Countable and uncountable nouns in English. What is important to know about countable and uncountable nouns in English

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)

• 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 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.

Is People a countable noun or not? Russian speakers who communicate in their native language almost never have to think about whether they are using a countable or uncountable noun. Those who are just starting to learn English are even surprised by the very fact of the existence of such a classification. This topic is considered easy and is almost entirely accessible to beginners. But only almost, because lexical incidents such as, for example, the word people can make even a diligent and advanced student make mistakes. Moreover, it is difficult to understand whether this word is countable or uncountable. People is also a polysemantic concept, and the formation of the plural and the use of verbs of the corresponding person and number depend on the meaning.

What is people: the meaning of the word

This word has two meanings.

• People is the plural form of the noun person, which in translation means “person” or “person”. Accordingly, people - “people”. For example: a lot of people - “a lot of people”, kind people - “ good people", interesting person/people - "interesting person/people".
• People is a singular noun meaning "people". For example: Russian people - “Russian people”, American people - “American people”, people in this part of country - “people in this part of the country”, my people - “my people”.

Typically, foreigners learning English have no problem understanding which of the two meanings is meant. They are somewhat similar, and most often the meaning is clear from the context. Therefore, to understand English speech it is enough just to know both meanings. But in order to correctly compose sentences, you will have to pay attention to grammar in both cases. Namely, to determine whether people are countable or uncountable.

People in the meaning of "people": countability

To independently come to the right conclusion, you should ask yourself the following question: is the noun person countable or uncountable? People is its plural form, so it follows exactly the same rules, and countability in this case is no exception. Person is a person. People can be counted. Therefore, in this meaning the word people will also be countable. This is a logical conclusion that does not require memorization. It’s not difficult to come to him if you happen to forget. In addition, those who regularly practice composing sentences and texts in English develop the habit of knowingly considering people as a countable noun.

People meaning "people": grammar

Here are some examples of how the fact that people is a plural countable noun affects the grammatical structure of sentences:

These are not all possible options, but on their basis you can understand the principle of using the noun people in a sentence.

People in the meaning of "people": countability

The correct answer to the question “Is the noun people in English countable or not?” you can find it yourself if, as obvious as it may seem, you try to “count” it. There may be one people, there may be two, three or more. Therefore, in this case the word people is also countable.

However, there are some differences here. It is not for nothing that this value appears under a separate heading in this article. Unlike people - “people”, which was originally in the plural, the word people - “people” can be intentionally placed in this plural. For example:

• There live some very conservative peoples here - “several very conservative people live here.”
• This scientist speaks the languages ​​of ancient peoples - “this scientist speaks the languages ​​of ancient peoples.”

The grammar in this case will also “work” differently.

People in the meaning of "people": grammar

Here it is also much easier to understand everything with examples, but, among other things, noticing the differences from people in the meaning of “people”.

Example	Translation	Explanation
Many peoples were happy to accept this purposal.	Many nations will be happy to accept this offer.	Many, not much.
Few people remember this old legend.	Few nations remember this old legend.	Few, not little.
This people is kind and has a great interesting history.	These people are kind and have a rich, interesting history.	Is and has, not are and have.
National values ​​of these two peoples are always very similar.	The national values ​​of these two peoples have always been similar.	Two peoples, and not two people, as it would be if we were talking about two people.

Summing up

So, after all the proposed examples and explanations for them, readers have probably answered their question about whether people is a countable or uncountable noun. It is not difficult to come to the right conclusion on your own, but if it is easier for someone to learn something than to parse it in a logical chain, the above can be summarized as follows:

• People is a countable noun in absolutely all cases.
• People in the meaning of "people" is the plural form of the noun person. In combination with it, verbs in the third person plural form are used, as well as the words much and few.
• People in the meaning of "people" can be either singular or plural. This word and the verbs used with it are modified in accordance with general rules.

At first glance it may seem that this topic is quite easy. However, it is important to remember that even professionals sometimes make mistakes in using much/many and few/little and not to neglect exceptions such as people.

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, more problems call uncountable nouns. 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 are a mass or substance, but sometimes the word can become countable when referring to an object made from of this 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. Various sources highlight different quantities differences, they are described in different ways, but we will not 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:

Countable	Uncountable
a good number of a large number of	a small amount/ quantity of

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).

But 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 are combined 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- luggage

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- means

goods- product

groceries- food products

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- salary

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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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 examples of countable nouns: table, picture, hour, holiday, offer, boy, decision, way-out, etc.

Using words like this singular, you can put the indefinite article a / an in front of them: 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, either the definite article (the) is needed, or possessive pronoun(my, his, our, etc.), demonstrative pronoun (that, this). Let me remind you that a determiner is a linguistic indicator with a noun that expresses the meaning of certainty. For example:
I saw a boy.
This picture is a masterpiece.
I approve of the decision you've made.
I broke my leg.

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

In contrast to the previous ones, uncountable nouns(“non-countable”) are 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 the indefinite articles a / an, but with the other determiners mentioned above (definite article, possessive, demonstrative pronoun) you can combine them.

They are also used with some indefinite pronouns: some, any, much, little. For example:
These ear-rings 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 the 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.),
- liquids (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 transfer any quantity? Certain words serve this purpose: a piece of advice, a bowl of fruit, a carton of milk, a bar of chocolate, a glass of wine ), a can of Coke, a tube of paint, a kilo of meat, a cup of tea, a loaf of bread, a rasher of bacon (thin slice of bacon).

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 various oils for the body.

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.

Ports are open to internal passenger traffic. – The ports are open for international passenger traffic.
A change of underwear must be done at least once a day. – You need to change your underwear at least once a day.
The hotel checked our baggage. – The hotel accepted our luggage for storage.

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?

We can all count. But is everything countable? For example, how to calculate the weather? Or water or money? “Well, we know how to count money!” - many will object. Okay, let's count: one money, two money, three... Is something wrong? But we can count rubles, dollars or euros very well. Why this conversation? Yes, besides, we will talk about countable and uncountable nouns in the English language.

Why is this important

The fact is that in English there are grammatical differences when using countable and uncountable. This concerns agreement between the subject and the predicate, formation, use, and use of indefinite pronouns.

How to determine countability

Everything is simple here: you need to count. If it turns out, it means the noun is countable. If not, uncountable. We've already counted the money, let's count something else. For example, milk. Try saying: I have five milk. The question immediately arises: why five? Liters? Glasses? Cans? This means milk is an uncountable noun, and a liter, glass or can is a countable noun. We can count hours, days, seconds, but we cannot count time. This means that time is an uncountable noun, and days and hours are countable. Using this principle, you can easily determine which noun is countable and which is not.

Countable nouns

Countables include specific items, objects, people, animals, which we perceive as separate units:

doll - doll
girl - girl
tree - tree
cat - cat
pencil - pencil

Some abstract concepts that can be counted can also be countable:

word - word
desire - desire
idea - idea
decision - decision
order - order

You can always put a numeral in front of them:

four cats – four cats
two decisions - two decisions

Uncountable nouns

Uncountable substances include any substance: liquid, solid, gaseous, or in powder form. This also includes abstract concepts, feelings, emotions, natural phenomena, various sciences and educational subjects, sports, etc. That is, everything that cannot be divided into separate units and, therefore, counted:

peace - peace
gold - gold
time - time
kindness - kindness
love - love

Features of some nouns

Let's take, for example, such nouns as coffee (coffee), tea (tea), beer (beer). These are liquids, they cannot be counted and we classify them as uncountable nouns:

I don't like coffee I prefer tea.
I don't like coffee, I prefer tea.

But here's another example:

Give us two coffees and a tea, please.
Give us two coffee And tea, Please.

As you can see, seemingly uncountable liquids have become countable. Since in this case we are not interested in abstract coffee and tea, but in a specific volume (cup, portion). We mean it, although we don't name it.

More examples

Here are some more examples where the same noun can have two categories. This may change semantic meaning words. Compare:

The statue is made of stone.
The statue is made from stone.

There are two beautiful stones in the girl's pocket.
The girl has (has) two beautiful pebble.

In the first case, stone is the substance from which the statue is made, so the noun is uncountable. In the second case, a stone is an object that can be counted.

The bridge was not sturdy because it was made out of wood.
The bridge was not strong because it was made of tree.

This wood is huge.
This forest(the forest area) is huge.

Forest is like wood, the material is an uncountable noun. And the forest as a specific area, a forested area, can already be counted.

The sun gives us light and heat.
The sun gives us light and warmth.

The light in the room was dim.
Light(lamp, light bulb) in the room was dim.

In the first case, the word “light” is used as an abstract concept, in the second, a specific light source is meant, of which there may be several (two light bulbs).

Michael has extensive experience in medicine.
Mikhail has a big one experience in medicine.

When we went to Moscow, we had some interesting experiences.
When we went to Moscow, we had several interesting adventure(experiences).

In the first sentence, experience is an abstract uncountable concept, in the second it is concrete interesting points from life that can be counted.

Thus, depending on the meaning, the same noun can be countable or uncountable. How to determine? The old proven way: count.

Language Differences

advice - advice
work - work
news - news
baggage - luggage
knowledge - knowledge
information – information, message
progress – progress, success
hair - hair

However, there are pitfalls here too. For example, the word hair is uncountable; in English, hair cannot be counted. But there is a noun a hair, which is translated as “hair” and is countable:

There are two hairs on your dress.
There (are) two hair on your dress.

Let's move on to grammar

Determine countability English nouns we've learned it, now let's see where it can come in handy. The fact is that there are very important grammatical differences in the use of countable and uncountable nouns.

1. English nouns vary in number and can be singular or plural. But this only applies to countable nouns. All uncountable nouns are used only in the singular. Don't try to pluralize them, it will be a mistake. In a sentence, uncountable nouns agree with the singular verb and can be replaced by the pronoun it:

This advice is very useful.
This advice very helpful.

Water freezes at a temperature of zero degrees.
Water freezes at zero degrees.

I would like to remind you that the word news also belongs to the uncountable, therefore, despite the ending – s, it is a singular noun:

No news is good news.
Absence news- good news.

1. I think you know that nouns are used with articles, which can be and.

Both articles are used with countable nouns:

There is a big tree in the yard.
There is a big one in the yard tree.

The tree is very old.
Tree very old.

And the indefinite article cannot be used with uncountable nouns. This is explained simply: the indefinite article a/an comes from English word one, which means “one”. Since uncountable nouns cannot be counted, the article a/an cannot be used either. These nouns are either preceded by a definite article, or no article is placed at all:

Water is very important for life on the Earth.
Water very important for life on the ground.

The water in the stream is cold and clean.
Water the stream is cold and clean.

1. Both countable and uncountable nouns can be used with the indefinite pronouns some and any. However, countable nouns in this case must be in the plural:

I have some friends in Brazil.
I have several friends in Brazil.

He took some money and went to the store.
He took money (some money) and went to the store.

1. The use of nouns with the pronouns much, many, little, few also has its own rules.

• The pronouns many (many), how many (how much, how much), (a) few (little, little) can only be used with countable nouns:

He doesn't usually ask many questions.
He usually doesn't ask a lot of questions.

There are a few flowers in the garden.
There is in the garden some flowers.

• The pronouns much, how much, (a) little are used only with uncountable nouns:

How much time do you usually spend on this kind of work?
How much time do you usually spend on this kind of work?

There is a little milk in the cup.
There is in the cup some milk.

• The expression a lot of (a lot) is used with any nouns:

There are a lot of cars in the yard.
In the yard a lot of cars.

There is a lot of water in the glass.
In a glass a lot of water.

Knowing the grammatical features of countable and uncountable nouns will help you avoid many mistakes. But theory without practice is quickly forgotten. Channel “English – speak freely!” will give you the opportunity to practice your English at any time of the day. See you on air!