Countable Nouns & Uncountable Nouns

• Countable Nouns

The major division of English nouns is into "countable" and "uncountable".

Countable nouns are easy to recognize. They are things that we can count. For example: "pen". We can count pens. We can have one, two, three or more pens. Here are some more countable nouns:

• dog, cat, animal, man, person
• bottle, box, litre
• coin, note, dollar
• cup, plate, fork
• table, chair, suitcase, bag

Countable nouns can be singular or plural:

• My dog is playing.
• My dogs are hungry.

We can use the indefinite article a/an with countable nouns:

• A dog is an animal.

Countable nouns are also called "count nouns".

When a countable noun is singular, we must use a word like a/the/my/this with it:

• I want an orange. (not I want orange.)
• Where is my bottle? (not Where is bottle?)

When a countable noun is plural, we can use it alone:

• I like oranges.
• Bottles can break.

We can use some and any with countable nouns:

• I've got some dollars.
• Have you got any pens?

We can use a few and many with countable nouns:

• I've got a few dollars.
• I haven't got many pens.

"People" is countable. "People" is the plural of "person". We can count people:
There is one person here.
There are three people here.

• Uncountable Nouns

Unlike countable nouns, uncountable nouns are substances, concepts etc that we cannot divide into separate elements. We cannot "count" them. For example, we cannot count "milk". We can count "bottles of milk" or "litres of milk", but we cannot count "milk" itself. Here are some more uncountable nouns:

• music, art, love, happiness
• advice, information, news
• furniture, luggage
• rice, sugar, butter, water
• electricity, gas, power
• money, currency

We usually treat uncountable nouns as singular. We use a singular verb. For example:

• This news is very important.
• Your luggage looks heavy.

We do not usually use the indefinite article a/an with uncountable nouns. We cannot say "an information" or "a music". But we can say a "something" of:

• a piece of news
• a bottle of water
• a grain of rice

We can use some and any with uncountable nouns:

• I've got some money.
• Have you got any rice?

We can use a little and much with uncountable nouns:

• I've got a little money.
• I haven't got much rice.

Uncountable nouns are also called "mass nouns".

Here are some more examples of countable and uncountable nouns:

Countable	Uncountable
dollar	money
song	music
suitcase	luggage
table	furniture
battery	electricity
bottle	wine
report	information
tip	advice
journey	travel
job	work
view	scenery

When you learn a new word, it's a good idea to learn whether it's countable or uncountable.

Partitive Structure with Uncountable Nouns

To count or quantify an uncountable noun we use a unit of measurement - a measure word. For example, we cannot usually say “two breads” because “bread” is uncountable. So, if we want to specify a quantity of bread we use a measure word such as “loaf” or “slice” in a structure like “two loaves of bread” or “two slices of bread”. We call this structure a partitive structure.

partitive structure:	quantity	measure word	of	uncountable noun
examples:	two	cups	of	coffee
	several	games	of	tennis
	a	drop	of	water

We can use the same uncountable noun in different partitive expressions with different meanings. For example, a loaf of bread and a slice of bread are partitive expressions with different meanings. A loaf of bread is what we call a whole unit of bread that we buy from a baker. A slice of bread is what we call a smaller unit of bread after it has been cut from a loaf. 

Here are some more examples:

• Don't forget to buy a bag of rice when you go shopping.
• Can I have one cup of coffee and two cups of tea.
• The police found some items of clothing scattered around the floor.
• I need a truck that will take at least three pieces of furniture.
• You'd think a tablespoon of honey would be more than enough.

The word "partitive" indicates that only "part" of a whole is being referred to. The partitive structure using a measure word is common with uncountable nouns, but it can also be used with countable nouns, for example: a series of accidents, two boxes of matches, a can of worms.

• Measure Words with Uncountable Nouns

  This list shows some common measure words like "a bar of" or "a piece of" that we use to "measure" uncountable nouns.
  
  • a bag of flour | rice | gold dust
  • a bar of chocolate | gold | soap
  • a bottle of Coke | milk | water | wine
  • a bowl of cereal | rice | soup
  • a box of cereal | paper
  • a can of cream | meat | tuna
  • a carton of ice-cream | orange juice | milk
  • a cup of hot chocolate | coffee | tea
  • a drop of blood | oil | water
  • a glass of beer | juice | water | wine
  • a grain of rice | sand | truth
  • an item of clothing | expenditure | news
  • a jar of honey | jam | peanut butter
  • a piece of advice | furniture | paper
  • a roll of paper | tape | toilet paper | Scotch tape
  • a slice of bread | cheese | meat | toast
  • a spoonful of sugar | syrup | whisky
  • a tablespoon of butter | honey | ketchup
  • a teaspoon of cinnamon | medicine | salt
  • a tube of glue | lipstick | toothpaste
  Measure words are common with uncountable nouns, but some of them can also be used with countable nouns, for example: two boxes of matches, a can of worms

• Partitive Expressions with Uncountable Nouns

  This is a list of one hundred partitive expressions containing a partitive + uncountable noun, each with an example sentence. The expressions are in alphabetical order based on the uncountable noun.
  See also: the grammar of partitives and uncountable nouns
  

  partitive expression	example sentence
  a torrent of abuse	The manager was so angry that he let loose a torrent of abuse at his workers.
  a piece of advice	Can I offer you a piece of advice about investing your savings?
  a fit of anger	Harry slapped his girlfriend in a fit of anger.
  a work of art	Everyone says her garden’s a work of art, it’s so beautiful.
  a rasher of bacon	How many rashers of bacon would you like with your breakfast?
  a glass of beer	The police wanted to know how many glasses of beer he had drunk.
  a drop of blood	There were two or three drops of blood on the carpet.
  a spot of bother	I’m in a spot of bother because I can’t find my car keys, and I’m already late.
  a loaf of bread	How much does a loaf of bread cost in Japan?
  a pat of butter	Could I have three pats of butter and some jam, please?
  a game of chess	We played three games of chess, and Bobby won all of them.
  a bar of chocolate	If you’re a good boy, I’ll give you a bar of chocolate.
  an item of clothing	Put any items of clothing you no longer need into this box.
  a lump of coal	The kids found some lumps of coal beside the railway tracks, and took them home.
  a cup of coffee	The first thing I do when I get to work is have a cup of coffee.
  an ear of corn	Ears of corn are usually steamed or boiled and then served with butter.
  a scrap of difference	Writing letters to corrupt politicians won’t make a scrap of difference to the way they behave.
  a speck of dust	They have no kids, and you won't find a speck of dust in their home.
  a scrap of evidence	There wasn’t a scrap of evidence to prove he’d done it, but he was still sent to jail for life.
  an item of expenditure	You must have a receipt for every item of expenditure you want to claim.
  an article of faith	Freedom of expression is an article of faith among truly democratic people.
  a morsel of food	There wasn’t a morsel of food left in the house, so we had to go out for dinner.
  a breath of fresh air	The room was crowded and I felt faint so I went outside for a breath of fresh air.
  a piece of fruit	Everyone should eat at least three pieces of fruit a day.
  a bit of fun	After working hard all day, we felt like having a bit of fun.
  a piece of furniture	We need a piece of furniture that will look good in that empty corner.
  a clove of garlic	Take two cloves of garlic, crush them, and then add them to the soup.
  a pane of glass	You have to be very careful when transporting panes of glass.
  a blade of grass	The ant walked all the way up the blade of grass, and then all the way down again.
  a pang of guilt	When I saw my brother being punished for what I’d done, I felt a pang of guilt.
  a lock of hair	He kept a lock of her hair in a small tin box with his other most precious possessions.
  a jar of honey	She stuck her fingers into the jar of honey, and then slowly licked them clean.
  a glimmer of hope	The president gave us a glimmer of hope when he promised to look into the issue.
  a sense of humour	He lacks a sense of humour, and his laughter never sounds real.
  a pang of hunger	I felt a pang of hunger, and knew it must be getting close to lunchtime.
  a block of ice	How long do you think it’d take for this block of ice to melt?
  a scoop of ice cream	You don’t really need three scoops of ice cream on your apple pie, do you?
  a piece of information	There was an important piece of information missing from the report.
  a plea of innocence	He maintained his plea of innocence, even though everyone said he was guilty.
  a touch of irony	There was often a touch of irony in his voice when he spoke.
  a jar of jam	If you leave a jar of jam open on the bench, the ants will find it.
  a glass of juice	I’d like a glass of juice, but only if the juice is freshly squeezed.
  an act of kindness	A simple act of kindness to a stranger is a wonderful thing.
  a piece of land	My grandfather bought this piece of land over a hundred years ago.
  a peal of laughter	We heard peals of laughter coming from her bedroom.

  
  

  a ray of light	As dawn broke, rays of light rose from behind the mountains.
  a flash of lightning	The sky was lit up by flashes of lightning.
  a work of literature	Poems, plays, novels and short stories are all works of literature.
  a stroke of luck	Was finding her there a stroke of luck, or did he know she’d be there?
  a piece of luggage	You can carry one small piece of luggage onto the plane.
  a case of measles	Was it really a case of measles, or another disease that looked like measles?
  a slice of meat	Put one slice of meat into every sandwich, with some lettuce and tomato.
  a dose of medicine	I was given a dose of medicine that tasted like liquid chalk.
  a bottle of milk	Every morning the milkman would leave two bottles of milk on our doorstep.
  a litre of milk	How many litres of milk do we need?
  a piece of music	That was one of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve ever heard!
  an item of news	Who decides if something becomes an item of news, or not?
  a litre of oil	How much does a litre of oil cost?
  a coat of paint	The house did look better after a coat of paint. But really it needed two or three coats.
  a piece of paper	I wrote his number on a piece of paper and slipped it into my wallet.
  a crime of passion	His lawyer said it wasn’t premeditated murder, but a crime of passion.
  a dab of perfume	A couple of dabs of perfume on my neck, and I was ready to go.
  an abuse of power	Using falsified evidence to justify a war is a criminal abuse of power.
  a shower of rain	We got caught in a shower of rain while walking to the station.
  a sign of respect	In many cultures, bowing to someone is a sign of respect.
  an act of revenge	He’d harmed many people in his life, so his murder was probably an act of revenge.
  a bowl of rice	Would you like another bowl of rice?
  a grain of rice	There wasn’t a single grain of rice left in the village.
  a pile of rubbish	We found the bottles dumped in a pile of rubbish behind the factory.
  a glass of rum	After drinking four or five glasses of rum, I felt sick.
  a pinch of salt	Add two or three pinches of salt as the water is coming to the boil.
  a plate of seafood	How many plates of seafood should we order for the party?
  a sense of shame	I doubt he’s capable of feeling a sense of shame for what he’s done.
  a minute of silence	There was a minute of silence before the game began.
  a wall of silence	The fear of punishment created a wall of silence around the truth.
  a night of sleep	I think I've had about three nights of sleep in the six weeks since our baby was born.
  a cloud of smoke	After the riots, you could see clouds of smoke rising into the sky as buildings around the city burned.
  a fall of snow	A heavy fall of snow left the whole landscape a glistening white.
  a cake of soap	Talk about extravagant! She uses a new cake of soap each time she showers.
  a feeling of sorrow	There was a feeling of sorrow in the room as everyone thought about what had happened.
  a bowl of soup	As soon as we all sat down, she brought three big bowls of soup and three spoons.
  a lump of sugar	The was a little jar on the table full of lumps of sugar.
  a spoonful of sugar	How many spoonfuls of sugar do you like in your tea?
  a ray of sunshine	Barry said his baby daughter was a little ray of sunshine in his life.
  a cup of tea	Do you prefer a cup of tea with your breakfast, or a cup of coffee?
  a game of tennis	It’s just a game of tennis, so I don’t know why you’re getting so upset!
  a clap of thunder	The silence was shattered by two sudden, loud claps of thunder.
  a moment of time	It was a moment of time that nobody who was there will ever forget.
  a grain of truth	She said there wasn’t a grain of truth in her husband’s story.
  an act of vengeance	The police suspected the fire had been deliberately lit as an act of vengeance.
  an outbreak of violence	After years of injustice, outbreaks of violence were becoming more frequent.
  a drop of water	The drop of water slowly grew, and then it fell from the tap.
  a sign of wealth	The signs of wealth that took him fifty years to earn hardly seemed worth it.
  an ear of wheat	The winning photograph is a close-up of a single ear of wheat.
  a shot of whiskey	As soon as he sat down at the bar, Hunter downed a shot of whiskey.
  a gust of wind	A gust of wind grabbed the kite and swept it into an acrobatic loop.
  a glass of wine	Our waiter knocked over two glasses of wine as he tried to set down a plate.
  a pearl of wisdom	After stroking his beard and smiling, the guru dispensed a pearl of wisdom to his followers.
  a block of wood	Jam some blocks of wood behind its back wheels, or the truck will roll down the hill.
  a ball of wool	It’s just a tangle of wool now, but it was a ball of wool before our kitten found it.
  a day of work	The workers only get five or six dollars for a full day of work.

  Note that most of the above partitive expressions collocate strongly.

Nouns that can be Countable and Uncountable

Sometimes, the same noun can be countable and uncountable, often with a change of meaning.

Countable		Uncountable
There are two hairs in my coffee!	hair	I don't have much hair.
There are two lights in our bedroom.	light	Close the curtain. There's too much light!
Shhhhh! I thought I heard a noise. There are so many different noises in the city.	noise	It's difficult to work when there is so much noise.
Have you got a paper to read? (newspaper) Hand me those student papers.	paper	I want to draw a picture. Have you got some paper?
Our house has seven rooms.	room	Is there room for me to sit here?
We had a great time at the party. How many times have I told you no?	time	Have you got time for a cup of coffee?
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's greatest works.	work	I have no money. I need work!

Drinks (coffee, water, orange juice) are usually uncountable. But if we are thinking of a cup or a glass, we can say (in a restaurant, for example):
Two teas and one coffee please.

https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/nouns-countable.htm
https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/nouns-countable-un.htm