Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Nouns can come in two forms: countable or uncountable. Hence, it is important to know how to express countable and uncountable nouns.

There are more countable nouns than uncountable ones. Countable nouns can be used in both singular and plural forms, unlike uncountable nouns, which have only one form.

To use a countable noun in a plural form, the suffix “-s” can be added after the word.

• Can I have a book, please?
• Can I have some books, please?

In the countable noun examples above, “s” was added to “book” to make it plural. There are also occasions when “es” are added to change a noun to its plural form. To know when to add the suffix “-es” to a noun to get its plural form, check which sound the word ends with. If it is a vowel sound, you should add “es” after the word. On the other hand, if it ends with a consonant sound, you should add only “s.”

In addition, when using countable nouns, “a” or “an” are used before the noun, while “some” or a number is added before its plural. To know where to use either “a” or “an,” check the sound that the noun begins with. If it starts with a vowel sound, make use of “an,” and if it begins with a consonant sound, add “a” before the word.

See these examples:

• I have an apple in the kitchen.
• There is a cat on the porch.
• Can I get a blue pen, please?
• Can I get some potatoes on my plate?
• There are some boys on the field.
• I have two friends at my school.
• I bought three oranges yesterday.

On the other hand, there are nouns without plural forms, which we already identified as uncountable nouns. They have just one form, and suffixes such as -s or -es cannot be added to the word to make it plural because they are already uncountable. Think about sand, can you count them? No, you cannot. What about air? It is also uncountable. When you don’t know whether a noun is countable or uncountable, think about it. If they cannot be counted in the same way that pens, books, or other countable items can, they are most likely uncountable nouns.

During communication, if you want to express an uncountable noun, words such as “a” or “an” shouldn’t be added before such words. Although you can add “some” before the noun to give an idea of its extent.

Examples of uncountable nouns without plural forms are:

• To be successful in this field, you need to carry out a lot of research.
• Do you have some paper I could use?
• Can I get some cake?
• Do you have any information on my missing cat?