Countable and Uncountable Nouns

A. Read the following conversation and notice the underlined nouns :

Aslam: Excuse me, do you have pencils and erasers?

Shopkeeper: Yes, we have a lot. How many do you want?

Aslam: I need one pencil and one eraser.

Shopkeeper: Here you are.

Aslam: Thank you. Can I have a tube of toothpaste, please?

Shopkeeper: Certainly. Anything else?

Aslam: Oh yes, a bar of soap and a small bottle of coconut oil.

Shopkeeper: Just a minute.

Which of these nouns can and which of them cannot be counted? Those which you can count are called countable nouns and those which you cannot count are called uncountable nouns.

In the conversation, five items are underlined. Of them, 'pencil' and 'eraser' are countable nouns, because they can be counted. You can say,

A pencil, one pencil or two pencils

An eraser, one eraser or three erasers

A countable noun can have both singular and plural forms. You can ask the question 'how many?' for a countable noun. For example,

Question        : How many pens do you have?
Answer           : I have only one pen (singular)
                        : I have two pens. (plural)

On the other hand, 'toothpaste', 'soap' and 'oil' are uncountable nouns. Uncountable nouns cannot be counted and they do not have any plural form. When you want to mention the quantity of an uncountable item, you should use some measure words before it. For example, 'a tube of', 'a bar of' and 'a bottle of' are measure words. You can say,

two tubes of toothpaste

three bars of soap

four bottles of oil

B Use appropriate measure words before the uncountable nouns in the following sentences. Choose the measure words from the box below.

1. I take ________ tea a day.
   
2. Take this __________ chalk and write your name on the board.
   
3. He gave me ______________ news.
   
4. I do not take even ______________ sugar in my tea.
   
5. Give me ______________ paper.
   
6. She bought _________ sugar.
   
7. He has _______ money.
   

C. Work with a partner and ask and answer the following questions:

1. How many friends do you have?
   
2. How many classes do you attend a day?
3. How many subjects do you study?
4. How many books do you read in class six?
5. How many students are there in your class?

Are the nouns in these questions and your answers countable or uncountable? Why?

Now answer the following questions:

1. Do you have any money on you?
   
2. Did your teacher give you any advice about improving your English?
   
3. How many types of furniture do you have in your room?
   
4. Have you got any information about the exam?
   
5. Do you have straight or curly hair?
   

Are these nouns countable or uncountable? Why?

D. Read the following conversation.
        Salam: How many televisions do you have in your house?
        Salma: We have two televisions.
        Salam: How much television do you watch?
        Salma: In fact, I watch a lot of television.

Here 'television' is used both as a countable and an uncountable noun.

There are many such nouns which can be used as both countable and uncountable nouns. In this case, the meaning of the noun undergoes a change. Say which use of television is countable and which one is uncountable in the above examples.

(i) Look at the following examples and say whether the nouns in bold are countable or uncountable:

• Rice and chicken is my favorite food.
  
• I have bought two chickens.
• This house is made of brick.
• There are some bricks on the road.
• Her hair is very long.
• I found two hairs in the soup.
• I went to Dhaka by bus.
• Two buses are standing there.

(ii) Use 5 more nouns, using each of them as countable and uncountable noun.