LinguaCountable and uncountable nouns
Some food words are countable: we can count them one by one. For example: an apple, two apples, three eggs. Other food words are uncountable: we do not usually count them as separate items, for example milk, bread, rice.
| Countable | Uncountable |
|---|---|
| apple / apples | milk |
| egg / eggs | bread |
| banana / bananas | rice |
| tomato / tomatoes | water |
I have three apples and some rice.
Using some
We often use some in positive sentences. We use it with plural countable nouns and with uncountable nouns. It means 'a number of' or 'a little', but often we do not translate it word by word.
We need some eggs and some milk.
Using any
We often use any in negatives and questions. We use it with plural countable nouns and with uncountable nouns. Compare: We have some apples. / Do we have any apples? / We don’t have any apples.
Is there any bread at home?
How much and how many
Use How many with countable plural nouns. Use How much with uncountable nouns. This helps us ask about number or amount.
| Question word | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| How many | countable plural nouns | How many apples do we need? |
| How much | uncountable nouns | How much rice do we need? |
How many bananas do you want?
How much water is there?
Containers: a bottle of, a cup of
With uncountable nouns, we often use a container to count them. For example, we say a bottle of water or two cups of coffee. This is very common in shops and at home.
| Container phrase | Example |
|---|---|
| a bottle of | a bottle of milk |
| a cup of | a cup of tea |
| a bag of | a bag of rice |
| a loaf of | a loaf of bread |
Can I get a bottle of water and a loaf of bread?
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| some | some | We need some tomatoes for dinner. |
| any | any | Do you have any rice at home? |
| how much | how much | How much milk do we need? |
| how many | how many | How many apples do you want? |
| a bottle of | a bottle of | She buys a bottle of water every morning. |
| a cup of | a cup of | I'd like a cup of tea. |
| a bag of | a bag of | We need a bag of rice. |
| a loaf of | a loaf of | He buys a loaf of bread. |
| rice | rice | There is some rice in the kitchen. |
| eggs | eggs | I need some eggs for breakfast. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 4
- fill the gap: 2
- match the pairs: 1
- build the sentence: 1
- translate the sentence: 1
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
Which noun is uncountable?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.