Distinguishing countable and uncountable nouns & practicing exercises

Countable and uncountable nouns are key concepts you must understand when beginning to learn English to build your knowledge foundation and progress to more advanced grammar topics. How do countable nouns and uncountable nouns differ? When do we use uncountable and countable nouns? In today's post, PREP will provide tips for quickly and effectively distinguishing between these two types of nouns. Check it out!

I. Countable nouns

Before distinguishing between countable and uncountable nouns, let's learn the concepts and forms of countable nouns in both singular and plural together with PREP!

1. What are countable nouns?

What are countable nouns? Countable nouns refer to things that we can count and determine a specific quantity of. For example:

• My sister has three cats. 
• My father gave me a box full of books on my 20th birthday. 

2. Types of countable nouns

Countable nouns are divided into two types: Singular nouns and Plural nouns. Let's learn about these two types of nouns with PREP!

2.1. Singular nouns

A singular noun is used when something has a quantity of one. The indefinite articles "a" or "an", or the number “one”, are commonly used before singular nouns. For example:

• Jennifer has got a smart younger brother. 
• The teacher gives each student one/a pencil. 

2.2. Plural nouns

A plural noun is used when something has a quantity of two or more. Number words like “these, some, a few” will be used before plural nouns. For example:

• These glasses look so fashionable. 
• Travelers can read a few magazines during the flight. 

3. Distinguishing between singular and plural nouns

Let's quickly differentiate between singular and plural nouns with PREP using the table below:

4. Methods for changing countable nouns from singular to plural

Let's learn with PREP about the ways to change countable singular nouns into plural nouns: Regular and Irregular.

4.1. Regular nouns

• Add "es" to nouns ending in: "ss, s, x, z, ch, sh". For example: We need a box for storage. ⏩ We need more boxes for storage. 
• Add "s" to nouns ending in other letters. For example: A cat is sleeping in the sun. ⏩ Two cats are sleeping in the sun.
• For nouns ending in the consonant "y", remove "y" and add "ies". For example: The man gives the kid a strawberry. ⏩ The man gives the kid five strawberries.
• Add "s/es" to nouns ending in "o".
  • If the noun ends in a vowel (u, e, o, a, i), add "s". For example: The editor has edited a video in a month. ⏩ The editor has edited 10 videos in a month.
  • For other cases, add "es". For example: Yesterday my mom bought one tomato. ⏩ Yesterday my mom bought five tomatoes.
• For nouns ending in "f/fe", remove "f/fe" and add "ves". For example: My mother has bought a new knife. ⏩ My mother has bought two new knives.
• For nouns ending in "is", remove "is" and add "es". For example: There is an oasis which has been explored. ⏩ There are two oases which have been explored.

Note: Although these are common conversion rules, they cannot be applied to all nouns. You should learn more about exceptions.

4.2. Irregular nouns

Below is a table of irregular nouns where the plural form is completely different from the singular form. Check it out!

II. Uncountable noun

To understand how to distinguish between countable and uncountable nouns, let's learn about the concept and quantification of uncountable nouns below!

What are uncountable nouns? Uncountable nouns are things that we cannot count and determine a specific quantity. For example:

• The manager wants me to report him detailed information. 
• The doctor gives me important advice for my health. 

Uncountable nouns are often divided into 5 common topics:

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

III. Ways to quantify countable and uncountable nouns

Below is a list of common quantifiers used with countable and uncountable nouns. Please check it out:

1. Quantifiers used with countable nouns

2. Quantifiers with uncountable nouns

3. Quantifiers for both countable and uncountable nouns

Note about symbols: 

• Countable nouns (C)
• Uncountable noun (U)

IV. Distinguishing between countable and uncountable nouns

PREP will provide tips to distinguish between countable and uncountable nouns through concepts and usage examples for you below. Check it out!

V. Special cases of nouns

Although we have understood the concepts and separate rules of countable and uncountable nouns, there are still some nouns that belong to special cases. Let's learn about them below!

1. Nouns ending in "s" but are singular

Below PREP will share with Preppies some nouns ending in "s" but are singular. For example:

2. Nouns that are always plural

Some nouns will always be in plural form, whether they end in "s/es" or not. For example:

• The police are catching the robbers at the moment. 
• My brother has bought new shorts. 

VI. Countable and uncountable nouns exercises

Let's practice the following two exercises with PREP to better understand countable and uncountable nouns:

1. Exercises

Exercise 1: Change the following singular nouns into plural form

1. Girl
2. City
3. Box
4. Chair
5. Book
6. Flower
7. House
8. Computer
9. Teacher
10. Watch

Exercise 2: Categorize the following nouns into the two tables of countable and uncountable nouns

2. Answer

Exercise 1:

1. Girls
2. Cities
3. Boxes
4. Chairs
5. Books
6. Flowers
7. Houses
8. Computers 
9. Teachers
10. Watches

Exercise 2:

PREP hopes after reading this article, you will be able to grasp the concepts and distinguish between countable and uncountable nouns. Let’s follow PREP to update other useful knowledge. Wish you all the best in mastering English successfully!