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Matthew is from New Zealand. He taught English in Tokyo and Auckland from 2002 to 2011. Now he lives in Brazil. In his spare time he plays tennis, cricket and guitar. He does crosswords, plays video games and likes to cook. He would like to go surfing, but he lives more than 1,000 km from the sea. He speaks decent Japanese and is learning Portuguese. Matthew is co-founder of Poligo.
Difficulties with Uncountable Nouns
By Matthew, 15 October 2008 - 6:31pm
Grammar name (English):
Uncountable NounsThis grammar point explains some difficulties with uncountable nouns.
There are some difficulties associated with uncountable nouns. Sometimes it is difficult to know if a noun is uncountable or not.
Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable. Often the meaning is different when a word is used as a countable noun and when it is used as an uncountable noun.
Look at the table below:
| Uncountable Example | Countable Example | |
| Glass | Windows are made of glass. | Could I have a glass of water, please. |
| Hair | Her hair is beautiful. | I found a hair in my soup. |
| Paper | We should recycle paper. | I'd like a paper, please. |
At times, two nouns may seem very similar, but one is uncountable and one is countable. We may intuitively assume that a noun is uncountable, only to find out that it is countable.
Look at the table below:
| Fruit | Uncountable |
| Vegetable | Countable |
| Broccoli | Uncountable |
| Cucumber | Countable |
If you are unsure, it is best to look up the word in a dictionary. Remember that "Count Noun" means "Countable Noun" and "Mass Noun" means "Uncountable Noun".
Find online dictionary tips here | Learn more about countable nouns.