Countable and uncountable nouns

What you'll learn

Some nouns are countable: you can count them.

• one apple, two apples
• a chair, three chairs

Other nouns are uncountable: we do not usually count them one by one.

• water
• rice
• bread
• information

Start with these examples

• an apple / two apples
• some water
• a bottle of water

Countable nouns

Countable nouns can be singular or plural.

• a book
• two books
• some books
• many books

Use a/an with one singular countable noun.

• an apple
• a chair

Uncountable nouns

Uncountable nouns do not usually have a plural -s.

• some water
• some rice
• some bread
• some information

Do not use a/an directly before them.

• a water ✗ → some water
• an information ✗ → some information

Count a quantity

Use a container or unit when you need an exact amount.

• a bottle of water
• a cup of coffee
• a loaf of bread
• a piece of information

Common mistakes

• a rice → some rice
• two breads → two loaves of bread
• an advice → some advice
• many water → a lot of water / much water

Quick check

• an apple / an rice
• some bread / some breads
• two bottles of water / two waters

Next step

Use the present continuous for actions happening now.