[Update] What Are Countable Nouns? | countable – NATAVIGUIDES

What Are Countable Nouns? (with Examples)

A countable noun is a noun with both a singular and a plural form (e.g., , ). A , ).

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Examples of Countable Nouns

Here are some examples of countable nouns:

Singular FormPlural Form
pythonpythons
swimmerswimmers
nutnuts
grapegrapes

A countable noun is a noun with both a singular and a plural form (e.g.,). A non-countable noun is a noun without a plural form (e.g.,).Here are some examples of countable nouns:

Examples of Non-countable Nouns

Non-countable nouns don’t have a plural form. They usually fall into one of the following categories:

CategoryExample
Conceptbravery, honesty, intelligence
Activityhomework, playing, reading
Foodbread, butter, milk
Gasair, helium, smoke
Liquidpetrol, water, wine
Materialchalk, cloth, concrete
Item clothing, furniture, luggage
Natural Phenomenongravity, humidity, sunshine
Particlesdust, flour, salt

Non-countable nouns don’t have a plural form. They usually fall into one of the following categories:

More about Countable and Non-countable Nouns

Only a countable noun can be preceded by a number or .

• There are three faithful

  friends

  : an old

  wife

  , an old

  dog

  , and ready money. (Founding Father Benjamin Franklin)

(, , and must all be countable because they are preceded by a number or “an.” You can’t say “two monies” or “a money,” so must be a non-countable noun. Clearly, money can be counted. Remember that we’re talking about the grammatical qualities of the noun , not physical notes and coins.)

Only a countable noun can be preceded by , , or (these are and (these are the determiners used with singular concepts).

• You can learn many

  things

  from children – how much

  patience

  you have, for instance. (Writer Franklin Jones)

( is countable. is non-countable.)

Some Nouns Can Be Countable and Non-Countable

Be aware that some nouns can be non-countable in one context but countable in another. This happens most commonly with nouns that fall into the food and liquid categories of non-countable nouns.

• Do we have much

  coffee

  left? I need a

  coffee

  in the morning.

(Here, the first is a non-countable noun (note it is preceded with ), but the second is a countable noun (note it is preceded by ).)

The nouns and are commonly seen in non-countable and countable forms.

• Apparently, Israel is famous for its baby

  cheeses

  .

• Most works of art, like most

  wines

  , ought to be consumed in the district of their fabrication. (French philosopher Simone Weil)

So, it can start getting complicated. The easiest way to determine whether a noun is countable or non-countable is to have a go at pluralizing it or putting or in front. If you can’t, you’re looking at a non-countable noun.

Some Interesting Countable Nouns

Here are some interesting countable nouns:

Singular FormPlural Form
octopusoctopuses (not octopi)

• is the best option. (It was the original English plural of , a word that derives from Greek.)
• is the Greek plural. (But we’re speaking English.)
• would be the Latin plural if were Latin, which it isn’t.

goosegeese
(The plural of is , and the plural of is the same, .)
sister-in-law sisters-in-law
(With such compound nouns, the principal word is pluralized.)
low lifelow lifes
(It’s not . It just isn’t.)
ninja ninjas or shinobi
( is the best option, but you could use if you wanted to impress someone who understands the “on” and “kun” readings of Japanese characters. is a back-formed singular noun from the plural . They sound completely different because is read using “on” while shinobi is read using “kun.”)

Why Should I Care about Countable and Non-countable Nouns?

There are three noteworthy issues related to countable and non-countable nouns.

(Issue 1) Use with plurals and with non-countable nouns.

Use when referring to people or things in the plural (e.g., , , , , ).

• A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer

  people

  going to the polls. (Politician Dan Quayle)

• One merit of poetry few will deny: it says more and in fewer

  words

  than prose. (French writer Voltaire)

• Our perfect companions never have fewer than four

  feet

  . (French novelist Sidonie Gabrielle Colette)

(Here, is the plural of a foot with toes. If it referred to the distance, then should have been used. There’s more on this below.)

There’s a quirk. Use (as opposed to ) with numbers used with times and measurements.

• Unemployed? You can get a great job in less than three

  months

  . How? Learn to program. (Author Tucker Max)

• Butterflies cannot fly if their body temperature is less than 86

  degrees

  .

Use with non-countable nouns (e.g., , , , , ).

• All of this talk of recession offends me. I am delighted that bankers have less

  money

  . (Actor Chris O’Dowd)

• It takes less

  time

  to do a thing right than to explain why you did it wrong. (US poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

It has to be said that these rules are blurring. Few people would raise an eyebrow at being used with a plural noun, and even fewer would challenge being used with a number that doesn’t quantify a date or a measurement. For now though, especially in written work, stick to the rules.

(Issue 2) Be careful with “number of,” “amount of,” and “quantity of.”

Writers are sometimes unsure whether to use “number of,” “amount of,” or “quantity of.” Let’s start with the easy one, “number of.”

Number Of. “Number of” is used with plural (and therefore countable) nouns.

• The grand aim of all science is to cover the greatest number of empirical

  facts

  by logical deduction from the smallest number of

  hypotheses

  or

  axioms

  . (Albert Einstein)

(The words , , and are all plural nouns.)

• The first [US] census in 1790 asked just six questions: the name of the head of the household, the number of free white

  males

  older than 16, the number of free white

  males

  younger than 16, the number of free white

  females

  , the number of other free

  persons

  , and the number of

  slaves

  . (Author Tom Palmer)

(The words , , , and are all plural nouns.)

Mistakes with “number of” are rare.

Amount Of. “Amount of” is used with non-countable nouns. It is particularly well suited to concepts that are not easily measured.

• He holds a certain amount of

  disdain

  towards her.

( is a non-countable noun, and it’s not easily measured.)

• The one thing I regret is that my work required an enormous amount of

  travel

  . (Astronaut Neil Armstrong)

( is a non-countable noun, and it’s not easily measured.)

• No amount of

  experimentation

  can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong. (Theoretical physicist Albert Einstein)

( is a non-countable noun, and it’s not easily measured.)

The next example is wrong.

• The amount of

  women

  in London who flirt with their own husbands is perfectly scandalous. It looks so bad. It is simply washing one’s clean linen in public. (Playwright Oscar Wilde)

( is plural. It’s a countable noun. This should be .)

Quantity Of. “Quantity of” is used with countable and non-countable nouns. It fits particularly well with concepts that can be measured (especially inanimate ones).

• Greatness is an unusual quantity of a usual

  quality

  grafted upon a common man. (US politician William Allen White)

( is a countable noun. A quality is measurable and it’s inanimate.)

Unlike “amount of” and “number of,” the expression “quantity of” carries a

• When women and men can shed an equal quantity of

  tears

  in public, that’s when we’ll have equal power. (US ambassador Madeleine Kunin)

( is a countable noun. Even though tears are difficult to count or measure, works well here because of the connotation of accuracy.)

• The strength and power of a country depends absolutely on the quantity of good

  men and women

  in it. (Victorian art critic John Ruskin)

( works well here because of the connotation of accuracy. Somewhat ironically, puts more focus on the number than .)

Let’s keep examining this idea that “quantity of” is used with something measurable. The term “amount of sleep” is far more common than “quantity of sleep” because we tend to talk about the quality of sleep, which is a difficult thing to measure.

• Those who succeed seem to need a stupefying amount of

  sleep

  . (Actor Quentin Crisp)

However, some do quantify sleep by measuring it in hours.

• Lifestyle factors such as work schedules and stress affect the quantity of your

  sleep

  .

(This line is from the National Sleep Foundation, which talks a lot about hours of sleep.)

Too complicated? If you’re still unsure whether to “use amount of” or “quantity of” because you can’t decide whether your singular, inanimate concept is measurable or not, then you might be able to avoid the issue by forcing a plural and rewording.

QuestionMethod 1 for forcing a plural:
Precede your word with
“[a countable noun] + “Method 1 for forcing a plural:
Use your word as
an adjective to a countable noun.
a large amount of bread
or
a large quantity of breada large number of loaves of breada large number of bread loaves
a small amount of sugar
or
a small quantity of sugara few cubes of sugara few sugar cubes

(Issue 3) If you precede your noun with a term like “a lot of” or “a pound of,” check you’ve aligned your verb.

Expressing quantity with a non-countable noun is typically done by preceding it with an inexact expression (e.g., , , , ) or an exact measurement (e.g., a spoonful of, two kilograms of, an hour of, three pinches of).

When using an expression with “of” in (e.g., , ), the word before “of” becomes the head word, not the non-countable noun.

• Two bags of cheese has been left outside.

(This is wrong. is the head word. It should be not .)

• A box of the cheeses have been left outside.

(This is wrong. It should be because is singular.)

So, when using an expression with the format “A of B,” remember that A is the head word. This means the expression is singular if A is singular but plural if A is plural. It doesn’t matter one jot to the verb whether B is singular or plural…ordinarily.

I say “ordinarily” because there are some quirky ones. When using the expression “a lot of B,” “half of B,” “the majority of B,” or “a percentage of B,” the expression is singular if B is singular but plural if B is plural.

• A lot of cheese has been left outside.
• A lot of cheeses have been left outside.

This is covered more in

Key Points

• Use “fewer” with plural nouns. Use “less” with singular nouns. Use “less” with numbers when they quantify dates or measurements.

• Use “number of” with plural nouns. Use “amount of” with singular nouns. Use “quantity of” with either, especially if your concept is measurable and you want to allude to accuracy in counting.

• When you use an expression in the format “A of B,” remember that A governs the verb.
• The box of tapes was empty.

( (which is singular) aligns with not .)

Ready for the Test?

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Here is afor this lesson.This test can also be:

Only a countable noun can be preceded by a number orOnly a countable noun can be preceded by, or(these are determiners used with plurals). Similarly, only a non-countable noun can be preceded byand(these are the determiners used with singular concepts).Be aware that some nouns can be non-countable in one context but countable in another. This happens most commonly with nouns that fall into the food and liquid categories of non-countable nouns.The nounsandare commonly seen in non-countable and countable forms.So, it can start getting complicated. The easiest way to determine whether a noun is countable or non-countable is to have a go at pluralizing it or puttingorin front. If you can’t, you’re looking at a non-countable noun.Here are some interesting countable nouns:There are three noteworthy issues related to countable and non-countable nouns.Usewhen referring to people or things in the plural (e.g.,).There’s a quirk. Use(as opposed to) with numbers used with times and measurements.Usewith non-countable nouns (e.g.,).It has to be said that these rules are blurring. Few people would raise an eyebrow atbeing used with a plural noun, and even fewer would challengebeing used with a number that doesn’t quantify a date or a measurement. For now though, especially in written work, stick to the rules.Writers are sometimes unsure whether to use “number of,” “amount of,” or “quantity of.” Let’s start with the easy one, “number of.”. “Number of” is used with plural (and therefore countable) nouns.Mistakes with “number of” are rare.. “Amount of” is used with non-countable nouns. It is particularly well suited to concepts that are not easily measured.The next example is wrong.. “Quantity of” is used with countable and non-countable nouns. It fits particularly well with concepts that can be measured (especially inanimate ones).Unlike “amount of” and “number of,” the expression “quantity of” carries a connotation of accuracy.Let’s keep examining this idea that “quantity of” is used with something measurable. The term “amount of sleep” is far more common than “quantity of sleep” because we tend to talk about the quality of sleep, which is a difficult thing to measure.However, some do quantify sleep by measuring it in hours.Too complicated? If you’re still unsure whether to “use amount of” or “quantity of” because you can’t decide whether your singular, inanimate concept is measurable or not, then you might be able to avoid the issue by forcing a plural and rewording.Expressing quantity with a non-countable noun is typically done by preceding it with an inexact expression (e.g.,) or an exact measurement (e.g., a spoonful of, two kilograms of, an hour of, three pinches of). When using an expression with “of” in (e.g.,), the word before “of” becomes the head word, not the non-countable noun.So, when using an expression with the format “A of B,” remember that A is the head word. This means the expression is singular if A is singular but plural if A is plural. It doesn’t matter one jot to the verb whether B is singular or plural…ordinarily.I say “ordinarily” because there are some quirky ones. When using the expression “a lot of B,” “half of B,” “the majority of B,” or “a percentage of B,” the expression is singular if B is singular but plural if B is plural.This is covered more in subject-verb agreement and prepositional phrases

Countable and Uncountable Nouns! Substantivos Contáveis e Incontáveis em Inglês! Como entender isso de uma vez por todas e não fazer confusão? Será que tem um jeito fácil e rápido para aprender isso? Continue lendo para aprender essa coisa de countable e uncountable nouns de uma vez por toda.

Temos isso em português?

Antes de irmos para o inglês, vamos falar um pouco sobre isso na língua portuguesa. Você já deve ter notado que em anos estudando português na escola a gente não estuda algo parecido. Eu pelo menos não me lembro de ter tido aulas que tinham esse tópico. O que me lembro bem que tive aulas sobre singular e plural. Já esse coisa de substantivos contáveis e incontáveis não lembro de ter tido. Portanto, creio que muita gente faz confusão sobre esse assunto justamente por causa da falta deste tema em nossas aulas.

Assim, fica a pergunta: como aprender os countable and uncountable nouns da língua inglesa?

Vamos lá!

Countable Nouns

A dica para entender isso é bem simples!

Basta você lembrar que countable nouns (substantivos contáveis) são aqueles substantivos (palavras) que têm tanto uma forma singular quanto uma forma plural. Por exemplo:

• cat (gato) e cats (gatos)
• table (mesa), tables (mesas)
• book (livro), books (livros)
• newspaper (jornal), newspapers (jornais)
• pen (caneta), pens (canetas)

Veja que todas na lista acima temos a forma singular e plural de várias palavras. Portanto, podemos dizer que elas são countable nouns em inglês. Não é nada tão complicado assim entender os countable nouns. Afinal, quase tudo no mundo tem singular e plural. Agora, o que dizer dos uncountable nouns? O que é isso? Como entender isso? Vejamos!

Leia também: Quando usar Many e Much

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns (substantivos incontáveis) é o nome que damos paras as coisas que geralmente só existem no plural. Se nós tivéssemos esse tópico nas gramáticas do português, eu diria que palavras como lápis e  seriam classificadas como incontáveis. Afinal, essas palavras só existem nessas formas. Para entender bem isso, basta tentar responder a seguinte pergunta: qual é o plural de lápis?

Você nem precisa pensar muito para saber que em português nós dizemos um lápis, dois lápis, três lápis, etc. Nós não falamos lápises! O mesmo vale para um pires, dois pires, cinco pires, etc. Não há a forma pireses. Com essas duas palavras, espero que você esteja começando a entender a ideia de uncountable nouns. Então, vamos continuar!

Em inglês, os uncountable nouns são palavras que só existem na forma singular. Ou seja, nada de forma plural para elas. Alguns exemplos são:

• water (água)
• coffee (café)
• milk (leite)
• sugar (açúcar)
• cheese (queijo)
• rice (arroz)
• butter (manteiga)
• oxygen (oxigênio)
• wine (vinho)
• beer (cerveja)
• luck (sorte)
• salt (sal)
• money (dinheiro)

Esses substantivos acima são considerados incontáveis, pois não costumamos dizê-los ou escrevê-los no plural. Ou seja, não é comum dizermos two waters (duas águas), three waters (três águas), four waters (quatro águas), etc. Essa é a ideia dos uncountable nouns: palavras (substantivos) em inglês que não possuem forma plural.

Uncountable Nouns: um problema comum

Muitos estudantes de inglês no Brasil, quando se deparam com esse assunto, costumam fazer confusão sobre esse assunto pois acreditam que ao falarmos “uma água”, “duas águas”, “três águas”, etc., estamos aí diante de algo normal e que, portanto, em inglês deve também fazer sentido. Se você está com isso na cabeça, continue lendo!

Concordo que a gente realmente fale certas coisas no plural: duas águas, três cafés, seis cervejas. Mas, as pessoas esquecem que não contamos o líquido. O que contamos é a quantidade que compramos ou tomamos. Logo, é preciso colocar em contexto para entender a diferença. Ou seja, quando alguém diz “traz duas águas pra mim”, o que ela quer dizer é “traz duas garrafas de água pra mim”. No dia a dia, nós cortamos a sentença, pois já está claro no contexto o que queremos dizer. Se você entender isso, certamente compreenderá a ideia de countable and uncountable nouns. Outros exemplos:

• Eu quero duas cervejas. (Eu quero duas latinhas de cerveja.)
• Ela tomou seis cafés. (Ela tomou seis xícaras de café.)

Em inglês informal isso também é possível. Então, você poderá ouvir alguém dizendo algo como “I want two beers” e “she had six coffees”. Mas, nesses casos, lembre-se que a pessoa estará se referindo à quantidade e não ao liquido em si.

Countable and Uncountable Nouns: diferenças

O interessante, porém, em inglês é que há coisas que para eles são incontáveis e para nós são contáveis. Um exemplo é a palavra pão. Em português, temos o plural pães. Portanto, contamos: um pão, dois pães, três pães, etc. Já em inglês, bread é incontável, ou seja, nunca diga one bread, two breads, three breads… O melhor é dizer a roll of bread (um pão), two rolls of bread (dois pães), three rolls of bread (três pães) e assim por diante.

Há outras palavras assim em inglês. As usadas com mais frequência são:

• information (informação)
• slang (gíria)
• baggage e luggage (bagagem),
• furniture (mobília, móveis)
• advice (conselho)
• fruit (fruta)

Essas palavras e ainda outras  você deverá aprender como palavras novas e não como regras gramaticais. Ou seja, não adianta pegar uma lista de countable and uncountable nouns e tentar decorar. O melhor a fazer é aprender o uso das palavras de modo natural e com o tempo. Só assim, você terá os countable and uncountable nouns na ponta da língua.

Gostou da dica!? Então, continue lendo muitas outras dicas aqui do site para você ficar ainda mais com seu Inglês na Ponta da Língua.