Countable & uncountable nouns

A noun can be countable or uncountable.

 You can use a/an with singular countable nouns. (√a student, √an umbrella)
 You cannot normally use a/an with uncountable nouns. ( a music)
 You cannot use singular countable nouns alone. ( I want banana.)
 You can use plural countable nouns alone. (√ I like bananas.)
 You can use uncountable nouns alone. (√ I eat rice everyday.)

Some of these sentences need a/an. Correct the sentences which are wrong. If the sentence is
correct, put a tick at the end of it.

1. I don’t like violence.

2. We went to very nice restaurant yesterday.
3. Can you smell gas?
4. We need petrol. I hope we come to petrol station soon.
5. I have got interview for job tomorrow.
6. Lily doesn’t usually wear jewellery but yesterday she was wearing necklace.
7. I think tennis is very good game.
8. I use toothbrush to clean my teeth.
9. John was listening to music when I arrived.
10. He goes everywhere by bike. He hasn’t got car.
11. Our lives will be very difficult without electricity.
12. We can’t delay much longer. We have to make decision.

Complete the sentences using the given words. Sometimes the word needs to be plural. Use a/an
if necessary.
1. It’s raining. Have you got ______________ (umbrella) I could borrow?
2. There are seven _________ (day) in a week.
3. A vegetarian doesn’t eat __________ (meat).
4. Outside the cinema there was _____________ (queue) of people waiting to see the film.
5. I’m not very good at writing __________ (letter).
6. Last night I went out with some __________ (friend) of mine.
7. I had my camera but I didn’t take many _____________ (photograph).
8. Our flat is very small. We haven’t got much ___________ (space).
9. George always wants things quickly. He’s got no _____________ (patience).
10. Jane travels a lot. She has been to many _____________ (country).
11. There were very few ___________ (people) in the shops today. They were almost empty.
12. I’m going out for a walk. I need some fresh __________ (air).

Many nouns can be used as countable or uncountable nouns, usually with a difference in
meaning. Read the following sentences. For each sentence, choose the answer which fits the
context.

1. ‘Did you hear (a noise/noise) just now?’ ‘No, I didn’t hear anything.’
2. I can’t work here. There’s too much (noise/noises).
3. If you want to read the news, you can read (paper/a paper).
Countable & uncountable nouns

4. I want to write some letters but I haven’t got (a paper/any paper/any papers) to write on.
5. Waiter! There’s (a hair/hair) in my soup.
6. My husband‘s got very short (hair/hairs).
7. You can stay with us. There’s (a spare room/spare room).
8. You can’t sit here. There isn’t enough (room/rooms).
9. I had some interesting (experience/experiences) while I was away. (- things that happened to
me)
10. They offered me the job because I had a lot of (experience/experiences).
11. Enjoy your holiday. Have (a good time/good time)!
12. I can’t wait. We haven’t got (a time/time).
13. I thought there was somebody in the house because there was (light/a light) on inside.
14. (Light/A light) comes from the sun.
15. Nobody was hurt in the accident but the (damage/damages) to the car (was/were) quite
serious.
16. The court awarded him $150,000 in (damage/damages).
17. I don’t drink (coffee/coffees) very often.
18. (in a restaurant) Two (coffee/coffees) and (an orange juice/orange juice) please.

There are some nouns in English that are usually countable in English but often countable in
other languages.

accommodation advice baggage bread behavior

damage furniture information luck luggage
news scenery traffic weather work

 You cannot use a/an with them. ( a bread,  an advice)

 They are not normally plural. ( breads, √ some bread, √ a loaf of bread, √ a piece of bread)
 News is uncountable, not plural. (The news was very depressing.)

Choose the correct answers:

1. I didn’t have much (luggage/luggages) – just two small bags.
2. George is unemployed. He’s looking for (work/job).
3. I had to buy (a/some) bread because I wanted to make some sandwiches.
4. Bad news (don’t/doesn’t) make people happy.
5. Richard has done many interesting things. He should write a book about his
(experience/experiences).
6. I don’t think Sue will get the job. She hasn’t got enough (experience/experiences).
7. There is room for everyone to sit down. There are plenty of (chairs/furniture).