4.1: Count and Non-Count Nouns
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- 255985
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Nouns
Nouns are words that name things, places, people, and ideas. Right now, you may be surrounded by desks, computers, and notebooks. These are called count nouns because you can count the exact number of desks, computers, and notebooks—three desks, one computer, and six notebooks, for example.
On the other hand, you may be carrying a small amount of money in your wallet and sitting on a piece of furniture. These are called non-count nouns. Although you can count the pieces of furniture or the amount of money, you cannot add a number in front of money or furniture and simply add -s to the end of the noun. Instead, you must use other words and phrases to indicate the quantity of money and furniture.
Incorrect: five moneys, two furnitures, three sugars
Correct: some money, two pieces of furniture, two teaspoons of sugar
Count and Non-count Nouns
A count noun refers to people, places, and things that are separate units. You make count nouns plural by adding -s.
|
Count Noun |
Sentence |
|---|---|
|
Quarter |
It takes six quarters to do my laundry. |
|
Chair |
Make sure to push in your chairs before leaving class. |
|
Candidate |
The two candidates debated the issue. |
|
Adult |
The three adults in the room acted like children. |
| Orange | I ate two oranges with my lunch. |
A non-count noun identifies a whole object that cannot be separated and is counted individually. Non-count nouns may refer to concrete objects or abstract objects. A concrete noun identifies an object you can see, taste, touch, or count. An abstract noun identifies an object that you cannot see, touch, or count. There are some exceptions, but most abstract nouns cannot be made plural, so they are non-count nouns. Examples of abstract nouns include anger, education, melancholy, softness, violence, and conduct.
|
Type of Non-count |
Noun |
Examples Sentence |
|---|---|---|
|
Food |
sugar, salt, pepper, lettuce, rice |
Add more sugar to my coffee, please. |
|
Solids |
wood, chocolate, silver, soap |
The ice cream was covered in creamy chocolate. |
| Liquids | water, milk, coffee, juice, wine | Lou drinks coffee with her breakfast. |
|
Abstract Nouns |
peace, safety, happiness, information |
I need more information about the insurance policy. |
Example: Chair vs. Furniture
The sentence pairs below compare the count noun chair and the noncount noun furniture.
-->There are chairs in the room. (correct)
X There are furnitures in the room. (incorrect)
-->There is a chair in the room. (correct)
X There is a furniture in the room. (incorrect)
X There is chair in the room. (incorrect)
-->There is furniture in the room. (correct)
-->There are several chairs in the room. (correct)
X There are several furnitures in the room. (incorrect)
Exercise 1.1
Identify whether the italicized nouns in the sentences are count or non-count nouns by writing C or NC in the blank. Some questions have two answers.
- _____ The amount of traffic on the way home was terrible.
- _____ Forgiveness is an important part of growing up.
- _____ _____ I made caramel sauce for the organic apples I bought.
- _____ I prefer film cameras instead of digital ones.
- _____ _____ My favorite subject is history.
- _____ _____“Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.”
Exercise 1.2
Choose the item that does not belong.
- bean water salt
- information advice idea
- bread apple water
- toy man meat
- rice lettuce tomato
Exercises created by Allyson Marceau-CC licensed content, Original
Adaptation of Wikipedia content from Lumen Learning-Writing for Success: License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
Count noun/Mass noun/. Provided by: Wikipedia. Located at: Wikipedia-Count Nouns License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Chair. Authored by: Petr Kratochvil. Located at: http://www.freestockphotos.biz/stockphoto/9530. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
- You can make count nouns plural by adding -s.
- Count nouns are individual people, places, or things that can be counted, such as politicians, deserts, or candles.
- Non-count nouns refer to whole things that cannot be made plural, such as salt, peace, or happiness.