Countable Nouns and Uncountable Nouns

A noun can be countable or uncountable. Countable nouns can be "counted", they have a
singular and plural form .
For example:

A book, two books, three books .....

An apple, two apples, three apples ....

Uncountable nouns cannot be counted. This means they have only a singular form. It also
means that they do not take a/an before them.
For example:

Water

Coffee

Wine

Rice
Countable

Uncountable

(use a/an or a number in front of

(there is no a/an or number with

countable nouns)

uncountable nouns)

An Apple / 1 Apple
I eat an apple every day.

Rice
I eat rice every day. (not I eat a rice
every day.)

Add (s) to make a countable noun

There is no plural form for an

plural

uncountable noun

apples

rice

I eat an apple every day. Apples are

I eat rice every day. Rice is good for

good for you.

you.
To make uncountable nouns countable

A computer= Computers are fun.

add a counting word, such as a unit of

measurement, or the general word piece.
We use the form "a ....... of ......."

An elephant=Elephants are large.

Rice=a grain of rice

Water=a glass of water

Rain=a drop of rain

Music=a piece of music
You can use some and any with

You can use some and any with

countable nouns.

uncountable nouns.

Some dogs can be dangerous.

I usually drink some wine with my meal.

I don't use any computers at work.

I don't usually drink any water with my

wine.

You only use many and few with

You only use much and little with

plural countable nouns.

uncountable nouns.

Many elephants have been hunted.

I don't usually drink much coffee.

There are few elephants in England.

Little wine is undrinkable though.

You can use a lot of and no with

You can use a lot of and no with

plural countable nouns.

uncountable nouns.

No computers were bought last week.

A lot of wine is drunk in France.

A lot of computers were reported broken No wine is drunk in Iran.

the week before.
Sources of confusion with countable and uncountable nouns
The notion of countable and uncountable can be confusing. Some supposedly uncountable
nouns can behave like countable nouns if we think of them as being in containers, or one of
several types.
This is because 'containers' and 'types' can be counted.
Believe it or not each of these sentences is correct:Doctors recommend limiting consumption to two coffees a day.
(Here coffees refers to the number of cups of coffee)
You could write; "Doctors recommend limiting consumption to two cups of coffee a day."
The coffees I prefer are Arabica and Brazilian.
(Here coffees refers to different types of coffee)
You could write; "The types of coffee I prefer are Arabica and Brazilian."