What is the difference between countable and uncountable nouns?

Uncountable nouns have specific characteristics that clearly differentiate them from countable nouns. For example:

• They do not have a plural, therefore they are always stated in the singular.
• They don’t carry the articles ‘a’ or ‘an.’
• They are accompanied by words related to:
  • amount: a lot/”much”; little/”little”; less/”less”; a lot/”a lot.”
  • measures: a liter of/”a liter of”; 100 grams of/”100 grams of”; 1 tablespoon of/”1 tablespoon of.”
  • containers: a cup of/”a cup of”; a bottle of/”a bottle of.”
• They do not have numeral quantifiers but indefinite ones: a little sugar/”a little sugar”; We have a lot of time/”We have a lot of time.”
• When they go after a verb as a direct object, they do not have an article: There is milk in the fridge./”There is milk in the fridge”; I drink coffee every morning./”I drink coffee every morning.”

Other examples of uncountable nouns

Water/”water”, Skin/”skin”, Wood/”wood”, Tea/”tea”, Air/”air”, Heat/”heat”, Cotton/”cotton”, Salt/”salt”, Rain/”rain”, Joy/”joy”, Smoke/”smoke”, Flour/”flour”, Snow, Music/”music”, Blood/”blood”, Fat, Fire/”fire”, Light/”light”, Wine, Juice/”juice”

How to tell if a noun is countable or uncountable

In addition to the features mentioned above that clearly distinguish countable and uncountable nouns, there is another, even easier way to identify them correctly. Simply, the following question should be asked: How many?/”How many?”

If we can easily answer the question, it is a countable noun. If, otherwise, we cannot answer it, we will be faced with an uncountable noun.

Also, they can be differentiated by paying attention to the accompanying words. There are words that only go with countable nouns: a/an, few, fewer, many, several; and others that are only used for uncountables, such as: little, less, least, much.

Examples of sentences with countable nouns

• There is a pen on the table./”There is a pen on the table.”
• Only three students did not pass the exam./”Only three students failed the exam.”
• There were many animals in the zoo./”There were many animals in the zoo.”
• A girl is standing in front of the shop./”A girl is standing in front of the store.”
• They want to buy a new car./”They want to buy a new car.”

Examples of sentences with uncountable nouns

• There is water on the floor./”There is water on the floor.”
• My shoes are full of sand./”My shoes are full of sand.”
• He is drinking a glass of red wine./”He is drinking a glass of red wine.”
• She has so much love to give./”She has a lot of love to give.”
• We have to buy flour, salt, rice and juice./”We have to buy flour, salt, rice and juice.”

Bibliography

• Vaughan, R. Definitive English Course. (2015, Kindle version). Vaughan.
• Sanabria, V. Nouns in English that you should know. (2014). Spain. Vaughan.
• Panaretos, C. Learn English: for Spanish speakers. (2019). Christopher Panaretos.