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Countable & Uncountable Nouns
Look at this sample situation:
A conversation between two friends:
Tom: I don’t have much time this week; I’ve got a lot of homework.
Sara: Really? I don’t have many assignments. I only have a few things to do.
Tom: Lucky you! I’ve got little free time and hardly any energy left.
Sara: Do you want some chocolate? I bought three chocolates at the shop earlier.
Tom: Thanks! But only a little.
From these examples you can see that:
Countable nouns refer to things we can count one by one: assignments, things. Uncountable nouns refer to things we cannot count individually: time, homework, time, energy.
Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable: chocolate depending on the meaning.
Different expressions of quantity are used depending on whether the noun is countable or uncountable: much, a lot of, many, a few, little, hardly any, some, a little.
Countable Nouns
You can count them: 1 book, 2 books. They have singular and plural forms and can use a/an, many, few, several.
a car, two chairs, many questions, few friends
Uncountable Nouns
These nouns do not have a plural form. You cannot use a/an or numbers directly with them. Instead, use expressions like some, much, a little, a bit of, a piece of.
water, advice, furniture, milk, happiness
To make uncountable nouns countable, you can use containers or units:
a cup of tea, a piece of advice, a bottle of water, a slice of bread.
Nouns that Can Be Both: Countable & Uncountable
Some nouns can be both depending on the meaning. Sometimes the same noun changes meaning depending on whether we see it as a substance or an individual item. Here are some examples:
Noun | Uncountable (general substance/idea) | Countable (a type, piece or unit) |
Chicken | I don’t eat much chicken. | We ordered two chickens for the farm. |
Chocolate | I love chocolate. | Can I have a chocolate? (a bar/piece) |
Paper | I need some paper to write on. | I have a paper delivered every morning. (a newspaper) |
Hair | Her hair is very long. | I found a hair in my soup! (a single hair) |
Glass | The window is made of glass. | There are three glasses on the table. |
Experience | She has a lot of experience. | They had some bad experiences with taxi drivers. |
Time | I don’t have much time. | We went to Paris three times. |
Coffee | I don’t drink much coffee. | Two coffees, please. (cups of coffee) |
Note: Some nouns which are used to refer to particular varieties, such as wine and cheese, can also be both countable and uncountable:
Would you like some wine?
The tasting featured wines from the Napa Valley region.
Expressions of Quantity
For Countable Nouns
Many
I don’t have many friends here.
Have you got many books on Astronomy?
Note: Many is mostly used mainly in negative and question forms.
A few
I’ve got a few ideas.
A few has a positive meaning; it means some or a small, positive number.
Few
I have few opportunities.
Few carries the negative connotation of a shortage; it means almost none.
For Uncountable Nouns
Much
I don’t have much water.
How much time do you have?
Note: Much is mostly used mainly in negative and question forms.
A little
There is a little milk.
A little has a positive meaning; it means some or a small, positive amount.
Little
There is little milk.
Little has a negative connotation; it means not enough.
Used with Both: Countable and Uncountable Nouns
A lot of/lots of
a lot of books
a lot of time
A lot of/lots of are mainly used in affirmative sentences. It means a large number or amount of something.
Some
some apples
some rice
Some is mainly used in affirmative forms. It means an unspecified amount or number of something.
Any
Do you have any paper?
I don’t have any friends.
Any is mainly used in negative and interrogative forms. It means one, some or more of something without specification or identification. specification or identification
No
There are no cookies.
There is no hope.
No is used with affirmative verbs. It means zero amount of something.
Hardly any
There are hardly any buses.
There is hardly any sugar.
Hardly any is used with affirmative verbs. It means almost none.
In the FCE exam
Reading and Use of English
In Part 2 (Open Cloze) words like much, many, few, little, some, any, no, none, a lot of, hardly are very common:
__________ any students attended the lecture.
Answer: Hardly
Part 4 (Key Word Transformations) often tests quantity expressions and meaning differences:
This restaurant doesn't have any English-speaking waiters.
NO
There _______________________________________ in this restaurant.
Answer: are no English-speaking waiters
There aren't many things to do in a village.
MUCH
There _______________________________________ in a village.
Answer: is not much to do
Writing
In essays and reports, you often need to describe facts, statistics or general truths. Expressions of quantity help you sound clear and academic:
There is little evidence to support this idea.
In some countries, very few people recycle.
Or if you are writing a review or an article, you can use quantity expressions to give personal opinions or experiences:
There were a few things I loved about the restaurant.
I had a little time before the film started, so I bought some popcorn.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much atmosphere in the café.
The hotel offered lots of activities.
Speaking
You will naturally use countable/uncountable nouns and quantity expressions in all parts of the Speaking test. Here are some examples:
In part 1 when you talk about everyday life, habits and preferences:
I drink a lot of coffee but only a little tea.
I don’t have many hobbies, but I spend a lot of time reading.
In part 2 when you compare pictures and describe details:
In the first photo, there are a few people relaxing in a park.
In the other picture, there isn’t much space because the room is quite small.
There seems to be no traffic at all.
In part 3 when you agree, disagree and make suggestions:
We don’t have much time to decide, so maybe we should focus on two ideas.
There are very few disadvantages to this option.
A lot of people think that…
In part 4 when you express and defend opinions:
There is too much pressure on teenagers nowadays.
Some people have little interest in politics.
I think a lot of money is spent on advertising.