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Typical uncountable nouns
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Substances: water, air, coffee, plastic, iron, paper
Abstract ideas: life, fun, freedom, health, time, progress Activities: work, travel, sleep, football, help, research Human feelings: happiness, anger, honesty, hope, respect, courage Groups of items: furniture, luggage Other words: accommodation, advice, behaviour, business, cash, equipment, furniture, health, homework, information, knowledge, luggage, money, permission, rubbish, scenery, traffic, travel, weather, work |
Uncountable nouns that describe a category
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Some uncountable nouns can be used in a countable way when they describe
a category.
Uncountable use: Would you like some fruit after your coffee? Use as a category: There are two main fruits exported from Madeira, bananas and pineapples. |
• Change of meaning
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Some words have different meanings in countable and uncountable forms.
Countable: an iron (domestic appliance) a wood (small area of trees) a paper (newspaper) a chicken (the animal) a coffee (a cup of coffee) a business (a company) a gossip (a person) a hair (a single strand) a help (a helpful person/thing) a toast (formal words said before drinking) a work (a work of art/engineering) Uncountable: some iron (a substance/material) some wood (a substance/material) some paper (a substance/material) coffee (material) chicken (the meat) business (in general) gossip (talking) hair (all together) help (in general) toast (grilled bread) work (in general) |
Plural nouns
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These nouns only have a plural form and take a plural verb.
My trousers are too tight. The stairs are very steep. Other common examples are: clothes, contents, feelings, goods, jeans, means, outskirts, surroundings, thanks. |
Group nouns
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Some nouns can be followed by either a singular or plural verb.
I think the government is/are wrong. It depends whether we think of the group as a whole (singular verb), or its individual members (plural verb). Other common examples: army, audience, class, company, crew, crowd, data, family, group, media, press, public, staff, team Some group nouns only take a plural verb: cattle, police, people |
| Key AP |