The difference between countable and
uncountable nouns can help you in many areas of English grammar.
Countable Nouns
Countable nouns are nouns that can
be counted. Most nouns in English are countable.
Examples:
- I have four cats.
- detri has three cars.
- Nigia has ten dollars.
Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable nouns are not counted in
English. This usually has to do with the way English speakers think of these
nouns. We often picture these nouns as a single concept or one big thing which
is hard to divide. Many of these words are countable in other languages, but
they ARE NOT countable in English. Generally, we do not use plural forms of
these words; however some of these words do end in "s", so don't get
confused.
Examples:
- Mack drinks a lot of water.
- andi gives great advice.
- steve enjoys politics. Ends
with "s" but uncountable
Uncountable nouns tend to belong to
one of the following categories:
Liquids and Gases
- water
- coffee
- milk
- air
- oxygen
Solid and Granular Substances
- wood
- metal
- cheese
- sand
- rice
Energy Words and Forces
- electricity
- sunshine
- radiation
- heat
- magnetism
Subjects
- French
- chemistry
- economics
- science
- math
Grouped Concepts
- fruit
- money
- food
- vocabulary
- news
Information and Abstract Concepts
- information
- advice
- education
- democracy
- intelligence
Uncountable Plurals
Sometimes in English, we do use
uncountable nouns in plural forms. This is most commonly done with liquids and
substances. It usually takes on the meaning of "cups of",
"bottles of" or "types of".
Examples:
- We'll have two coffees.
Cups of coffee
- I bought three waters.
Bottles of water
- The company produces two
leathers. Types of leather
Different Meanings
There are certain words which have
multiple meanings. It is possible for one meaning to be countable and the other
to be uncountable. Take for example the word "light":
Examples:
- I couldn't see anything because
there was no light. Uncountable noun
- The Christmas tree was covered
with hundreds of lights. Countable noun
Generally, the rules are still the
same. The first use of "light" is a form of energy. The second use of
"light" means "small light bulbs", which are normal
countable objects.
sumber : http://www.englishpage.com/minitutorials/countable-uncountable-nouns.htm
