Count and Non-count nouns

Gonzalo Smith Sifuentes Zavala

Noun
Nouns represent persons , places ,
things and ideas .





Noun
Persons Places Things Ideas
refers to
Noun
Proper Noun Common Noun
types
Proper Nouns
Proper nouns name particular persons
, places or things.

They are usually unique and are
capitalized in writing.
Example:
China


Dr. Olsen



The Empire State Building



Common Nouns
Common Nouns refer to people ,
places , or things but are not the
names of particular individuals.
Example
scientist


building


department store.
Common Nouns
Count Nouns No- Count Nouns
types
Count Nouns
Count Nouns refer to things that you
can count separately .

They can be singular or plural.

You can use a or an before count
Nouns.
Example
Nine planets


That`s an interesting question


This is a delicious sandwich


Non- Count Nouns
Non-Count Nouns refer to things that
you can`t count separately.

They usually have no plural form.

We don`t usually use a or an with non-
count Nouns , though they are often
preceded by some or the.
Common mistakes:

I have a lot of homeworks to do


Se is washing her hairs


The equipments weren`t working well.

Example
I bought rice



Let me give you some advice



Be careful!
Many words have both count and non-
count meanings.

Check your dictionary to avoid
mistakes.
She heard a noise in the attic.

Noise can be harmful to health
We normally use a singular verb with a non-
count noun.

Example: Rice feeds millions.

We use a singular pronoun to refer to the
noun.

Example: It feeds millions.
Categories of Non-Count
Nouns
Medical Condition:

Cancer

AIDS

Typhoid

Syphilis
Scientific process or procedures:

anesthesia

dissection

electroshock

Wholes composed of individual parts:

mail

clothing

garbage

baggage

jewerly
Abstractions:

honesty

love

hate

education

beauty

maidhood
Activities:

basketball

dancing

tennis

soccer

golf
Foods:

beef

bread

fish

fruit

meat
Gases:

air

carbon dioxide

oxygen

smoke
Liquids:

coffee

gasoline

milk

tea

water
Natural Phenomena:

snow

heat

rain

thunder


Particles:

dust

pepper

salt

sand

sugar
Solid elements:

gold

iron

plutonium

silver

Subjects:

Chinese

English

physics

science
Others:

equipment

furniture

money

news
We frequently make non- count nouns
countable by adding a phrase that
gives them a form , a limit or a
container.
Non count noun countable form

furniture a piece of furniture

lightning a bolt / flash of lightning

meat a piece of meat

rice a grain of rice

tennis a game of tennis

thunder a clap of thunder
Non Count Noun Countable Form

water a cup of water
milk , juice a carton of juice , milk
lettuce a head of lettuce
banana a bunch of bananas
butter a piece / stick / bar of butter
Non Count Noun Countable Form

chocolate a bar of chocolate
margarine a tub of margarine
bread a loaf / slice of bread
ice cream a tub , scoop of ice cream
mermelade a jar of mermelade
sugar a lump of sugar
garlic a clove of garlic
We use many non-count nouns in a
countable sense without the addition of
a phrase ( such as a piece of).

We can use these nouns with a / an or
in the plural to mean kind / type /
variety of
Example:


Do you like pasta?

In Italy , I tasted a new pasta.



A / an and plurals can also be used to
indicate discrete amounts.

Example:

I drank a soda

Please bring us two orange juices

Some nouns are irregular:

A) A few non-count nouns end in -S

News
Mathematics
Economics
physics
B) A few count nouns have irregular plurals:

Singular Plural

criterion Criteria
phenomenon phenomena
nucleus nuclei