to uncountable nouns.

Uncountable nouns in English

(uncount nouns) - something that we cannot count.

Uncountable nouns include:

• Food(usually something small, like cereal or shapeless)

Butter (butter), cheese (cheese), meat (meat), salt (salt), pepper (pepper), bacon (bacon), bread (bread), chocolate (chocolate), ice (ice), etc.

• Liquid

Water (water), lemonade (lemonade), coffee (coffee), milk (milk), tea (tea), wine (wine), petrol (gasoline), oil (oil), etc.

• Materials

Gold (gold), iron (iron), wood (wood), plastic (plastic), paper (paper), etc.

• Abstract concepts

Luck (luck), music (music), news (news), progress (progress), information (information), knowledge (knowledge), etc.

• Gases

Air (air), oxygen (oxygen), smoke (smoke), etc.

• Diseases

Measles (measles), flu (cold), cancer (cancer)

• Kinds of sports

Chess (chess), baseball (baseball), football (soccer), poker (poker), golf (golf), etc.

• Weather phenomena

Weather (weather), heat (heat), wind (wind), rain (rain), snow (snow), etc.

Uncountable nouns also have their own characteristics.

1. They don't change by number.

Such words have only one form - the singular number.

2. With such words we never use the article a/an

We cannot use the article a/an with something that we cannot count. We usually use these words:

• Article the

For example:

I will take the chocolate.
I'll take the chocolate

• The word some - a little, several
  

For example:

I will take some chocolate.
I'll take some chocolate.

3. With uncountable objects we use the words much,little/ alittle

There are words that we can only use with uncountable objects:

• Much (a lot)
• Little
• A little (a little)

For example:

You drink so much coffee!
You drink so much coffee!

They have little money.
They don't have much money.

4. These concepts become countable when we talk about a piece/glass/liter/kilogram of something.

Uncountable:

Can you give me some bread?
Can you give me some bread?

Bring me some water.
Bring me some Water.

Countable:

Can you give me a piece of bread?
Can you give me a piece of bread?

Bring me a glass of water.
Bring me a glass of water.

To reinforce the difference between countable and uncountable nouns, let's look at the general table

Let's take a look at the general table and once again trace the difference between these concepts.

So, we dealt with this topic. Now let's put it into practice.

Reinforcement task

Exercise 1: Choose which of the following words are countable and which are uncountable:

Pear, football, milk, dress, water, lemon, sugar, car, ball, money, coffee, house, butter, bread, candy.

Task 2: Translate the following sentences into English:

1. I have several oranges.
2. Did she earn a lot of money?
3. Does she have a lot of books?
4. Bring me a glass of wine.
5. I need sugar.

We figured out that nouns can be countable and uncountable - and how to determine whether a particular noun is countable or not. If we can count apples and stars, they are countable. It is impossible to count water and joy - they are uncountable.
There are two difficult points left that need to be mentioned. Firstly, many nouns can be either countable or uncountable, depending on their meaning. Secondly, there are two nouns from which we would not expect uncountability. Let's start with them.

Countable in Russian, uncountable in English

These two words cause the greatest problems for students right up to the very high levels. We are talking about advice and news. In Russian, we are accustomed to “five tips” and “three news,” but for English speakers, news and advice are something that cannot be counted.

Advice

It would seem “button up, put on a hat” - these are already two pieces of advice that can be easily calculated. But if you suddenly say " two advices", this will greatly cut into the American or British ear. You just need to remember: advice– uncountable. If you divide it so fundamentally into countable pieces, then you will be surprised, but advice is considered precisely “pieces,” i.e. pieces of advice. Or "words" word of advice.

Wise men don't need advice. Fools won't take it. Wise people don't need advice, but stupid people won't accept it anyway.
Let me give you a piece of advice. Let me give you one piece of advice.

News

It’s clear why this word is so desirable to use in the plural – at the end –s, and in Russian “news” is “they”. Once again you will just have to break yourself and remember that news is always it, and never “a news”. If we need to count them, we count them again pieces of news or bits of news.

What's the news (what is the news)? What's the news?
Good news or bad news first? Which news comes first - bad or good?

Countable or not depending on meaning

Some of the nouns can be either countable or uncountable. Let me say right away that there are a lot of such words. Here are three of them as an example: chocolate, wine, sand. All three are uncountable in the sense of "substance", but countable if:

• these are indeed objects that can be counted. I'm in a box of chocolates. Now I'm happy. I ate the box chocolates and now I'm happy.
• we're talking about about different types: There are many delicious wines in France. France has many delicious wines. Note that " There is much wine ” will mean not many varieties, but that there is simply a lot of it.
• in some special expressions: Sands of Sahara are one of the hottest places on Earth. The sands of the Sahara are one of the hottest places on the planet. In this case, sands is a literary word that can be used to describe a desert or a beach.

Here are a few of the most common and most interesting words, which can be either countable or uncountable, depending on their meaning.

Tea, Coffee and other drinks

Like other liquids, tea and coffee are innumerable. But if you order tea or coffee in a cafe, it is not necessary to mention that you mean a “cup”. “Can we have two teas, please” – drinks, as in Russian, become countable. The same applies to all drinks ordered at the bar, except, perhaps, water - it will still be some water.

Two coffees for me and two tequilas for that pretty lady at the bar. Two coffees for me and two tequilas for that pretty girl at the bar.

Hair

Theoretically, hairs can be counted - there are about 150 thousand of them on the average head. But in English, hair is an uncountable noun. Those. If you want to say “my hair is dark,” refrain from both hairs and are – the correct option my hair is dark or I have dark hair.

But if there are few hairs and they can really be counted - for example, they are floating in the tea that you just ordered - they become countable. In this meaning, hair corresponds to our word “hair”.

There's a hair in my coffee! There's hair in my coffee!
There are two hairs growing in the middle of my nose. That's disgusting. I have two hairs growing on my nose, what an abomination.

Time

Time is measured in hours, minutes, centuries - therefore hours, minutes and centuries are countable nouns, but time itself is not.
In the case where the word time means “once”, “one time”, “three times”, etc. This is a completely different meaning - and in this case, time is a countable noun.
And one more example - “ to have a great time", have a great time. Or " A long time ago" The indefinite article with time indicates that time in this case is countable. Simply because it is a stable expression.

Time is money. Time is money.
In the meaning of “time” it is uncountable.

It's okay to make mistakes. It’s not okay to repeat each mistake several times. It's okay to make mistakes. Making mistakes several times is a no. In the meaning of “times” – countable.

It's a long time since we had a good time. It's been a while since we've had a blast.
Two stable expressions, in which time, although it means “time,” is used with the indefinite article.

Paper

With the word paper, everything is the same as in Russian: paper as a material is an uncountable noun; you can only count pieces or sheets. But if we are talking about documents: contracts, scientific articles, essays, etc. - all this can be called paper, newspapers, in the end - also paper - they can already be counted.

I want to draw a picture. Have you got some paper? I want to draw a picture. Do you have paper?
Have you got a paper to read? Do you have a newspaper to read?
Sometimes I laugh when I read students’ papers. Sometimes I laugh when I read student essays.

Room

Room - room in English, obviously, a counting word - everyone living in two, three or more will not argue with this room apartments. This word is also useful for tourists when booking a hotel room. But besides this, the word room has another meaning - “ free place, space,” and in this meaning it becomes uncountable.

Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms.These include 240 bedrooms and 78 bathrooms. Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms, including 240 bedrooms and 78 toilets.
There's no room for personal life in my schedule. There is no place for personal life in my schedule.
Come sit on the sofa with us, we can make some room for you. Sit on the sofa with us, we'll move over.

Work

If you work two jobs, then “you have two jobs” (in general, the difference between job and work is a topic for a separate discussion). And work itself is an uncountable noun. It becomes countable only in the world of painting, literature and other forms of art - in the meaning of “work, product”.

I seem like I’m not leaving office anytime soon, I have some work to finish. It looks like I won’t be leaving the office anytime soon; I have some work to finish.
A familiar situation, isn't it? I hope not. But the work, be it for 5 minutes or until late in the evening, remains incalculable.

There are 130 thousand works of art in Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. The Tretyakov Gallery houses 130 thousand works of art.
In this context, work—a countable noun—is countable in pictures, from “Morning in a Pine Forest” to “Black Square.”

If you are still at a loss as to whether a particular noun is countable or not, the solution would be to look in the dictionary. Countable nouns are marked in it as , uncountable nouns - . Moreover, if it depends on the meaning, it is indicated for which of them the noun is countable and for which it is not.

In English there are countable and uncountable. To put it briefly, countable things can be counted with a finger, but uncountable ones cannot. In this article, we'll look at the difference between countable and uncountable nouns, and when a noun can fall into both categories.

What are countable nouns

Countable nouns(countable nouns) denote objects, phenomena, concepts that can be counted in the speaker’s mind. For example: egg (egg), house (house), suggestion (offer), minute (minute). Countable nouns in English can be used in both the singular and:

I have a puppy. - I have puppy.

My sister has puppies. - My sister has puppies.

Other examples of countable nouns:

I have a few questions. - I have some questions.

There is an old tree in the valley. - There is something old in the valley tree.

May I have a donut?- Can I donut?

Take any umbrella you want. - Take any umbrella, whichever one you want.

This is my sister's photo.- This photo my sister's.

As you can see, countable nouns are combined with words that in their meaning are suitable specifically for “piecemeal” rather than abstract objects, for example, with an article: we can say “a donut”, which is literally perceived as “one donut”, the article itself is “a” \an” already implies “piecemeality”, “separateness” of the object. We can say “a few questions” - “a few questions”, because questions are, although not solid, tangible objects, but still something that can be counted.

Uncountable nouns cannot be combined with such words.

What are uncountable nouns

Uncountable nouns(uncountable nouns) denote objects, substances, concepts that cannot be counted. These include the names of abstract concepts, substances, various masses, bulk materials and products, liquids: art- art, oil– oil, petroleum, salt- salt, tea- tea. Uncountable nouns are used only in the singular:

We ran out of sugar. - We've run out sugar.

Art is immortal. – Art immortal.

Oil is flammable. – Oil highly flammable.

Other examples of uncountable nouns:

• Abstract concepts:

Kids have a lot of energy.- Children have a lot energy.

You can't stop progress.- Can't be stopped progress.

• Liquids, solids, food:

I mean food products, when we are talking not about one, say, stick of sausage, but about sausage in general as a product.

I spill milk.- I spilled milk.

This jar holds two pounds of sugar.– This jar holds two pounds Sahara.

My girlfriend doesn't eat meat.– My girlfriend doesn’t eat meat.

• Languages, games, academic disciplines

Sorry, amigo, I don’t speak Spanish.- Sorry, amigo, I don't say in Spanish.

I can't play volleyball.- I don't know how to play volleyball.

We have chemistry now, and then math.- We have now chemistry, and then mathematics.

• Metals, natural resources, gaseous substances

This pendant is made of iron and gold.– This pendant is made from gland And gold.

We don't have that much wood.– We don’t have that much wood

I couldn't see anything in the bathroom because of steam.– Nothing was visible in the bathroom because pair.

The list can be continued by adding, for example, natural phenomena(thunder - thunder), but I think that the general meaning is clear: uncountable nouns are presented to us as something NOT “piecemeal”, as something that cannot be counted with a finger, as something generalized.

Uncountable nouns cannot be in the plural, they are not combined with , which implies that we are talking about something separate, countable, and such pronouns as “a few” - several. Although in a certain context a word that is usually uncountable can become countable.

When an uncountable noun becomes countable

Sometimes a noun is used as a countable noun in one context and as an uncountable noun in another. For example, if we talk about coffee in general, as a drink in general, then coffee is an uncountable noun:

Do you like coffee?- Do you like coffee?

If we talk about coffee as a portion of a drink, meaning one cup or glass, then coffee is already a countable noun.

May I have a coffee, please? – Can I have some coffee, please? (Cup of coffee)

Note: in English it so happens that not every drink can be said “a + drink”, meaning a glass of drink. You can say “a coffee”, “a tea”, “a whiskey”, but about water they usually say “a glass of water” - a glass of water.

“A Piece of Advise” and other ways to make the uncountable countable

When we are talking about a separate part, portion, element of something uncountable, established combinations are used. There is something similar in the Russian language. For example, when talking about a “portion”, one unit of chocolate, we usually say “chocolate bar”, because chocolate is usually sold in the form of bars, the very phrase “chocolate bar” for us is something familiar, established, like “a cup of tea” or “piece of furniture.” Here are the “portioned” combinations in English:

• a bar of chocolate- chocolate bar
• a bar of soap- a piece of soap
• a loaf of bread– roll/loaf of bread
• a slice of pizza– a slice of pizza (slice – a piece cut with a knife)
• a bottle of whiskey– a bottle of whiskey
• a cup of tea- Cup of tea
• a piece of furniture- piece of furniture
• a tube of tooth paste– a tube of toothpaste

I will highlight separately:

• a piece of advice- advice

IN English word“advice” (advice) is uncountable, so you cannot say “an advice”.

Why is it necessary to divide nouns into countable and uncountable?

What is the practical benefit of knowing that “milk” is an uncountable noun and “table” is a countable noun? The benefit is that sometimes the choice of word to go with a noun depends on whether the noun is countable or uncountable.

1. Articles.

If any is possible before a countable noun, then “a\an” cannot be placed before an uncountable noun, since it implies piecework.

There is a table in the room. - There is a table in the room.

It takes courage to follow your heart. “It takes courage to follow your heart.”

2. Pronouns denoting quantity.

About countable objects we can say many, but you can't say much. And vice versa. This is a bit strange for us, because both many and much in Russian mean “many,” and in Russian “many” is combined with both countable and uncountable nouns. In English, many is “a lot of countable things,” and much is “a lot of uncountable things.”

We don't have much time! - We don't have much time!

I've never seen so many people. – I have never seen so many people.

She has many friends who have much power. – She has many friends who have a lot of power.

Any schoolchild can tell you what countable and uncountable nouns are. The name speaks for itself: countable nouns are those nouns that can be counted, while uncountable nouns cannot be counted. However, this is not the only difference. Usually it is not difficult to determine whether a noun is countable or not, but in some cases the differences between Russian and English make themselves felt.

As practice shows, uncountable nouns cause more problems. Either they will put an article in front of them, or they will add the ending -S. Therefore, in this article we will focus our attention on those nouns that cannot be counted.

• Liquids: water, milk, tea, vine etc.

Please note that the words tea, coffee, beer can be countable when, for example, you order something in a restaurant:

One coffee and two teas, please. - One cup of coffee and two cups of tea, please.

• Food (Types of food): bread, meat, cheese, butter etc.

Many names for food products that represent mass are measured in liters, kilograms (kilos), pieces (piece), plates (bowl) and so on. Mistakes are often made with the word bread, since in Russian it is normal to say “one loaf” when we mean a loaf of bread, but in English we should say a loaf of bread.

Some food products are a combination: pasta, spaghetti, rice.

• Materials: sand, metal, concrete etc.

Materials represent a mass or substance, but sometimes the word can become countable when referring to an object made from a given material: paper (paper) - a paper (newspaper). In addition, when talking about varieties of the same material or liquid, the word can take the plural form:

• : love, weather, time, sleep, importance, experience etc.

Many abstract nouns can also be countable, depending on their meaning in a particular sentence. For example, time is time, and time is time. Read more about this in.

• Names of gases: air, oxygen etc.

• Mass Nouns: hair, furniture, clothes, traffic, luggage etc.

Uncountable nouns also include those nouns that are not individual objects and denote a collection of homogeneous objects without clearly defined boundaries.

• Names of diseases (Illnesses): measles, influenza, mumps etc.

But those nouns that denote minor health problems, such as a cold, a headache, a sore throat, a fever are countable and are preceded by an article. As for other diseases with the word ache ( toothache, backache, earache), then in British English they are always uncountable and are not used with the article A/ AN, but in American English they can be countable when they denote a separate attack of the disease:

I had a terrible toothache yesterday. - My teeth hurt a lot yesterday. (AmE)

I had terrible toothache yesterday. - My teeth hurt a lot yesterday. (BrE)

• Fields of Study: mathematics, physics, economics etc.

• Sports: gymnastics, football, tennis etc.

Now let's take a closer look at the differences between countable and uncountable nouns. Different sources highlight different numbers of differences and describe them differently, but we won’t complicate things and highlight three main ones.

1. Countables can be counted, and uncountables can be measured.

You can easily use cardinal numerals with countable nouns:

One tree - one tree

Five people - five people

One hundred dollars - one hundred dollars

When we are dealing with uncountable nouns, we need to use certain measures:

Two liters of milk - two liters of milk

Five tons of coal - five tons of coal

Three bowls of soup - three bowls of soup

Different containers, measures, and shapes are used for measurement. There are a lot of them, certain substances are measured in appropriate containers, so this topic deserves a separate article, which will soon appear on our website.

2. Use of qualifiers

Many + countable:

How many people were in the queue? - How many people were in line?

Much + uncountable:

How much milk do you need? - How much milk do you need?

The a lot of/lots of qualifier can be used with both types:

I"ve got a lot of friends. - I have a lot of friends.

He "s got a lot of money. - He has a lot of money.

If there is a small amount of something, then the pair (a) few and (a) little is used.

(A) few + countable:

(A) little + uncountable:

She gave me a little salt. - She gave me some salt.

Sometimes it is more appropriate to use the word some in the meaning of “a little”; it is combined with both countable and uncountable:

Some apples - some apples

Some apple juice - some apple juice

The words any and no are also used with both nouns:

Have you bought any vegetables? - Did you buy vegetables?

Have you bought any oil? - Did you buy oils?

We haven't bought any sweets or any sugar. - We didn't buy sweets or sugar.

There are no vegetables in the refrigerator. - There are no vegetables in the refrigerator.

There is no sugar at all! - There is no sugar at all!

If your level is a little higher, then you will probably find this table useful, from which you can see which determiners are used with which nouns:

3. Plural and singular forms

And finally, the last difference. Countable nouns have singular and plural forms. The plural is presented in an accessible and detailed manner in the material dedicated to. Accordingly, if the noun is singular, we use the singular verb form (is, was), and if it is plural, then the plural verb form (are, were).

And here uncountable nouns can be divided into two groups: those that “always is” and those that “always are”. Of course, you won’t find such terminology in textbooks, but this “classification” will help you remember.

Most uncountable nouns combine with the singular verb form (is, was, has):

And now, attention: those words that are constantly the cause of our mistakes. Remember that with these nouns in English it is used singular verb form. Let's call them "always is":

news- news

money- money

advice- advice

furniture- furniture

knowledge- knowledge

traffic- traffic

luggage- baggage

But what if you need to say: “a lot of advice” or “one piece of news”? By no means “many advices” and not “one new”! In this situation, use the word piece:

A piece of news - one piece of news

A piece of advice - one piece of advice

Many pieces of advice - a lot of advice

If option with piece you are not satisfied, then select countable synonyms. For example, advice can be replaced by countable recommendation or tip , word news words news story or article.

And I’m generally silent about money! Thoughts in Russian, word money always combined with a plural verb: money are. Don't let this happen! Learn two sentences:

This will help you avoid a common mistake.

In English, among the uncountables there are those that agree with the verbal forms of the plural (are, were). Here are some of them:

clothes- cloth

contents- content

customs- customs

funds- facilities

goods- product

groceries- foodstuffs

manners- manners, behavior

odds- chances

outskirts- outskirts

police- police

premises- real estate

regards- wishes

remains- remains

savings- savings

surroundings- surroundings

staff- staff

congratulations- congratulations

stairs- ladder

thanks- Gratitude

troops- troops

wages- wage

Remember that these words belong to the category of “always are”, even if you really want to say “ is".

As you can see, countable and uncountable nouns are not such a simple topic, there are enough rules to learn them and exceptions to remember them.

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All nouns belong to one of two groups: countable or uncountable. Division intocountable and uncountable in Englishdiffers from Russian, so this topic is challenging for language learners.

Depending on belonging to one of the two categories, some grammatical indicators change in English: the choice of the number of the noun and the agreement of the verb with it, the use of articles, the use of the words much / many and few / little.

In the article we will consider which words belong to each group and analyze what the choice inEnglish countable and uncountablenouns

What can and cannot be counted

Countable nouns are objects that can be listed and counted. For example, a pencil - a pencil. This word belongs to the class of countable nouns because we can count many pencils: one pencil, two pencils, three pencils, and so on. For such nouns there are singular and plural forms.

Uncountable nouns are those for which we cannot list objects and count the elements of the set. An example of such words is water. When we talk about water, it is simply impossible to calculate how many elements are in it.

It is the principle of countability that underlies the distinction between countable and uncountable words. In theory, everything seems simple, but in practice, controversial situations arise. To avoid them, let's look at each type of noun in more detail.

Countable nouns in English

The R class of countable nouns includes, as we have already said, objects that can be counted. These are everyday objects familiar to us (table), people (boy) and many other words.

Countable nouns vary according to number. In the plural, -s is added to them: pencil (pencil) - pencils (pencils). The verb to be with such nouns takes both singular and plural forms:

There are many cars on the road - There are many cars on the road.

His car is very expensive - His car is very expensive.

For countable objects there can be either an indefinite or a definite article:

I have a car - I have a car.

The car needs to be repaired - The car needs repairs.

Uncountable nouns

IN The following categories fall into:

1. Sensations, feelings, emotions: hate, fear, happiness and others. A mental state cannot be enumerated; we either experience an emotion or not, so such words belong to the class of uncountable.
2. Abstract nouns: information (information), space (space), time (time) and others. We cannot see or touch abstract nouns and we cannot count them. These concepts are immaterial and do not exist in the objective world, therefore they are defined as uncountable. There's no doubt about itcountable information or not, you shouldn't have it left.
3. Weather phenomena: weather (weather), cold (cold), wind (wind)... Such words also belong to the class of uncountable.
4. Substances and materials: wood (wood), salt (salt), flour (flour), water (water)... The peculiarity of substances is that they do not consist of elements that can be counted. Any part of flour is still flour, any part of water is still water.

Now let's see if it is usedis or are with uncountables. These nouns can only be in the singular, so the verb agrees with them in the singular:

Fear is a destructive feeling - Fear is a destructive feeling.

Salt is necessary for the human body - Salt is necessary for the human body.

The definite article can be used with words of this class, but the indefinite article is not possible. IN indefinite article a/an is based on the idea of ​​separating one object from a set, which contradicts the idea of ​​uncountable nouns. Whereas certain article the can be used with uncountable objects:

The weather is great today - The weather is great today.

Complex cases

But also list of uncountable nouns in Englishmay raise questions. It is not always easy to determine what type an object is. What complicates the situation is that in Russian the distribution into two classes can occur somewhat differently.

For example, in Russian we can use the same noun in both senses: as a countable object and as an uncountable one. Whereas in English we often use different words for the two types. For example, the abstract work is a non-countable type. If we want to talk about a specific job, workplace or position, we use the countable noun job:

I have a lot of work to do - I have a lot of work (that is, things that need to be done - abstract noun, uncountable)

I’ve found a new job - I found new job (i.e. fasting, workplace - specific usage, countable)

The same situation applies to the word food. So as not to doubtcountable food or not, you need to remember its difference with the word meal (food, meal). When it comes to defining edible products, the word food is used, and when talking about food intake, the word meal is used. In this case, the first word refers to the uncountable, and the second to the countable.

I want to live long so I only eat healthy food - I want to live long, so I only eat healthy food.

Try to have more than three meals a day - Try to eat food more often than 3 times a day.

Another example is the word “wood”, which in Russian can mean both the material from which objects are made and specific tree. In English, the word wood is used for a material, and tree for a specific object.

This table is made of wood - This table is made of wood (material - uncountable)

This tree on the side of the road is very old - This tree on the edge of the road is very old (concrete tree - countable)

Uncountable nouns are used in singular sentences. And here there are also discrepancies with the Russian language: some words in Russian are plural, whereas in English they are singular. For example, iscountable or not money(money)? The plural in Russian translation should not confuse you: in English this word belongs to the class of uncountable.

Money doesn’t always bring happiness - Money doesn’t always bring happiness.

An illustrative example is the word news. Formally, it has the form of a plural. But it is an uncountable noun, and it always agrees with a singular verb:

In the modern world news is everything - In the modern world, news means everything.

Difficulties also arise when the same concept in English and Russian refers to different classes. For example, does it belong tocountable or uncountable advice(advice)? A countable or uncountable furniture(furniture)? Let's see which words in English belong to a different class than in Russian.

Uncountable nouns in English are:

• news - news
• advice - advice
• work - work
• knowledge - knowledge

Understanding, for example,countable or not knowledge(knowledge), we should not focus on other languages. After all, we can translate this word into Russian both singular and plural:

Knowledge is the key to success - Knowledge / Knowledge is the key to success.

Students often have questions about the following words:

• furniture - furniture
• damage - damage
• baggage - luggage
• traffic - traffic movement
• food - food

Remember that all of these examples belong to the class of uncountable words.

Transfer from one class to another

Words from one class can be transferred to another. For this purpose, the names of containers or units of measurement are used. We cannot count the substance itself, but we can always count the packages or the number of kilograms.

• bottle - bottle: a bottle of wine - a bottle of wine
• plate - plate, portion: a plate of meat - portion of meat
• bar - piece: a bar of soap - bar of soap
• sheet - sheet: a sheet of paper - sheet of paper
• slice - hunk: a slice of bread - slice of bread
• glass - glass: a glass of water - glass of water
• jar - jar: a jar of jam - jar of jam
• cup - cup: a cup of coffee - cup of coffee
• kilo - kilogram: a kilo of meat - kilogram of meat
• liter - liter: a liter of water - liter of water
• piece - piece: a piece of bread - piece of bread

The expression “a piece of” is used not only for material objects, but can also be applied to abstract concepts. This is how advice becomes countable in the construction a piece of advice.

If we use such constructions, then the verb agrees in number with them, which means it can take a plural form:

Here are two bottles of juice - Here are two bottles of juice.

Usually when askedcountable or uncountable soup(soup), we answer that it is uncountable. However, when used in the construction “a bowl of soup”, it becomes possible to count individual objects.

When one of the above methods of indicating quantity turns out to be very common, the word denoting capacity may be omitted from the sentence. For example, coffee or tea is characterized by the use of the word “cup”. Therefore, it can only be implied in the phrase, but not expressed. Then the words coffee and tea act as countable words.

Two coffees, please - Two coffees, please.

Transition from one class to another is possible without special pointers. Some uncountable nouns can be pluralized. At the same time, their meaning changes.

Let's take the floor time: countable or not? We have already said that time, as an abstract noun, is uncountable. However, it also has another meaning: when used as a countable noun, time takes on the meaning of “time”: one time (one time), two times (two times):

I’ve seen him four times today - I saw him four times today.

The already discussed word work, which in ordinary use refers to uncountable nouns, can change class and become countable. Then this word takes on the meaning of “work”:

I love the works of this painter - I love the works of this artist.

Beginners learning English may be confused by the question:countable or uncountable fruit(fruits). The fact is that when we use this word to mean a type of food, the noun acts as an uncountable. And when it is put in the plural, the word takes on additional meanings: different types fruit or tree fruit.

In order to be healthy, you need to eat fruit - To be healthy, you need to eat fruit (used as an uncountable).

What fruits can we buy here? - What fruits can we buy here? (Use as a countable).

For words related to food, such translations from one class to another are characteristic feature. The noun wine (wine) denotes a type of drink in an uncountable form, but in the meaning different varieties wine becomes countable and has a plural form:

When I drink wine I always feel bad - When I drink wine, I always feel bad (drink type)

We tasted some marvelous wines - We tasted amazing wines (different varieties).

Other words on this topic can be cited as examples. Try to determinepotato: countable or uncountable?

You shouldn’t eat potato - You shouldn’t eat potatoes.

One potato is enough, I’ve had lunch recently - One potato is enough, I recently had lunch.

As in the examples above, when we use potato as a type of food, we are using the word as an uncountable word. And in countable form the word takes on the meaning “potato”.

The noun hair (hair) is usually used in the singular as an uncountable when we talk about the totality of hair on the head:

His hair is dark - He has dark hair.

But if we are talking about a single hair, hair becomes countable. In Russian, we can emphasize a singular object using the expression “one hair” or leave the plural:

There is a hair in my tea! - There is hair in my tea!

There are also different uses for the word paper.Countable or not paper? In the meaning of “paper” this noun acts as an uncountable noun. And as a countable it means newspaper/document/written work.

Do you have enough paper? - Do you have enough paper?

I love to read papers - I love reading newspapers.

Quantity indication

The choice of quantity indicators depends on the countability of the word. These include many / much, few / little. In each pair, the first word is used with countable nouns, the second - with uncountable nouns.

It is the distribution oncountable and uncountable in Englishdetermines the choice of quantitative word. For example, apple is a countable word, so many exponents will be used with it. Whereas with words like water (water) much is used.

Here are examples for each use:

• many - a lot (with countable ones): Many years have passed - Many years have passed.
• much - a lot (with uncountables): There is much love in the world - There is a lot of love in the world.
• few - few (with countable): Too few people agreed to do this - Too few people agreed to do this.
• little - little (with uncountables): I have little time - I have little time.

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