This word is used with uncountable nouns

Unlike countable nouns, uncountable nouns are substances, concepts etc that we cannot divide into separate elements. We cannot «count» them. For example, we cannot count «milk». We can count «bottles of milk» or «litres of milk», but we cannot count «milk» itself. Here are some more uncountable nouns:

  • music, art, love, happiness
  • advice, information, news
  • furniture, luggage
  • rice, sugar, butter, water
  • electricity, gas, power
  • money, currency

We usually treat uncountable nouns as singular. We use a singular verb. For example:

  • This news is very important.
  • Your luggage looks heavy.

We do not usually use the indefinite article a/an with uncountable nouns. We cannot say «an information» or «a music». But we can say a «something» of:

  • a piece of news
  • a bottle of water
  • a grain of rice

We can use some and any with uncountable nouns:

  • I’ve got some money.
  • Have you got any rice?

We can use a little and much with uncountable nouns:

  • I’ve got a little money.
  • I haven’t got much rice.

Uncountable nouns are also called «mass nouns».

Here are some more examples of countable and uncountable nouns:

Countable Uncountable
dollar money
song music
suitcase luggage
table furniture
battery electricity
bottle wine
report information
tip advice
journey travel
job work
view scenery

When you learn a new word, it’s a good idea to learn whether it’s countable or uncountable.

Partitive Structure with Uncountable Nouns

To count or quantify an uncountable noun we use a unit of measurement — a measure word. For example, we cannot usually say “two breads” because “bread” is uncountable. So, if we want to specify a quantity of bread we use a measure word such as “loaf” or “slice” in a structure like “two loaves of bread” or “two slices of bread”. We call this structure a partitive structure.

partitive structure: quantity measure word of uncountable noun
examples: two cups of coffee
several games of tennis
a drop of water

We can use the same uncountable noun in different partitive expressions with different meanings. For example, a loaf of bread and a slice of bread are partitive expressions with different meanings. A loaf of bread is what we call a whole unit of bread that we buy from a baker. A slice of bread is what we call a smaller unit of bread after it has been cut from a loaf. 

Here are some more examples:

  • Don’t forget to buy a bag of rice when you go shopping.
  • Can I have one cup of coffee and two cups of tea.
  • The police found some items of clothing scattered around the floor.
  • I need a truck that will take at least three pieces of furniture.
  • You’d think a tablespoon of honey would be more than enough.

The word «partitive» indicates that only «part» of a whole is being referred to. The partitive structure using a measure word is common with uncountable nouns, but it can also be used with countable nouns, for example: a series of accidents, two boxes of matches, a can of worms.

  • List of common measure words
  • List of partitive expressions with example sentences

Nouns that can be Countable and Uncountable

Sometimes, the same noun can be countable and uncountable, often with a change of meaning.

Countable Uncountable
The US dollar and pound sterling are important currencies. currency The expression gained wider currency after 2001.
There are two hairs in my coffee! hair I don’t have much hair.
There are two lights in our bedroom. light Close the curtain. There’s too much light!
Shhhhh! I thought I heard a noise.
There are so many different noises in the city.		 noise It’s difficult to work when there is so much noise.
Have you got a paper to read? (newspaper)
Hand me those student papers.		 paper I want to draw a picture. Have you got some paper?
Our house has seven rooms. room Is there room for me to sit here?
We had a great time at the party.
How many times have I told you no?		 time Have you got time for a cup of coffee?
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s greatest works. work I have no money. I need work!

Drinks (coffee, water, orange juice) are usually uncountable. But if we are thinking of a cup or a glass, we can say (in a restaurant, for example):
Two teas and one coffee please.

See also this list of nouns that are count and noncount, with example sentences, notes and quizzes

Источник

count-uncountВ английском языке имена существительные делятся на исчисляемые (Countable) и неисчисляемые  (Uncountable), и если с исчисляемыми существительными вопросов не возникает, то употребление неисчисляемых подразумевает наличие множества интересных нюансов, которые мы собираемся рассмотреть. 

Неисчисляемые существительные

Неисчисляемыми существительными являются названиями материалов  (materials), жидкости (liquids), абстрактных качеств (abstract qualities), совокупности чего-то (collections) и других предметов, которые мы не можем расценивать в качестве отдельных предметов.  Большинство неисчисляемых существительных всегда в единственном числе и не имеют множественного, например: зерно (wheat), песок (sand), погода (weather), вода (water), шерсть (wool), молоко (milk). Мы не можем сочетать числа, а также неопределенный  артикль с неисчисляемыми существительными: aid (помощь), behavior (поведение), clothing (одежда), employment (работа), equipment (оборудование), furniture (мебель), help (помощь), information (информация), pollution (загрязнение), software (программное обеспечение), transport (транспорт):

  • Such behavior is below standards. – такое поведение недопустимо.
  • Your clothing is out of fashion. – ваша одежда не модная.
  • This furniture is of famous trademark. – эта мебель известной торговой марки.

Существительные, оканчивающиеся на «–ing», и описывающие какую-то деятельность или активность, также являются неисчисляемыми: advertising (реклама), farming (фермерство), shopping (покупки), swimming (плавание), training (обучение) и т.д.

  • Swimming is good for health – плавание хорошо для здоровья.
  • You can do the best shopping in the central mall. – в этом торговом центре вас ждет лучший шопинг.

Некоторые существительные могут использоваться как исчисляемые, так и неисчисляемые, в зависимости от контекста:

  • You have no work experience in this field of activity – у вас нет опыта работы в этой сфере деятельности.
  • Staying overtime isn’t a pleasant experience. – Сверхурочная работа — не самая приятная практика.
  • How much time do you need to download this file? – сколько времени тебе нужно, чтобы загрузить этот файл?
  • How many times have you travelled abroad? – сколько раз вы путешествовали за границу?
  • At week-end we often go to the country. – На выходные мы часто едем за город.
  • He travels a lot and has visited many countries. – Он много путешествует и посетил множество стран.

Исчисляемое или неисчисляемое?

Иногда нелегко понять, какое перед нами существительное, например, «travel» считается неисчисляемым, тогда как journey – исчисляемое. Невозможно всегда знать наверняка, однако следующие правила, несомненно, помогут разобраться.

Названия болезней обычно считаются неисчисляемыми в английском, например, chickenpox (ветряная оспа), measles (корь), cancer (рак), diabetes (диабет), flu (грипп) и т.д. Однако слова, перед такими словами, как «a headache» и «a cold» сопровождаются артиклем.

Некоторые неисчисляемые существительные относятся к множественному числу. У них нет единственного числа, и они не используются с числительными: trousers (брюки), jeans (джинсы), pyjamas (пижама), pants (брюки), scissors (ножницы), spectacles (очки), glasses (очки), arms (оружие), goods (товар), customs (таможня), groceries (бакалея), clothes (одежда), thanks (спасибо).

  • Have you bought the groceries? – вы купили продукты?
  • Many thanks for your coming. –благодарю за то, что вы пришли.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLhuS6V7gbY[/youtube]

Список неисчисляемых существительных в английском языке

Вот список самых распространенных  слов, относящихся к неисчисляемым, а рядом указаны соответствующие исчисляемые выражения.

  • Accommodation (жилье) —> ( a place to live)
  • Advice (совет) —> (a piece of advice)
  • baggage (багаж)—> (a piece of baggage; a bag, a case)
  • bread (хлеб)—> (a piece of bread; a loaf; a roll)
  • chess (шахматы)—> (a game of chess)
  • chewing gum (жевательная резинка)—> (a piece of chewing gum)
  • equipment (оборудование) —> (a piece of equipment; a tool)
  • furniture (мебель)—> (a piece/article of furniture)
  • information (информация)—> (a piece of information)
  • knowledge (знание)—> (a fact)
  • lightning (освещение)—> (a flash of lightning)
  • luck (удача)—> (a bit/stroke of luck)
  • luggage (багаж) —> (a piece of luggage; a bag)
  • money (деньги) —> (a note; a coin; a sum)
  • news (новости)—> (a piece of news)
  • poetry (поэзия)—> (a poem)
  • thunder (гром)—> (a clap of thunder)
  • travel (путешествие)—> (a journey/trip)
  • work (работа)—> (a job; a piece of work)
  • milk (молоко)—> a glass of milk
  • coffee (кофе) —> a cup of coffee
  • chocolate (шоколад)—> a bar of chocolate
  • rice (рис)—> a kilo of rice
  • honey (мед) —> a spoon of honey
  • cheese (сыр)—> a slice of cheese
  • dust (пыль) —> a cloud of dust
  • sugar (сахар)—> a particle of sugar
  • sand (песок)—> a grain of sand
  • scissors (ножницы) —> a pair of scissors
  • air (воздух) —> a breath of fresh air
  • petrol (бензин) —> a litre of petrol
  • salt (соль) —> a pinch of salt
  • ice (лед) —> a sheet of ice / paper
  • water (вода) —> a drop of water
  • grass (трава) —> a blade of grass
  • paper (бумага) —> a sheet / piece of paper

Для закрепления материала предлагаем пройти небольшой тест.

Countable / uncountable nouns

1. You can buy here children’s ….

a) Clothing

b) Clothings

2. I have 10 years of …

a) Experiences

b) Experience

3. Microsoft sells computer …

a) Softwares

b) Software

4. You must take this medicine three … a day.

a) Times

b) Time

5. We can’t arrange … of drinks and cigarettes as it is prohibited.

a) Advertisings

b) Advertising

6. You can go there using public …

a) Transports

b) Transport

7. It has excellent facilities, with all the latest …

a) Equipments

b) Equipment

8. I am fond of …

a) Poetries

b) Poetry

9. In future … will be successfully cured.

a) Cancers

b) Cancer

10. Some … will make you good.

a) Training

b) Trainings

prosba avtora

Источник

In English grammar, some things are seen as a whole or mass. These are called uncountable nouns, because they cannot be separated or counted.

Some examples of uncountable nouns are:

Ideas and experiences: advice, information, progress, news, luck, fun, work

Materials and substances: water, rice, cement, gold, milk

Weather words: weather, thunder, lightning, rain, snow

Names for groups or collections of things: furniture, equipment, rubbish, luggage

Other common uncountable nouns include: accommodation, baggage, homework, knowledge, money, permission, research, traffic, travel.

These nouns are not used with a/an or numbers and are not used in the plural.

We’re going to get new furniture for the living room.

Not: We’re going to get a new furniture for the living room. or We’re going to get new furnitures for the living room.

We had terrible weather last week.

Not: We had a terrible weather last week.

We need rice next time we go shopping.

Some nouns always have plural form but they are uncountable because we cannot use numbers with them.

I bought two pairs of trousers.

Not: I bought two trousers.

Other nouns of this type are: shorts, pants, pyjamas, glasses (for the eyes), binoculars, scissors.

Warning:

Some nouns which are uncountable in English are countable in other languages (e.g. accommodation, advice, furniture, information):

They can give you some information about accommodation at the tourist office.

Not: They can give you some informations about accommodations at the tourist office.

Can you give me some advice about buying a second-hand car?

Not: Can you give me some advices about buying a second-hand car?

A good learner’s dictionary will tell you whether a noun is countable or uncountable.

To refer to one or more quantities of an uncountable noun, expressions such as a bit of, a piece of, an item of or words for containers and measures must be used:

He bought a very expensive piece of furniture for his new apartment.

Maggie always has some exciting bits of news when she comes to see us.

I think we’ll need five bags of cement for the patio.

There’s a litre of milk in the fridge for you. And I bought you a bar of chocolate.

Uncountable nouns can be used with certain determiners (e.g. my, her, some, any, no,the, this, that) and expressions of quantity (e.g. a lot of, (a) little):

They gave me some information about courses and scholarships and things.

Have you heard the news? Fran’s getting engaged.

She’s been studying hard and has made a lot of progress.

There’s no work to do here, so you can go home if you like.

This milk’s a bit old, I’m afraid.

We can sometimes use countable noun phrases to talk about an individual example of the thing an uncountable noun refers to.

uncountable

countable

accommodation

a house, a flat, a place to live, a place to stay

baggage/luggage

a suitcase, a bag, a rucksack

bread

a loaf (of bread), a (bread) roll

lightning

a flash of lightning

luck

a stroke of luck

money

a note, a coin, a sum of money, a euro, a dollar

poetry

a poem

rain

a shower, a downpour, a storm

travel

a journey, a trip

work

a job, a task

Finding a place to live is difficult if you’re a student and you’ve got no money. (orFinding accommodation …)

Not: Finding an accommodation …

She brought two big suitcases and a rucksack with her.

Not: She brought two big luggages …

I read a poem once about someone riding a horse at night.

Not: I read a poetry …

We went on a trip to the Amazon when we were in Brazil.

Not: We went on a travel …

Источник

The nouns are the names of things, people, or places. The nouns have different classifications. Countable and uncountable nouns are types of nouns. These can be counted or not. Let’s discuss their usage with the help of examples and exercise.

Definition

Countable Nouns

Countable nouns are the things that we can count. For example, one book, three chairs, one room, etc. Countable nouns can be singular or plural such as chair (singular), chairs (plural).

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns are the things that we cannot count. For example, sand, advice and yoga etc. These words are in singular form.

Usage

Some words are used as both countable and uncountable nouns like room, hair, weight etc.

Example

  • There is no room for luggage. (here room means space) Uncountable Noun
  • There are five rooms in this building. Countable Noun

Some words are used with the Countable Nouns only such as few, a few, many

Some words are used with Uncountable Nouns only such as little, a little, much

10 Examples of Countable Nouns

  1. There are twenty books on the bookshelf.
  2. I drank a glass of fresh juice.
  3. There are many animals in this zoo.
  4. The monkeys were eating bananas.
  5. There was no magazine on the table.
  6. I took an apple and some grapes in the morning.
  7. There are 9057 public libraries in the United States.
  8. I have a few questions for you to ask.
  9. Jonathan attended a webinar last night.
  10. Only ten students passed the intelligence test.

20 Examples of Uncountable Nouns

  1. I could not see anything in the darkness.
  2. Success is a combination of hard work and determination.
  3. Do you like sandwiches with cheese topping?
  4. There is no return policy in this market.
  5. Tom is interested in research work.
  6. She spent many hours sitting on the beach sand.
  7. The soil of this land is fertile.
  8. Sound sleep is essential for good health.
  9. There is no transportation between these two cities?
  10. Do you need lots of energy to complete the assignment?
  11. I do not have time to go there.
  12. Positive behavior can turn an enemy into a friend.
  13. There was plenty of cheese on the pizza.
  14. The kids were having a lot of fun at the zoo.
  15. Jacob has been learning Spanish for two weeks.
  16. Cotton is widely used to make textile products.
  17. This building is a great symbol of architecture.
  18. Is there any recreation resort in this town?
  19. Tom controlled his anger and responded politely.
  20. She went to the park for fun.

Read also: 50 Sentences with Countable and Uncountable Nouns

List of Uncountable Nouns (a-z)

  1. Access
  2. Accommodation
  3. Advice
  4. Aggression
  5. Air
  6. Anger
  7. Applause
  8. Arithmetic
  9. Atmosphere
  10. Attention
  11. Beef
  12. Beer
  13. Beauty
  14. Biology
  15. Botany
  16. Bread
  17. Butter
  18. Behavior
  19. Calm
  20. Carbon
  21. Cardboard
  22. Coal
  23. Chalk
  24. Cheese
  25. Childhood
  26. Coffee
  27. Confidence
  28. Commerce
  29. Confession
  30. Confusion
  31. Data
  32. Darkness
  33. Delight
  34. Danger
  35. Dancing
  36. Dignity
  37. Dust
  38. Driving
  39. Ethics
  40. Engineering
  41. Enjoyment
  42. Education
  43. Energy
  44. English
  45. Economics
  46. Electricity
  47. Environment
  48. Evil
  49. Failure
  50. Faith
  51. Fiction
  52. Flu
  53. Fish
  54. Finance
  55. Football
  56. French
  57. Friendship
  58. Fruit
  59. Fun
  60. Gasoline
  61. Gas
  62. Grammar
  63. Gold
  64. Genetics
  65. Grief
  66. Grass
  67. Growth
  68. Gypsum
  69. Gymnastics
  70. Hair
  71. Harm
  72. Happiness
  73. Heat
  74. Height
  75. Help
  76. Hebrew
  77. History
  78. Hindi
  79. Honey
  80. Honesty
  81. Humor
  82. Hydrogen
  83. Ice
  84. Ice-cream
  85. Inflation
  86. Information
  87. Intelligence
  88. Irony
  89. Iron
  90. Italian
  91. Japanese
  92. Jam
  93. Jelly
  94. Jealousy
  95. Joy
  96. Justice
  97. Juice
  98. Kindness
  99. Korean
  100. Knowledge
  101. Labor
  102. Lava
  103. Leather
  104. Land
  105. Laughter
  106. Laboratory
  107. Listening
  108. Logic
  109. Love
  110. Luggage
  111. Mail
  112. Mathematics
  113. Machinery
  114. Meat
  115. Music
  116. Marble
  117. Mud
  118. Metal
  119. Nature
  120. News
  121. Nitrogen
  122. Nonsense
  123. Oxygen
  124. Oil
  125. Paper
  126. Pasta
  127. Patience
  128. Peace
  129. Petrol
  130. Perfume
  131. Permission
  132. Poverty
  133. Physics
  134. Psychology
  135. Portuguese
  136. Punctuation
  137. Quality
  138. Quartz
  139. Racism
  140. Rain
  141. Recreation
  142. Research
  143. Revenge
  144. Respect
  145. Rice
  146. Relaxation
  147. Russian
  148. Salad
  149. Salt
  150. Sand
  151. Safety
  152. Seafood
  153. Silence
  154. Silver
  155. Soap
  156. Shopping
  157. Sleep
  158. Soup
  159. Software
  160. Snow
  161. Smoke
  162. Spanish
  163. Sociology
  164. Sunshine
  165. Symmetry
  166. Tea
  167. Tennis
  168. Technology
  169. Tolerance
  170. Toast
  171. Traffic
  172. Time
  173. Temperature
  174. Thunder
  175. Usage
  176. Unemployment
  177. Validity
  178. Vinegar
  179. Vocabulary
  180. Violence
  181. Vision
  182. Water
  183. Welfare
  184. Weight
  185. Working
  186. Waling
  187. Wood
  188. Wind
  189. Wheat
  190. Wine
  191. Wisdom
  192. Wool
  193. Work
  194. Yeast
  195. Yoga
  196. Zinc
  197. Zoology

You can find here list of uncountable nouns with meaning and sentences.

Exercise / Worksheet

Read the bold words in the given sentences and point out whether it is a countable noun or uncountable noun.

  1. There were a lot of coins in the box. ( __________ )
  2. I need your help to complete this project. ( __________ )
  3. My advice fell flat on him. ( __________ )
  4. Julia ordered two cups of coffee. ( __________ )
  5. There are 20 bananas in the basket. ( __________ )
  6. Mr. Johnson specializes in mathematics. ( __________ )
  7. I prefer rugby over soccer. ( __________ )
  8. There are plenty of houses in this zone. ( __________ )
  9. The cold wind and snow stopped my jouney. ( __________ )
  10. Tom is studying history. ( __________ )

Answers

  1. Countable
  2. Uncountable
  3. Uncountable
  4. Countable
  5. Countable
  6. Uncountable
  7. Uncountable
  8. Countable
  9. Uncountable
  10. Uncountable
Uncountable Nouns ListPin
Uncountable Nouns List

Read also

  • Types of Noun with Examples
  • Material Nouns
  • Abstract Nouns
  • Common Nouns
  • Proper Nouns
Источник

a)

Read the examples. Which words do we use with countable/uncountable nouns? Which do we use in affirmative, in negative sentences, and in requests? Make sentences using them.
1.We’ve got some juice. We haven’t got much sugar. We haven’t got many apples.
2. There aren’t any/are no apples.
3. There are a lot of bananas in the fridge.
4. Is there any milk?
5. Can I have some crisps?
6. I’ll have a little/some cream with my cake.
7. Let’s buy a few/some peppers.

b)

You want a snack. Discuss what there is to eat with your partner.

A: Is there any milk?

B: Yes, a little. Are there any …? Etc.

reshalka.com

Английский язык 7 класс Spotlight Английский в фокусе Ваулина. 9a. You are what you eat!. Номер №4

Решение

Перевод задания
а) Прочтите примеры. Какие слова мы используем с исчисляемыми / неисчисляемыми существительными? Что мы используем в утвердительных, отрицательных предложениях и в запросах? Составляйте предложения, используя их.
1.У нас есть сок. У нас мало сахара. У нас мало яблок.
2. Яблок нет / нет.
3. В холодильнике много бананов.
4. Есть ли молоко?
5. Можно мне чипсы?
6. Я возьму немного сливок к моему торту.
7. Давай купим немного перца.

b)
Вы хотите перекусить. Обсудите, что есть, со своим партнером.

A: Есть ли молоко?

B: Да, немного. Есть ли …? И т.д.

ОТВЕТ

a)

some – with countable/uncountable nouns in affirmative sentences, or in requests

any − with countable/uncountable nouns in negative sentences, or in requests

a lot of – with countable/uncountable nouns in affirmative sentences

no − with countable/uncountable nouns in negative sentences

a little – with uncountable nouns in affirmative and negative sentences

a few – with countable nouns in affirmative and negative sentences

much – with uncountable nouns in affirmative and negative sentences or in questions

many – with countable nouns in affirmative and negative sentences or in questions

b)

A: Is there any milk?

B: Yes, a little. Are there any bananas?

A: Yes, there are two bananas. Is there any ice cream?

B: Yes, a little.

A: So, we can make a banana milkshake.

Перевод ответа
а)

some − с исчисляемыми / неисчисляемыми существительными в утвердительных предложениях или в запросах

any − со счетными / неисчисляемыми существительными в отрицательных предложениях или в запросах

a lot of − с исчисляемыми / неисчисляемыми существительными в утвердительных предложениях

no − со счетными / неисчисляемыми существительными в отрицательных предложениях

a little − с неисчисляемыми существительными в утвердительных и отрицательных предложениях

a few − с исчисляемыми существительными в утвердительных и отрицательных предложениях

much − с неисчисляемыми существительными в утвердительных и отрицательных предложениях или в вопросах

many − с исчисляемыми существительными в утвердительных и отрицательных предложениях или в вопросах

b)

A: Есть ли молоко?

B: Да, немного. Есть ли бананы?

A: Да, есть два банана. Есть ли мороженое?

B: Да, немного.

A: Итак, мы можем приготовить банановый молочный коктейль.

Источник

A list containing the most common uncountable nouns with tips and advice. Countable and uncountable nouns are some of the most common mistakes that students make in English. This page will explain everything to you.

Download PDF: Uncountable Nouns List

What is an uncountable noun?

Countable nouns are nouns which can be counted in numbers. For example, one house / two houses. When we use countable nouns, we use the article “a” and the plural “s” (a house, two houses).

Uncountable nouns are nouns which can’t be counted. For example, information. It is not possible to say one information/ two informations. The word “information” can’t be counted using numbers. It can never have a plural “s”. It can never have an article “a” or “an”. And it can never be quantified with any number.

What types of uncountable nouns are there?

Most uncountable nouns relate to:

  • liquids (milk, water)
  • abstract ideas (advice, chaos, motivation)
  • powder and grain (rice, wheat, sand)
  • mass nouns (furniture, hair, transportation)
  • natural phenomena (sunshine, snow, rain, weather)
  • states of being (sleep, stress, childhood)
  • feelings (anger, happiness, enthusiasm, courage)
  • gas (oxygen, air)

Uncountable Nouns & Grammar

  • How much …? = uncountable nouns / How many …? = countable nouns /
  • These = countable / This = uncountable
  • many = countable / a lot of = uncountable (and countable)
  • not many = countable / not much uncountable (we use “much” with negative uncountable nouns)

To express an amount of an uncountable noun, you must use other words.

  • some information = a piece of information
  • some clothing = one item of clothing / two items of clothing
  • some equipment = a piece of equipment / two pieces of equipment
  • some water = a cup of water / two glasses of water

Uncountable Noun List

I have put the most common words in bold. Some words are both countable and uncoutable – I have put a note next to those words.

A-F Uncountable Nouns

  • accommodation
  • advertising
  • air
  • aid
  • advice
  • anger
  • art
  • assistance
  • bread
  • business
  • butter
  • calm
  • cash
  • chaos
  • cheese (both)
  • childhood (both)
  • clothing 
  • coffee (both)
  • content
  • corruption
  • courage
  • currency (both)
  • damage
  • danger (both)
  • darkness
  • data
  • determination
  • economics
  • education (both)
  • electricity
  • employment
  • energy
  • entertainment (both)
  • enthusiasm
  • equipment
  • evidence
  • failure (both)
  • fame
  • fire
  • flour
  • food (both)
  • freedom
  • friendship (both)
  • fuel
  • furniture
  • fun

G -M Uncountable Nouns

  • genetics
  • gold
  • grammar
  • guilt
  • hair
  • happiness
  • harm
  • health
  • heat
  • help
  • homework
  • honesty
  • hospitality 
  • housework
  • humour
  • imagination (both)
  • importance
  • information
  • innocence
  • intelligence
  • jealousy
  • juice
  • justice
  • kindness
  • knowledge
  • labour
  • lack (both)
  • laughter
  • leisure
  • literature
  • litter
  • logic
  • love (both)
  • luck
  • magic
  • management
  • metal (both)
  • milk
  • money
  • motherhood
  • motivation
  • music

N-S Uncountable Nouns

  • nature
  • news
  • nutrition
  • obesity
  • oil
  • old age
  • oxygen
  • paper (both)
  • patience
  • permission
  • pollution
  • poverty
  • power (both)
  • pride
  • production (both)
  • progress
  • pronunciation
  • publicity
  • punctuation
  • quality (both)
  • quantity (both)
  • racism
  • rain
  • relaxation (both)
  • research
  • respect
  • rice
  • room (space)
  • rubbish
  • safety
  • salt
  • sand
  • seafood
  • shopping
  • silence (both)
  • smoke
  • snow
  • software
  • soup (both)
  • speed
  • spelling
  • stress 
  • sugar
  • sunshine

T – Z Uncountable Nouns

  • tea (both)
  • tennis
  • time (both)
  • tolerance (both)
  • trade (both)
  • traffic
  • transportation
  • travel
  • trust
  • understanding (both)
  • unemployment
  • usage
  • violence
  • vision (both)
  • warmth
  • water
  • wealth
  • weather
  • weight (both)
  • welfare
  • wheat
  • width
  • wildlife
  • wisdom
  • wood (both)
  • work
  • yoga
  • youth (both)

Irregular Uncountable Nouns

Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable.

Room  = has two meanings. One is countable and one is uncountable.

  • If this is about a room in a house, it is countable.
  • If this is relating to space “there isn’t much room in this place”, it is uncountable.

Hair = this can be countable and uncountable depending on how you use it.

  • “There is a hair in my soup”. This refers to only one strand of hair and is countable.
  • “He has a lot of hair”. This refers to the mass of hair and is considered uncountable.

Business = this can be countable and uncountable.

  • “He is going to Paris on business”. This is uncountable.
  • “I will take my business elsewhere”. This is uncountable and means I will take my custom to another shop.
  • “He studies business at school”. This is uncountable.
  • “I am planning to start a new business”.  Countable.

This is a difficult one with a lot of exceptions. Here’s a link with a list of rules for the word business / countable and uncountable.

Other Irregular Uncountable Nouns

light / paper / time / work /

For details of irregular uncountable nouns, follow the link.

Practice with Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Fill in the gaps using one of the following: many / much / a lot of.

  1. …………. wildlife is losing habitation due to deforestation.
  2. I haven’t heard ………. news about the recent events in Europe.
  3. There aren’t ………. sports lessons offered in the school curriculum.
  4. I can’t go out to tonight because I’ve got ………… work.
  5. It is often thought that people who have only traveled in their own country don’t have ……………. tolerance for others compared to people who have been abroad.
  6. ………… literature that students read at school is classical.
  7. ……….. education policies are designed to protect students but ensure a high level of learning.

Answers

  1. A lot of
  2. much
  3. many (“lessons” = countable)
  4. a lot of
  5. much
  6. A lot of
  7. Many (“policies” = countable)

Fill in the gaps with on of the following: is / are.

  1. Silence ……… essential in libraries to ensure that people can concentrate on what they are reading.
  2. There ……. a lot of company advertising during major sports events.
  3. Shopping …….. one of the most popular leisure activities for women.
  4. There …….. a lot of information available online about IELTS.
  5. There ………. a lot of traffic in city centers during rush hour.
  6. There ……….. not enough money spent on research for cancer.
  7. Water …….. essential for plants to thrive.
  8. I think that childhood …….. one of the best times of a person’s life.
  9. The management procedures ……… difficult to understand.
  10. Not enough aid …. given to third world countries.

Answers

  1. is
  2. is
  3. is
  4. is
  5. is
  6. is
  7. is
  8. is
  9. are
  10. is

Recommended

  • Vocabulary for Topics: Lessons and Pronunciation

Main IELTS Pages

Develop your IELTS skills with tips, model answers, lessons, free videos and more.

  • IELTS Listening
  • IELTS Reading
  • IELTS Writing Task 1
  • IELTS Writing Task 2
  • IELTS Speaking
  • Vocabulary for IELTS
  • IELTS Test Information (FAQ)
  • Home Page: IELTS Liz
Источник

  • #1

Hi everyone!
Please, is it correct to use «this», «That», «These» or «those» with uncountable nouns?

This furniture
That furniture
These advices?????
Those information ?????

And thank you in advance!
Eladio

  • #2

Hola de nuevo, Eladio,

We never use uncountable nouns in the plural. Basically, they have neither singular nor plural, so you are OK with «this» and «that» but never «these» or «those». (Also, no «s» on advice.)

HTH

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