Uncountable nouns
These have no plural. The following are common nouns that are usually uncountable:
– accomodation, advice, behavior, bread;
– copper (and all other metals);
– meat, sugar;
– English (and all other languages);
– furniture, health, information, knowledge, luggage;
– maths (and other school subjects);
– news, progress, research;
– rice (and all other grains and cereals);
– salt (and all other condiments, e.g. pepper);
– scenery, spaghetti, traffic, transport, travel, trouble;
– water (and all other liquids);
– weather, work.
Note
Use a slice, a lump, and a piece with uncountable nouns for food.
– Just one lump of sugar, please.
– I’ll just have a small slice of cake.
– Would you like another piece of toast?
Nouns which can be countable or uncountable
1. Nouns we can think of as a single thing or substance
– e.g. chicken, chocolate, egg, hair, iron, paper, stone.
– There are only two chocolates left in the box.
– You’ve got chocolate on your T-shirt.
– We’ll have to buy a new iron.
– Green vegetables are rich in iron.
– Have you read today’s paper?
– I need to go and buy some paper for the printer.
– There’s a hair in my soup.
– She’s got short dark hair.
– The house is built of stone. (= rock)
– The necklace is made of semi-precious stones. (= gems)
2. Nouns which are used to refer to particular varieties
– e.g. wine, country.
– Would you like some wine? This is a very good wine.
– I’d like to have a house in the country. He’s worked in five different countries.
3. Words for some drinks
– e.g. coffee, beer.
The countable noun means a glass of, a cup of, a bottle of.
– Coffee is produced in Africa and South America.
– Shall we have a coffee and a piece of cake?
4. Time, space, room
– There’s no time to talk – we have to rush!
– I didn’t have a very good time at the party.
– There’s no space left. You’ll have to get another bag.
– Fill in the spaces with the correct preposition.
– There’s room for seven people in this car.
– This is my favorite room in the whole house.