COUNTABLE
AND
UNCOUNTABLE
NOUNS
AND ARTICLES
COUNTABLE NOUNS
 Can

A job, a company, a biscuit
 Or

be singular:
plural:
Few jobs, many companies, some biscuits.
UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
 Cannot

Health, clothing
 Take



a singular verb:
Petrol is expensive. Exercise is good.
 Use

be plural:
certain words to refer to quantity:
A piece of furniture.
A sum of money.
A litre of petrol.
COUNTABLE AND
UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

Many nouns can be countable or
uncountable but with a change of meaning:




These grammar exercises are very easy. (= tasks
to practice grammar)
Exercise is good for you. (= taking exercise in
general)
The gallery was showing works by many artists (=
paintings)
I don’t enjoy hard work. (= tasks and activities)
UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

Advice, information and news are uncountable nouns.
We cannot use them with a/an or in the plural.
These nouns are uncountable in English, although they
may be countable in other languages:
accommodation, baggage, behaviour, equipment, fun,
furniture, homework, housework, litter, luck, luggage,
progress, rubbish, scenery, traffic, travel, weather, work
ARTICLES
SPECIAL USES OF ARTICLES

PLACES – we use the:






Oceans, seas, rivers: the Nile
Regions: the Far East
Groups of islands: the Philippines
Names of countries which include a word such
as Republic, Kingdom, States or Emirates
Deserts and mountain ranges: the Alps
We say: the sea, the coast, the seaside, the
country, the mountains, the hills
SPECIAL USES OF ARTICLES
 PLACES



– we don’t use the with:
Lakes: Lake Ness
Continents, most countries, states, cities,
towns and villages: Europe, France, Florida,
Rome
Buildings and locations which use the name
of their town in the name: Manchester
Airport
SPECIAL USES OF ARTICLES the:
 We
use the with superlative adjectives
and adverbs: He’s the best friend ever.
 We use the when we refer to particular
things: I love music but I don’t like the
music you listen to.
 With adjectives to express groups: the rich
 With nationalities: the Spanish
 With ordinal numbers used as adjectives:
He won the first prize at the competition.
SPECIAL USES OF ARTICLES –
a/an
 JOBS:
we use a/an to say what job
someone does – He’s a teacher
 DEFINITIONS: we use a/an to give a
definition of something – A department
store is a shop which sells a wide range of
products.
 EXCLAMATIONS: we use a/an with
exclamations – What a beautiful day!
SPECIAL USES OF ARTICLES:
 We
use the or no article before some
places with a difference in meaning:




The children are at school now. (= they are
students there)
My father is at the school now. (= he is
visiting it)
Peter spent a lot of time in hospital as a
child. (= he was a patient)
Dr Stevens has an office in the hospital and
another one at home. (= she works there)
SPECIAL USES OF ARTICLES
 Some
fixed expressions use the and some
use no article:





We travel by train/bus.
We have lunch/dinner at home.
We listen to the radio (but we watch
television)
We play the guitar (a musical instrument)
and we play tennis (a sport)
We go to the cinema, the theatre, etc.