Nouns that can be countable and uncountable
Nouns are words that represent people, places, things, or ideas.
Nouns that can be countable and uncountable
Some nouns can be countable and uncountable because they can refer to a unit or to ‘mass’ or ‘material’.
Compare:
Yesterday I had two coffees. (= two cups of coffee)
I love coffee. (= the liquid that we drink)
I found one hair in my soup. (one single hair)
She has beautiful hair. (= the mass of hair on her head)
A/an, some, any
A/an
We use a/an + singular countable noun.
I have a new car.
She has a brother and a sister.
We cannot use a/an before a plural noun or an uncountable noun.
We need to buy a sugar. ![https://test-english.com/staging11/wp-content/uploads/wrong.png]()
I need to buy sugar. ![https://test-english.com/staging11/wp-content/uploads/correct.png]()
We saw a very beautiful places. ![https://test-english.com/staging11/wp-content/uploads/wrong.png]()
We saw very beautiful places. ![https://test-english.com/staging11/wp-content/uploads/correct.png]()
Some/any
We use some and any before countable plural nouns or uncountable singular nouns.
He gave me some coins.
He didn’t give me any coins.
He gave me some money.
Some
We use some in positive sentences.
We cooked some cookies.
Any
We use any in negative sentences and questions.
She didn’t send me any messages.
Have you got any brothers or sisters?
We use some in questions when we are asking for something, or we are offering something.
Can I have some tea? (=I’m asking for some tea.)
Would you like some tea? (=I’m offering you some tea.)
1. Regular Plural Nouns In English:
How to Form Regular Plurals (Adding ‘s’):
The standard method involves How to Form Regular Plurals (Adding ‘s’):
adding “s” to the singular noun, such as “dog” becoming “dogs” or “snake” transforming into “snakes“.
The standard method involves adding “s” to the singular noun, such as “dog” becoming “dogs” or “snake” transforming into “snakes“.
Spelling of Regular Plurals:
While many plural nouns follow the above rule, the spelling sometimes differs. Here are some examples:
a. Nouns that end in -ch, x, s, z, or s-like sounds;
Nouns ending in -ch, -x, -s, -z, or s-like sounds require an “es” for the plural, as seen in witch to witches or box to boxes.
More than one witch = witches
More than one box = boxes
More than one gas = gases
More than one bus = buses
More than one kiss = kisses
b. Nouns that end in a vowel + y:
Nouns that end in a vowel + y take the letter s:
More than one boy = boys
More than one way = ways
c. Nouns that end in a consonant + y
Nouns that end in a consonant + y drop the y and take ies:
More than one baby = babies
More than one lorry = lorries
d. Nouns that end in o:
A lot of nouns that end in o take es in the plural form:
More than one potato = potatoes
More than one hero = heroes
e. Nouns that end in ’ f’ or ‘fe’:
Plurals of nouns that end in f or fe usually change the f sound to a v sound and add s or -es.
more than one knife = knives
more than one leaf = leaves
more than one hoof = hooves
more than one life = lives
more than one self = selves
more than one elf = elves
2. Irregular Plural Nouns In English:
Irregular Nouns
Several nouns have irregular plural forms in English:
a. Plurals that change ‘is’ to ‘es’
Nouns ending in is becoming es in plural:
analysis - analyses
b. Plurals that change ‘on’ to ‘a’
Nouns ending in -on becoming -a:
criterion - criteria
3. Nouns That Are Always Singular:
A handful of nouns appear to be plural in form but take a singular verb
The news is bad.
Gymnastics is fun to watch.
Economics/mathematics/statistics is said to be difficult.
Some nouns never take the s of the plural and are always singular: