Countable and uncountable nouns

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Countable and uncountable nouns
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Some nouns are countable and some nouns are
uncountable.
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Countable nouns
Countable nouns are nouns which we can count.
If there is only one (a singular noun), we use
a / an in front of the noun. If there is more
than one (a plural noun), we usually add -s to
the noun. If we want to ask about quantities of
countable nouns, we use how many.
How many apples shall I buy? Ten, please. Can you
also buy five oranges and a banana?
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Uncountable nouns
Uncountable nouns are nouns we cannot or do not
count. Uncountable nouns are always in the
singular form. We never use a / an or a number
with uncountable nouns, but we can use quantity
words like a cup of and a bag of. If we want to
ask about quantities of uncountable nouns, we use
how much.
How much flour do I need to add to the cake
mix? Two cups. Then add a tablespoon of sugar, a
pinch of salt and a carton of cream.
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Note
Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable,
depending on whether we are talking about a
single item or something in general, e.g.
Lets buy two cakes. They love cake.
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Spelling rules for changing a singular noun to a
plural noun
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When we change a singular noun to a plural noun,
we follow these spelling rules.
Nouns
Plural form
Examples
Most nouns
s
duck
? ducks
shrimp
? shrimps
Ending in x, ss, ch, sh
es
box
? boxes
glass
? glasses
peach
? peaches
dish
? dishes
Ending in a vowel y
s
day
? days
toy
? toys
ferry
? ferries
Ending in a consonant y
party
? parties
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Practice
Read the conversation and correct the mistakes.
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much
Mary Lets make a salad for lunch. How many
lettuce should we put in it? Tom About half a
bowl of lettuce each should be enough. Lets add
three or four tomato too. Mary Right, I like
ham and olives as well. Tom OK. How many ham
and how much olives should we use? Mary Just two
slice of ham and five olives should be enough.
tomatoes
much
many
slices
10
an
Tom Should we add a onion too? Mary Yes, lets
add a slice of red onion. Tom I think thats
enough things for the salad. How many minute will
it take to make? Mary Less than ten, I think.
Tom Great Im starving!
minutes
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The end