Precision is the path to Excellence

PMR English Language

Form 1
[Lesson
Grammar
8]

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Ms Chin Seow Hui

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Countable nouns are nouns which can be counted. They can take either
the singular or the plural form.
Example: cat cats, man men, story stories, hat hats, shoe shoes
The following determiners can be used with countable nouns.

PS li un rg a u l l a r
Uncountable nouns are nouns which cannot be counted. They always
appear in the singular form.
Example: milk, sugar, flour, sand, oil, coffee, jam, dust
The following determiners can be used with uncountable nouns.
some, any, much, a little, a great deal of, a lot
of, plenty of, a large amount of, etc.
The following determiners can be used with both countable and uncountable
nouns
some, a lot of, any, plenty of

Formation of
Plurals
Plural nouns can be formed in the following ways.

By adding -s to the singular noun.

brinjal brinjals
circle circles
day days
dynamo dynamos

lamb lambs
piano pianos
roof roofs
tutor tutors

By adding -es to singular nouns ending in s, ss, x, z, ch, sh

and o.
batch batches
gas gases
box boxes
hero heroes
princess princesses mango mangoes
bush bushes
tax taxes

By changing the -y in singular nouns to -ies.

army armies
factory factories
aunty aunties
fly flies
berry berries
injury injuries
city cities
lady ladies

By changing the -f or -fe in singular nouns to -ves.

half halves
loaf loaves
knife knives
shelf shelves
leaf leaves
thief thieves
life lives
wife wives
Note: The following words which end in -f are changed into plurals by just
adding -s.
chief (s)
dwarf (s)
hoof (s)
reef (s)
roof (s)
chief (p)
dwarf (p)
hoof (p)
reef (p)
roof (p)
5
6

By changing the -is in some singular nouns to es

axis axes
basis bases crisis crises
By adding -s to singular compound nouns.
brother-in-law brothers-in-law
by-way by-ways
guest-of-honour guests-of-honour
looker-on lookers-on
mouse-trap mouse-traps
passer-by passers-by
spoonful spoonfuls

By changing the inside spelling of singular nouns.

child children
man men
curriculum curriculae mouse mice
criterion criteria
ox oxen
foot feet
tooth teeth
goose geese
woman women

Some plurals have the same spelling as singular nouns.

cannon
deer
salmon
swine
cod
grouse
sheep
trout

Some nouns are used only in their plural form.

drawers
measles
scissors
gallows
pliers
shears
jeans
riches
spectacles

10 Some nouns which are used

acoustics
athletics
economics
Exercise 1

thanks
tongs
trousers

as singulars appear in the plural form.

gymnastics
news
linguistics
Physics
Mathematics politics

Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the brackets.

__________ pupils came to school late today because it was raining

heavily. (Much, Many, Any)
2
__________ money is needed to build a bridge across that river. (A great
deal of, Many, Plenty)
3
There arent __________ pupils in the library now. (any, some, much)
4
During the storm yesterday, __________ trees were uprooted. (much,
plenty, several)
5
You dont have __________ time left to complete the test, so please
hurry, said the teacher. (any, much, many)
6
There is too __________ sugar in my coffee. Its too sweet. (much, many,
little)
7
Mr. Lim donates __________ of money to charity every year. (several,
much, a great deal)
8
Mother, may I have __________ money, please? I need to buy a
dictionary. (any, a few, some)
9
Only __________ pupils in my class passed the Maths test this month. (a
few, a little, small amount of)
10 There are so __________ flies around the open dustbin. (much, many,
plenty)
Exercise 2
Fill in the blanks with the suitable words.

How __________ cars does that wealthy man own?

There is __________ food on the table. Please help yourselves, said the
host.
3
There isnt __________ tea left in the pot. There is only enough to fill your
mug.
4
__________ boys were caught smoking in the school toilet yesterday.
5
Im bored! Do you have __________ interesting books to lend me?
6
We asked our Geography teacher to give us __________ time to look
through our notes before she gave us a test.
7
Weve had only __________ rainfall here for the past few weeks.
8
__________ of my classmates drive to school.
9
There were __________ people at the market this morning because it is a
public holiday.
10 How __________ did you pay for your new watch?
Exercise 3
Choose the best answer from the options below.

There are too __________ chairs in this room. Take some away.
A few
C
much
B many
D little

Do you have __________ interesting books that I can borrow?

A any
C
plenty
B few
D much

The bus will be arriving in __________ minutes. If we dont hurry, we will

miss it.
A many
C
a few
B a small quantity
D a lot of

__________ such a hot day today. Shall we go for a swim?

A Its
C
It
B Its
D Its

I just drank __________ coffee and ate __________ biscuits.

A anysome
C
somea few
B muchmany
D a fewsome

May I have __________ sugar, please?

A some
C
a few
B any
D many

Only __________ girls stayed back in school for sports practice today.
A a little
C
a small amount of
B a few
D several

That shop sells __________ clothing.

A
B
9

lady
ladys

C
D

ladies
ladiess

The plough is being pulled by a team of __________.

A ox
C
oxen
B oxes
D oxens

10 Is there __________ money in the wallet you found just now?

A any
C
several
B many
D a few
11 The boys __________ are very severe. He may die because of them.
A injury
C
injuries
B injured
D injurys
12 A class monitor has __________ duties to perform.
A many
C
any
B much
D plenty
13 __________ boys from my class took part in the tenis tournament last
week.
A Any
C
Several
B Plenty
D Much
14 All the __________ in your kitchen are blunt, Sheila.
A knife
C
knifes
B knifes
D knives
15 In Singapore, we have __________ rain in December.
A plenty
C
a great deal of
B a few
D not many
16 How many __________ do you have, Betty?
A brothers-in-law
C
brothers-in-laws
B brother-in-laws
D brothers-in-law
17 The wealthy man has many __________.
A man-servant
C
man-servants
B men-servant
D men-servants
18 We managed to swim across the stream without __________ difficulty.
A many
C
plenty
B much
D few
19 Is there __________ milk left in the jug?
A any
C
several

many

a few

20 The pupils are making __________ noise in their classroom.

A many
C
a lot of
B any
D plenty