COUNTABLE NOUNS
Countable nouns are easy to recognize. They are
things that we can count. For example: "pen". We can count pens. We
can have one, two, three or more pens. Here are some more countable nouns:
- dog, cat, animal, man,
person
- bottle, box, litre
- coin, note, dollar
- cup, plate, fork
- table, chair, suitcase, bag
Countable nouns can be singular or plural:
- My dog is playing.
- My dogs are hungry.
We can use the indefinite article a/an with
countable nouns:
- A dog is an animal.
- I want an orange. (not I
want orange.)
- Where is my bottle? (not Where
is bottle?)
When a countable noun is plural, we can use it
alone:
- I like oranges.
- Bottles can break.
We can use some and any with
countable nouns:
- I've got some dollars.
- Have you got any pens?
We can use a few and many with
countable nouns:
- I've got a few dollars.
- I haven't got many pens.
"People" is countable. "People"
is the plural of "person". We can count people:
- There is one person here.
- There are three people here.
UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
Uncountable nouns are substances, concepts etc that
we cannot divide into separate elements. We cannot "count" them. For
example, we cannot count "milk". We can count "bottles of
milk" or "litres of milk", but we cannot count "milk"
itself. Here are some more uncountable nouns:
- music, art, love, happiness
- advice, information, news
- furniture, luggage
- rice, sugar, butter, water
- electricity, gas, power
- money, currency
We usually treat uncountable nouns as singular. We
use a singular verb. For example:
- This news is very
important.
- Your luggage looks heavy.
We do not usually use the indefinite article a/an with
uncountable nouns. We cannot say "an information" or "a
music". But we can say a something of:
- a piece of news
- a bottle of water
- a grain of rice
We can use some and any with
uncountable nouns:
- I've got some money.
- Have you got any rice?
We can use a little and much with
uncountable nouns:
- I've got a little money.
- I haven't got much rice.
Uncountable nouns are also called "mass nouns".
Here are some more examples of countable and
uncountable nouns:
Countable
|
Uncountable
|
dollar
|
money
|
song
|
music
|
suitcase
|
luggage
|
table
|
furniture
|
battery
|
electricity
|
bottle
|
wine
|
report
|
information
|
tip
|
advice
|
journey
|
travel
|
job
|
work
|
view
|
scenery
|
Nouns that can be Countable and UncountableWhen you learn a new word, it's a good idea to learn whether it's countable or uncountable.
Sometimes, the same noun can be countable and uncountable,
often with a change of meaning.
Two teas and one coffee please.Drinks (coffee, water, orange juice) are usually uncountable. But if we are thinking of a cup or a glass, we can say (in a restaurant, for example):
COUNTABLE
|
UNCOUNTABLE
|
|
There are two hairs in my coffee!
|
hair
|
I don't have much
hair.
|
There are two lights in our bedroom.
|
light
|
Close the
curtain. There's too much light!
|
Shhhhh! I thought I heard a noise.
There are so many different noises in the city. |
noise
|
It's difficult to
work when there is so much noise.
|
Have you got a paper to read? (newspaper)
Hand me those student papers. |
paper
|
I want to draw a
picture. Have you got some paper?
|
Our house has seven rooms.
|
room
|
Is there room for
me to sit here?
|
We had a great time at the party.
How many times have I told you no? |
time
|
Have you got time
for a cup of coffee?
|
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's greatest works.
|
work
|
I have no money.
I need work!
|
How much / How many
Se utilizan para preguntar por cantidades de algo.
Si se trata de sustantivos contables, se aplica How
many.
Si se trata de sustantivos incontables, se usa How much.
Estas expresiones siempre van seguidas de un sustantivo; luego, el verbo
y el resto de la oración.
How many cars do you have?¿Cuántos autos tienes?
How much money do you have?
¿Cuánto dinero tienes?
How much se utiliza también para preguntar precios.
How much is this car?¿Cuánto cuesta este auto?
How much are the potatoes?
¿Cuánto cuestan las papas?
También se usan en forma genérica para preguntar "cuánto hay". En este caso, van seguidas del sustantivo y luego, is / are there.
How many cars are there?¿Cuántos autos hay?
How much money is there?
¿Cuánto dinero hay?
A estas preguntas se responde usando There is / are, dependiendo de si se trata de singular o plural, como ya hemos visto en lecciones anteriores.
There are nine cars.
Hay nueve autos.
There is one dollar.
Hay un dólar.
Para hacer referencia a los sustantivos incontables, se pueden utilizar
los envases o las medidas de los envases que los contienen, los cuales sí son
contables...
How much milk is there?¿Cuánta leche hay?
There are three litres.
Hay tres litros.
There are three bottles.
Hay tres botellas.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario