Look at these examples to see how to use countable and uncountable nouns in a sentence.
I'm making a cup of tea.
There's some money on the table.
Have we got any bread?
How many chairs do we need?
How much milk have we got?
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
Nouns can be countable or uncountable. Countable nouns can be counted, e.g. an apple, two apples, three apples, etc. Uncountable nouns cannot be counted, e.g. air, rice, water, etc. When you learn a new noun, you should check if it is countable or uncountable and note how it is used in a sentence.
Countable nouns
For positive sentences we can use a/an for singular nouns or some for plurals.
There's a man at the door.
I have some friends in New York.
For negatives we can use a/an for singular nouns or any for plurals.
I don't have a dog.
There aren't any seats.
Uncountable nouns
Here are some examples of uncountable nouns:
| bread | rice | coffee | information |
| money | advice | luggage | furniture |
We use some with uncountable nouns in positive sentences and any with negatives.
There's some milk in the fridge.
There isn't any coffee.
Questions
In questions we use a/an, any or how many with countable nouns.
Is there an email address to write to?
Are there any chairs?
How many chairs are there?
And we use any or how much with uncountable nouns.
Is there any sugar?
How much orange juice is there?
But when we are offering something or asking for something, we normally use some.
Do you want some chocolate?
Can we have some more chairs, please?
We also use some in a question when we think the answer will be 'yes'.
Have you got some new glasses?
Other expressions of quantity
A lot of (or lots of) can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.
There are lots of apples on the trees.
There is a lot of snow on the road.
Notice that we don't usually use many or much in positive sentences. We use a lot of instead.
They have a lot of money.
However, in negative sentences we use not many with countable nouns and not much with uncountable nouns.
There are a lot of carrots but there aren't many potatoes.
There's lots of juice but there isn't much water.
Go to Countable and uncountable nouns 2 to learn more.
Try this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hello,
I want to ask a question.Can I answer 'any' in Grammar Test 2 No.7. Why is the answer 'any shirt'?
Hello Aung Qui,
'any shirt' is not correct in that sentence. When there's a negative meaning, we use 'a' with singular nouns (like 'shirt') and 'any' with plural nouns and countable nouns in a sentence like this.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hi
Is there any difference between this grammar in American English ?
Hello reza-3x,
I can't think of any differences, but if you had something specific in mind, please let us know.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
i got it
thank you
After I finished the lessons, I completely understood how prepositions come with a noun. This lesson helps me a lot. Thank the authority.
Hello!
I also have some question about using 'uncountable and countable' words.
Regarding the word 'waste' as a noun, it can be used both 'waste' and 'wastes' for the meaning as unwanted material or substance(e.g.nuclear waste, plastic waste).
When you say 'A lot of plastic waste goes into the ocean.', can you also say 'Lots of plastic wastes go into the ocean.' or 'A lot of platic wastes go into the ocean.'? I am quite confused what makes a real difference between plastic 'waste' and plastic 'wastes'.
Thank you for your advice!
Hello lily7983,
Waste is usually an uncountable noun and we modify it with quantifiers that go with uncountable nouns: a lot of, a great deal of, some, a little etc.
Wastes (plural) is unusual, but it does exist to describe types of waste. The Cambridge Dictionary gives this example: Oil spills are common, as is the dumping of toxic industrial wastes.
I would not say 'plastic wastes' unless in context you are very specifically talking about a number of different types of plastic waste.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
I have trouble understanding the punctuation applied by some writers, which is inconsistent with what I learned from grammar books. For instance, I learned that a comma should be placed before coordinating conjunctions such as 'and' and 'but.' However, why is a period sometimes placed before them?
I have another question, too. Which of the following is grammatically correct?
People don't have a good life.
People don't have good lives.