In short, determining if something is countable is somewhat arbitrary, so don’t stress if you find some of this confusing. What is a noncount noun in English may be a count noun in another language. Quantity or mass: clothing, furniture, equipment …ĭisciplines: history, economics, political science …Īctions (ending in -ing): laughing, running, flying …. Here is a select list of some common noncount nouns: The easiest way to check if you’re dealing with a noncount noun is to see if you can add much (e.g., much money), but not many (e.g., not many money). You wouldn’t say a furniture or an advice. Noncount nouns also don’t work with certain quantifiers ( these, those, every, either).
Noncount nouns do not use the indefinite article ( a, the). The more general concept of money does not have a plural ( moneys). We count money all the time, but we do so using different words such as dollars, bills, and coins. We can’t take something like anger and start counting how many angers there are.Ī bit more confusing is a word like money. Noncount nouns have only a singular form: Tip: You can add many to a count noun ( many trees), but not much ( much trees). There are a few countable nouns that only have a plural form (e.g., jeans, glasses), but those are the exception to the rule. As a result, they have both a singular and plural form: Knowing whether a noun is countable or not will help us determine if it needs an article ( a, the). Some nouns can fall into either group, but the distinction remains a useful one. We ask people if they like poetry, not poetries. For instance, we say milk, but not milks. These nouns describe a single mass, kind, or category. We can count the number of stairs on a ladder and, theoretically, the stars in the sky.Ī much smaller category consists of noncount nouns.
We can distinguish between one book and thirty-three books. They have a singular and a plural form and can easily be numbered. Choose the best answer to fill in the blank.When we classify common nouns (as opposed to proper nouns), we can make a distinction between count and noncount nouns. (all of the hair on your head)ĭirections: The phrase a lot of is used before noncount nouns and plural count nouns. Mary ate some chicken for dinner (the stuff you eat).Usually there is a difference in meaning. Some nouns can be both count and noncount nouns. Nouns That Can Be Both Count and Noncount Other noncount nouns are not as easy to determine and can lead to confusion. Often they are things in liquid or mass form or abstract ideas. Noncount nouns refer to things that by their nature are not easily countable.
Typically, count nouns refer to things that you can easily count. The basic distinction is that count nouns can take the plural form, while noncount nouns cannot. Nouns are divided into the categories of Count and Noncount Nouns.
0 kommentar(er)
