Countable and uncountable nouns: rules and examples

These nouns are countable in some other languages, so learners often add -s or put a or an in front of them. In standard English they are uncountable. To count them, put a unit word in front, such as a piece of or an item of.

Many nouns are uncountable in one meaning and countable in another. The meaning, not the word, decides.

Use a unit or container word before of: a piece of advice, a bottle of water, a cup of tea, a slice of bread, a kilo of rice, a loaf of bread, an item of clothing. The unit word becomes the countable noun, so it takes the plural: "two bottles of water", not "two bottle of waters".

When an uncountable noun is the subject, the verb is singular: "The equipment is new." "Your feedback was useful."

• Wrong: She gave me many advices before the interview.

  Right: She gave me a lot of advice before the interview.

  Advice is uncountable, so it has no plural and doesn't go with many.

• Wrong: I need an information about the course.

  Right: I need some information about the course.

  Uncountable nouns don't take a or an. Use some, or a piece of information.

• Wrong: We bought new furnitures for the flat.

  Right: We bought new furniture for the flat.

  Furniture is uncountable. Say pieces of furniture to count it.

• Wrong: The lab equipments are very expensive.

  Right: The lab equipment is very expensive.

  Equipment is uncountable, so it has no plural and takes a singular verb.

• Wrong: How much people attended the seminar?

  Right: How many people attended the seminar?

  People is a plural countable noun, so it takes many.

In IELTS Writing Task 1 the noun decides the phrase: "the number of cars" but "the amount of water". In Task 2 and PTE Write Essay, nouns such as research, knowledge, advice and equipment come up often, and writing "researches" or "knowledges" is an accuracy error that examiners notice. In IELTS Speaking, saying "an information" or "furnitures" is a common slip, so practise these nouns aloud until the correct form feels natural.

Try each one, then open it to check your answer.

1. 1. Correct this: "Thank you for your feedbacks."

   Thank you for your feedback.

   Feedback is uncountable, so it has no plural.

2. 2. Much or many? "How ___ luggage do you have?"

   much

   Luggage is uncountable.

3. 3. Countable or uncountable? "She had a frightening experience."

   Countable.

   Here experience means one event, so it takes a.

4. 4. Complete this: "Can you give me a ___ of advice?"

   piece

   A piece of turns uncountable advice into something you can count.

5. 5. Is or are? "The research ___ still going on."

   is

   Research is uncountable, so it takes a singular verb.

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