Countable vs uncountable nouns: a or not a
Vocalyra teaching team · Last updated:
English sorts nouns into two types. Countable nouns can be counted and take a plural; uncountable nouns cannot, and they never take a, an or a plural s. Many everyday words surprise learners.
Countable nouns
Countable nouns have a singular and a plural: one chair, two chairs. In the singular they need a, an, the or another determiner: you cannot say I bought chair. With them you use many, few and a few: many books, a few ideas.
Uncountable nouns
Uncountable nouns name masses, liquids, abstract ideas and collections: water, rice, money, music, information, advice, furniture, homework, luggage, news. They take a singular verb (the news is good) and pair with much, little and a little. To count them you add a counter: a piece of advice, two bottles of water, three items of luggage.
| Countable | Uncountable |
|---|---|
| a chair, many chairs | furniture (never a furniture) |
| a job, two jobs | work (never a work) |
| a fact, several facts | information (never informations) |
| a suggestion | advice (never advices) |
| a suitcase | luggage (never luggages) |
| an exercise | homework (never homeworks) |
Words that change meaning
Some nouns work both ways with different meanings. A chicken is an animal; chicken is the meat. A coffee means a cup of coffee in cafés; coffee alone is the substance. Time as a general idea is uncountable (time flies); times counts occasions (three times). Experience uncountable is skill from life; an experience is one event.
A helpful test is the number test: if you can naturally put a number directly before the noun, it is countable (three chairs); if you need a measuring word, it is uncountable (three pieces of furniture). Shops and recipes are full of counters worth learning: a loaf of bread, a slice of cheese, a bar of soap, a sheet of paper, a glass of water. Some nouns drift over time: coffees and teas are now normal in cafés, and native speakers say two sugars when they mean two spoonfuls. When a word feels wrong with a number, reach for a piece of or a bit of and you will be understood.
Quick self-check
Choose: She gave me (an advice / some advice).
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some advice
Choose: We do not have (many / much) time.
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much
Choose: The news (is / are) surprising.
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is
Choose: I need (a / -) information about the course.
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no article