Countable and

Uncountable Nouns

Teacher Karen
 Countable Nouns

✓ Countable nouns are those elements that we can count

An (one) apple Two dogs Three houses

 ✓ Use countable nouns for singular and plural

• There is a book on the table. • There are some books on

the shelf.
✓ Countable nouns go with the articles a/ an in
the singular form

• She bought an unmbrella.

• The child is eating a hamburger.

• There is a parrot.
✓ Numbers can be used in front of countable nouns

• I have three magazines. • There are five rooms in my

house.
 Countable

French Fries
- Cashier: How many orders of french fries do
you want?
- Buyers: We want two orders of french fries
please!

- How many fries are in the box?

There are several fries.
 Uncountable Nouns

• Uncountable nouns are those can not be counted

Suggar Water Information

 Uncountable Nouns

✓ Uncountable nouns refer to things we can not count

such as powder, liquid... or even abstract ideas.

✓They only have a singular form.

✓They can not be counted by units.

Uncountable Nouns
Spices and
Some Food / meals Seasonings

• Butter
• Flour • Curry powder (curry)
• Honey • Cumin (comino)
• Meat • Ground cinamon (canela)
• Salt • Thyme (tomillo)
• Suggar
Uncountable Nouns
Cereal and Grain

• Rice
• Flaked Oatmeal
(avena en hojuela)
• Wheat (trigo)
• Barley (cebada)
• Quinoa (quinua)
• Ray (centeno)
Uncountable Nouns

Liquid

• Tea
• Milk
• Coffee
• Soda
• Juice
Uncountable Nouns

Ideas and Information Categories

concepts
• Love • Music
• Peace • Advice
•
• Equipment
Fun • Information
• Time • Jewerly
• New
• Safety • Meat
• Work • Knowledge
• Money
• Air
• Progress
 Countable Example Uncountable Example

dollar / dollars How many dollars have you? I have money I have to save money for my next
one dolar vacation.

song / songs What is your favorite song?

music What kind of music do you like?
What are your favorite songs of your
Spotify list?
table / tables furniture Did you buy new furniture for your
bed / beds Can you make a new table? (mueble /mobiliario) home?

bottle / bottles I bought three bottles of milk. wine / water I'm thirsty. I must drink some water.

report / reports She is doing a report / some reports information Can you give some information?
for her job.

job / jobs He has an excellent job. work (verb) I work from 9 a.m to 5 p.m.
(noun) My sister has two jobs.
 Uncountable Nouns

✓ Can be used with some / any

Uncountable nouns are only used for the singular, they do not carry articles
but can sometimes be accompanied by some or any.

• Let me give you some advice. • Is there any milk in the fridge?
 Countable and Uncontable Nouns
SOME (+) ANY (-)
algo de, algunos (as) , unos (as) Nada de, algo de, ningún (a)

• Use some for affirmative sentences. • Use any for negative sentences and
questions.
• Use for plural and singular.
• Use for plural and singular.
• Use for countable and uncountable
• Use for countable and uncountable nouns.

Examples Examples

Countable There are some potatos Countable Are there any apples?
in the kitchen.
Uncountable There isn´t any honey.
Uncountable There is some milk in
the fridge.
• The correct use of ´some or any` depends on the noun if it is
countable and uncountable.

• It is optional to use ´some or any` with countable nouns.

• Use ´some or any` with uncountable nouns to indicate an

non-specific amount.
 Exercises

1.- We need some ______ (chair / chairs) to sit on.

2.- How much _____ (money / monies) do you have in your wallet?
3.- I´m going to buy ____ (wine / wines) for the party.
4.- Can I have some _____ (meats/ meat) please?
5.- There are some _____ (potato / potatoes) in the basket.
 bags

some
some advice
 Uncountable transformed into contables
✓ You can use other words to help quantify uncountable nouns.
These words are followed by the preposition “of ”

x Two flours x Four pastas x A rice

Uncountable
Uncontable ✓ Some / any flour ✓ Some / any pasta ✓ Some / any rice
 Uncountable transformed into
contables

x Three Breads x Two Meats x A Cheese

✓ Some / any ✓ Some / any ✓ Some / any

Uncountable meat cheese
bread
A pound of ground beef.
(una libra de carne molida)
 Countable

There are some / several

chickens. Animal
Uncountable
Uncontable

• My mon bought (some) chicken for dinner.

 Uncountable Countable
Animal Meat Animal

• We are having chicken for dinner. • My aunt has about 20 chickens.

• Fish is good for your health. • There are hundreds of fish (cientos de
peces) in this lake.
• You can see wild turkeys in the
• My family only serve turkey at
park.
Christmas.

• Two porks were born last night.

• Tom made pork for dinner.
 Uncontable transformed into contables

x Five Milks x Juices x Ten Ice creams

✓ Some / any ✓ Some / any juice ✓ Some / any

Uncountable milk ice cream
Two glasses of water. A glass of milk.
 Uncountable transformed into
countables

x A Jam x Honeys x A tomato sauce

✓ Some / any ✓ Some / any ✓ Some / any

Uncountable jam honey tomato sauce
ketchup
 -There is a bar of chocolate.
-Do you want some chocolate?
-I like chocolate.

-I bought some chocolates. (varios bombones) Plural

- I bought some chocolate. (algo de chocolate) Singular Non - especific

- I bought a box of chocolates.

How many bars of chocolate are there?
 Uncountable transformed into countables

✓ Some / any tune ✓ Some / any coke

Uncountable
 Uncountable transformed into countables

Uncountable
✓ Some / any ✓ Some / any ✓ Some / any
water wine oil
 Uncountable transformed into countables

Uncountable ✓ Some / any ✓ Some / any ✓ Some / any

toothpaste glue shampoo
 Uncountable transformed into countables

✓ Some / any ✓ Some / any ✓ Some / any

Uncountable salt suggar papper
 Uncontable transformed into contables

x Three Toilet papers x Tapes x Cing films

✓ Some / any ✓ Some / any

Uncountable ✓ Some / any
toilet paper tape cing film
 Countable

A pair of

Pairs of

A couple of
 Countable
There are some nouns that, although they are countable, only
have a plural form. To designate a unit we use a pair of.

Para referirnos a dos cosas iguales pero que juntas se las

considera una sola unidad.
 Countable Uncountable

Light
COFFEE

Three cups of coffee, please.

Tres tazas de café por favor.

Las sustancias como (líquido, granos pequeños, sustancias en polvo...) son generalmente
incontables, pero se convierten en contables si nos referimos a ellas pensando en su
correspondiente recipiente (una taza, un vaso...)
 I bought a jar of ketchup at the supermarket.
Alphabet soup I like coffee.
a bottle of milk / a carton
of milk / a glass of milk I drink water all mornings.
Contable Uncontable
Coffee
ketchup
water
cheese
much money
paper
fish as animal fish as animal meat
gold
I like the cheese sandwich milk
 Practice!
A.- Put the words into the corresponding jar.

Countable Uncountable

money
egg tomatoe fruit plum milk fish bread
water
apple lemon potato snow coke juice fish -Egg –Milk – Tomato –Fish -Fruit
pear
carrot grapes cucumber butter salt meat -Bread –Snow –Coke –Apple –Juice
rice oil suggar cheese –Dress –Lemon –Butter –Salt –Meat
onion salad berry –Rice –Potato –Carrot –Grapes –Oil
cookie banana plum garlic coffee tea chocolate
–Cucumber -Sugar –Onion –Garlic
chocolate orange dress = category (vestimenta) –Coffee –Tea-Cheese –Salad –Berry
sandwich –Chocolate –Money –Orange
cherry food = category
chair –Cherry –Sandwich –Water –Cookie
–Banana –Pear –Chair –Food –Fish
–Plum
 Exercises

1.- We don’t have any milk in the fridge. Liquid

I want to drink a glass of milk. Kind or unit

2.- She loves coffee. Liquid General / category

Three cups of coffee please! Kind or unit

3.- I don´t usually drink juice . Liquid

Is there any juice in the fridge?
4.- I prefer to drink tea instead of coffee. Liquid

Do you want a cup of tea? Unit

5.- Salad is healthy. Food Category

I made a fruit salad or a plate of salad. Unit

6.- Chocolate cake is my favorite dessert. General / category

Can I have a piece of chocolate cake? Kind or unit
7.- Everyone likes chocolate.

I bought some chocolates.

I bought a box of chocolate.

8.-She bought two bars of chocolate for her mon.

 Exercises
B.- Choose the correct option to complete the following sentences.
apples
1.- There are three ___ (apples/ apple) in the basket.
cheese is (cheese is / cheese are) too salty.
2.- This _____
cookies
3.- I would like to taste these ___ (cookie/ cookies).
any (any / some) water in the bottle?
4.- Is there ___
some (some/ any) milk at night.
5.- I usually drink ___
some / one / three
6.- She often drinks ___ a (glass of juice/ glasses of juice) in the morning.
7.- How much ____money (money / moneys) do you have in the bank?

8.- This ___ (meat isn´t/ meat aren´t) fresh.

some salt (a pinch of salt/ a pinchs of salt).
9.- My soup needs ______
10.- There ________ (is some bread/ are some bread) on the table.