top of page

Countable and Uncountable (I'm Starving!)

Untitled_Artwork.jpg

Rory is home from school. He's hungry, as usual!

When there is one of something we put a or an in front of the noun.

 

  • a lemon 

​

When a noun starts with a, e, i, o, or u, it gets an.

 

  • an onion

Is there anything to eat? All I can see is a lemon and an onion in the fridge!

Untitled_Artwork 1.jpg

Seriously, Mac! I need to eat! I AM STARVING!

OK! Don’t panic, Rory! Ehh... look for eggs.

Some things are easy to count, like…

  • one lemon

  • two onions

  • three eggs

 

We call these countable nouns.

Untitled_Artwork 2.jpg

Eggs…where are the eggs?

I definitely saw eggs!

When there is more than one countable thing, we make it a plural by adding an s for most nouns.

 

  • egg….eggs

  • lemon….lemons

  • onion….onions

Untitled_Artwork.png

When we aren’t specific about the number of things, we use some or any. Any is for the negative and questions.

 

  • There are some eggs.

  • Are there any eggs?

  • There aren’t any eggs.

Are there any eggs? ….Nope, I don’t see any eggs…Oh, I think I see some eggs at the back!

I told you!

Untitled_Artwork 3.jpg

How many eggs are there?

With countable nouns we also use many in how many?

​

  • How many eggs are there?

  • How many lemons do you need?

  • How many books do you have?

  • How many clouds do you see?

Untitled_Artwork 4.jpg

Let me see... there are two eggs!

Great! Now, look in the cupboard for flour.

Flour is not easy to count. So we call it an uncountable noun.  Here are a few more examples of uncountable nouns…

  • sugar

  • milk

  • salt

  • chocolate

  • water

Untitled_Artwork.png

Is there any flour?... Let me see…. No, there isn’t any flour…. Oh wait, yes, I have some flour! 

Excellent! Let me check the recipe.

For uncountable nouns we generally don’t use the plural.

  • flour….. flours

  • sugar…. sugars

  • butter… butters

 

And we use the singular of the verb.

  • There is some flour.

  • Is there any flour?

  • No, there isn’t any flour.

Untitled_Artwork 6.jpg

How much flour do we need?

300 grams. We have enough! And we have milk so we can make pancakes.

For uncountable nouns we use much in how much

 

  • How much flour do we need?

  • How much butter is there?

  • How much milk is left?

  • How much chocolate did you eat?

X

X

X

Untitled_Artwork 7.jpg

Pancakes!!!! I LOVE PANCAKES! I love you, Mac!!!

Yeah, yeah! Come on! Start mixing!

...And so Mac saved Rory from a bad attack of the munchies!

  • fridge (UK English) refrigerator (US English) 

  • starving: really hungry

  • panic: feel worried suddenly

  • cupboard: place with a door and shelves where you put things

  • flour: the white powder you use to make cakes

  • recipe: the instructions for making a cake or dinner

  • pancake: flat cake type food made with eggs, flour and milk

  • munchies: a need for food

Glossary

Untitled_Artwork.png
Untitled_Artwork (1).png
17._Countable_Uncountable_Page-01.png

10 Questions Quiz

Untitled_Artwork (1).png

Choose another grammar story now

or return to Home!

​

​

​

Notebook.png
bottom of page