Unit 6.1

Uncountable Nouns

Introduction

Nouns refer to a person, place, thing, event, substance or quality.

Uncountable nouns are nouns which cannot be counted easily or what we refer to as a mass {see Countable and Uncountable Nouns, A1 level}.

Form

Uncountable nouns refer to things we consider as a mass and not as separate objects. We have three types of uncountable nouns:

With only singular form: advice, baggage, energy, hair, homework, information, money…;
With only plural form: clothes, groceries, news, regards, thanks…;
Nouns that can be both countable and uncountable:
- Depending on the context: a type of, a kind of…;
- Materials and liquids: coffee, glass, paper, water…;
- Abstract nouns: life, time…

Example

Only singular uncountable nouns

My baggage is so heavy because of the camera in it!
Her energy as a salsa dancer is incredible!
Their money was not enough to buy the painting.

Only plural uncountable nouns

Could you get the groceries?
He told me some news about your journey.
We send our thanks to the director.

Both uncountable and countable uses

Can I borrow some coffee? / Shall I get a coffee (= a cup of coffee)?
She has a lot of glass bowls. / Does she want a glass of coke?
I need more time. / I miss the times of my internship ( = a specific period).

Use

We use uncountable nouns to refer to things we consider as a mass and not as separate objects (abstract ideas, substances, materials, gases and liquids).

There are nouns that can be both countable and uncountable:

They are uncountable when referring to a general meaning;
They are countable when referring to a specific thing or meaning.

Summary

Uncountable nouns refer to things we consider as a mass and not as separate objects. We have three types of uncountable nouns:

Only singular uncountable nouns: advice, baggage, energy, hair, homework, information, money…
Only plural uncountable nouns: clothes, groceries, news, regards, thanks…
Both uncountable and countable uses: a type of…, a kind of…; coffee, glass, paper, water… (materials and liquids); life, time… (abstract nouns).

For example:
— “I don’t have energy for another trip.” = Energy has only singular uncountable form.
— “I will tell you later the news of today.” = News has only plural uncountable form.
— “Can I have some coffee?” / “Can I have a coffee?“= Coffee refers to coffee as a powder (singular uncountable), and a coffee has the implicit meaning of a cup of coffee (singular countable).

Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. And take a look to the {Example} that show its use within a context.

Exercises

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