Potato is countable or uncountable in English. Countable and uncountable nouns in English

Can everything be counted? Is it possible to count the stars in the Universe or the water in the seas and oceans? And if there are hotel stars and water in a glass, is it possible to count these objects? Why am I talking about this - we're talking about English. The fact is that in the English language, the possibility or impossibility of counting some objects, as it turns out, affects the grammar. A noun in English can be either countable or uncountable.

How to determine countability? Count!

To determine whether a noun is countable or not, you need to do simple thing- try to count. In most cases, this will solve the problem immediately: two bottles, three friends, four cucumbers. And if it turns out to be some kind of nonsense, it means the noun is uncountable.

It would seem that the issue can be closed. Not really. The first problem that you may encounter here is to look carefully at what exactly you are counting, and do not fall into a logical trap.

For example: is vodka countable? Ha, you say, but what about: there may be 0.5 vodka, maybe 150 - why not calculate. But no, in this case we count liters and milliliters (or grams - as you are used to), and “one vodka, two vodkas” sounds strange. It turns out that vodka is an uncountable noun (and liter is a countable noun).

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 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 a plural form

• 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)

• 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.

Countable nouns	Uncountable nouns
Something we can count For example: apple, cup, pen, telephone	Something we can't count For example: sugar, water, information, money
May be plural For example: apple - apples, pen - pens	Cannot be plural For example: money - moneys, sugar - sugars
Can be used with the article a Also used: article the words this/that in the words my/your/our	Cannot be used with the article a Most often used with: in the word some article the
Used with words many, few/a few For example: many cups, a few apples	Used with words much, little/ a little For example: much money, a little water

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

Reinforcement task

Task 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.

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. The indefinite article a / an contains the idea of ​​​​selecting 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 a 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 we're talking about when defining edible products, the word food is used, and when referring to 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 “tree”, which in Russian can mean both the material from which objects are made and a 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 - a 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 pluralized, the word takes on additional meanings: different types of fruit or the fruit of a tree.

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 of different types of wine it 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 word it denotes a 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.

We are sure that more than once while studying English in courses you have had to deal with the concept of countability and uncountability of nouns. This is not surprising, since in English the categories countable and uncountable influence the choice of the grammatical environment of a word. In Russian we can count almost anything and easily say both “two apples” and “two weathers”. The second phrase sounds less harmonious than the first, but, nevertheless, is not a grammatically incorrect construction. In English, counting uncountable concepts means making a gross grammatical error (you cannot say two happinesses). Due to the discrepancy between our native and English grammatical systems, a Russian person can make annoying mistakes related to the countability of nouns. Let's figure out what difficulties are most common in this case.

Which English nouns are classified as uncountable?

The first thing to do when determining the category of a noun is to count. Most often this will quickly resolve the issue. If you can easily count objects, phenomena, put them in the plural so that there is no doubt in your mind, they are countable (two carrots, eleven computers, three bags). Otherwise, the noun is classified as uncountable.

However, it is important not to fall into a logical trap. Is money countable? We count them, there is no arguing here. But, please note, when calculating money, we always use the name of the currency: one hundred rubles, fifty dollars, ten yens. Accordingly, money is an uncountable noun, and ruble, dollar, yen are countable. The same situation occurs when counting water, sugar, milk. We can count all these uncountable concepts by resorting to countable nouns denoting measures: kilograms, liters, cups, pieces, etc.

Uncountable are liquids: tea, blood, milk, oil, water and others. To determine their quantity, you will have to resort to words such as liters, bottles, cups, mouthfuls.

Uncountable are products that do not have a standard, familiar form. Such “shapeless” products as butter, meat, rice, ice.

Not countable gaseous substances: air (air), oxygen (oxygen), smoke (smoke).

Also uncountable are abstract concepts: music (music), knowledge (knowledge), health (health), progress (progress).

Grammar accompanying countables and uncountables

Let us repeat, correctly determining the countability of a noun is necessary in order to avoid making grammatical errors. What grammatical structures are used with countable and uncountable nouns.
The first thing to remember is indefinite article " a» not used with uncountables nouns. This is logical, since the etymology of the indefinite article goes back to the noun one. Thus, uncountable nouns are accompanied by a definite article when necessary and are not used in the plural. Don't forget that the verb accompanying an uncountable noun is also used only singular– is, does, was, has etc.

The second slippery moment is choice. many/much, a few/a little. Countable nouns are accompanied by the adjectives many and few, uncountable nouns are accompanied by much and little. More about this

Nouns that can be countable and uncountable at the same time

In the English language there are many nouns that, depending on the context and their meaning, are either countable or uncountable. Here are some of the most common variations of these words:

	uncountable	countable
Tea, coffee, other drinks	Some tea - Some tea. Drinks are always uncountable when it comes to the substance itself.	A tea, two teas - one cup of tea, two cups of tea. By attributing countable characteristics to substances, we limit their quantity to one unit. If we are talking about tea - one cup. The exception is water, we still say: Can I have some water?
	Her hair is red - she is red-haired. The word hair in English is uncountable when we talk about all hair, belonging to a person. Don't say my hair - it's grammatically incorrect.
	The time - time.	A time - time.
	The paper – paper (material).	A paper – document, newspaper.
	The room – place, space. Come here, we will make some room for you – Sit down, we’ll move over.	A room - room.
	The work – work (process).	A work – a work (the work of an artist, writer, poet, musician).
Chocolate	The chocolate – chocolate (substance, formless product).	A chocolate – chocolate candy, chocolate.
Wine (similar to cheese, meat, pate, etc.)	The wine - wine (substance, product).	A wine – a type of wine.

Nouns that are surprisingly uncountable in English.

Special attention must be addressed to two nouns that are countable in Russian, but not in English. These insidious words cause a huge number of mistakes among those who study English in courses or individually.

Remember the word advice – uncountable noun. I'll give you some advice- I'll give you advice. If you still want to count the advice you give, you will have to do it in “pieces”. A piece of advice- one piece of advice.

A similar situation occurs with the word news. Don't be confused by the ending -s; it's not a plural indicator in this case. What IS the news? – What news? When counting news, also use pieces of news or bits of news.

This is how a seemingly simple topic can conceal many subtle nuances. By understanding them, you can avoid many mistakes.

We hope you found this material useful. You may also be interested in the following articles:

So. In other words, more than one grammatical topic concerns this category, because many points depend precisely on what kind of noun we are working with - with a countable ( countable noun) or uncountable ( uncountable noun). How are they different from each other? This can be understood just by looking at their name.

Countable nouns

Countable nouns (“countable”) are words that denote the names of concrete objects and abstract concepts that can be counted. And since they can be counted, they are used both in the singular and in the plural. Here are examples of countable nouns: table, picture, hour, holiday, offer, boy, decision, way-out etc.

When using such words in the singular, you can put in front of them a / an: a table, a picture, an hour, an offer, a boy, a decision, a way-out. Moreover, a countable singular noun must always be accompanied by some kind of determiner. If there is no indefinite article, you need or ( the), or ( my, his, our etc.), ( that, this Let me remind you that a determiner is a linguistic indicator with a noun, expressing the meaning of definiteness. For example:

• I saw a boy .
• This picture is a masterpiece.
• I approve of the decision you've made.
• I brokemy leg.

With plural countable nouns we can use some (any, many, few):

Some friends of mine will come to this party. - Several of my friends will come to the party. (Some of my friends will come to the party).

Uncountable nouns

In contrast to the previous ones, uncountable nouns (“non-countable”) are the names of substances, abstract concepts that cannot be counted. And, therefore, they are used only in the singular. Examples: knowledge, silver, music, milk, water, happiness, furniture, advice etc. These nouns cannot be used with indefinite articles a / an, but they can be combined with the other determiners mentioned above (definite article, possessive, demonstrative pronoun).

They are also used with some indefinite pronouns: some, any, much, little. For example:

• These earrings are made of silver .
• I have some news for you.
• I don't like the music you are listening to now.
• Her beauty attracts me.

However, there are cases in which it is permissible to use an uncountable noun with indefinite article a / an, as well as with numerals ( one / two, etc.). This can be done when ordering food in a restaurant or cafe:

We'll have four coffees, please. - We need four coffees.

Uncountable nouns include various edible products ( meat, flour, milk, salt, etc.), liquid ( petrol, coffee, etc.), substances and materials ( gold, wood, glass, etc.), abstract concepts ( help, education, etc.) and many other words ( advice, weather, hair, etc.). What if we need to use such a word in speech? How to transfer any quantity? Certain words serve this purpose: a piece of advice(advice), a bowl of fruit(bowl of fruit) a carton of milk(carton of milk), a bar of chocolate(bar of chocolate), a glass of wine(glass of wine) a can of Coke(can of Coca-Cola), a tube of paint(tube of paint), a kilo of meat(kilogram of meat), a cup of tea(cup of tea), a loaf of bread(loaf of bread) a rasher of bacon(rasher).

If we are talking about material nouns, then we remember that there are nouns that denote not the substance itself, but the object consisting of this substance. Such a noun will already be countable. For example:

Their house is built of local stone.– Their house is built from local stone. (uncountable noun)

I have a stone in my shoe. - I have a pebble in my shoe. (countable noun)

In yet another case, material nouns can become countable: when they convey different varieties or types of a substance.

There is a live coal in the fire-place. - There is a burning coal in the fireplace.

You can read about four tips in choosing and using various body oils. – You can read four tips on how to choose and use different body oils.

What is the difficulty in understanding the principle of “countability-non-countability”? But the fact is that some nouns in English are uncountable, but in Russian or other languages, on the contrary, they are countable. Among them are the following words: baggage, bread, information, furniture, traffic, work, progress, accommodation, cash, clothing, cutlery, equipment, health, luck, money, photography, research, safety, sunshine, underwear, violence, etc.

That is great news! – What great news!

May I give you two pieces of advice? - May I give you two pieces of advice?

And there are nouns that can be used both as countable and uncountable. But in this case we will observe a difference in meaning. For example:

I'm three apples. - I ate three apples. (countable)

Is there apple in this salad? – Is there an apple in this salad? (uncountable)

Would you like a glass of lemonade? - How about a glass of lemonade? (countable)

This sculpture was made of glass. – This sculpture is made of glass. (uncountable)

I'm pressed for time. – I don’t have any time.

How many times did you read this article? – How many times have you read this article?

Countable and uncountable nouns– this is not the most difficult topic in the English language. And if you perceive every noun in English precisely from the point of view of this language, and not your native one, you will master this topic without any problems.

Now test your knowledge by taking the following test:

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Test

Countable and uncountable names nouns in English

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