Countable and uncountable nouns with quantifiers
Countable nouns have a singular and a plural: one book, three books, and can take a or an. Uncountable nouns have no plural and do not take a or an: water, bread, advice, information, homework, news, furniture, money, weather, traffic, work. Do not say an advice or informations. Use many, a few and few with countable nouns: How many books? There are a few chairs. Use much, a little and little with uncountable nouns: How much money? We have a little time. A lot of and enough go with both. A few and a little mean some, a small but useful number. Few and little mean almost none, and they sound negative: I have few friends here means that I feel lonely. To count an uncountable noun, use a unit: a piece of advice, a slice of bread, a glass of water, a loaf of bread. Some nouns can be both, with a different meaning: chocolate (a sweet food or a piece of chocolate), paper (material or a newspaper), glass (material or a drinking glass), hair (all the hair on the head or one hair).
| Kind | Quantifiers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Countable | many, a few, few, several | many books; a few chairs |
| Uncountable | much, a little, little | much money; a little time |
| Both | a lot of, enough, some, any | a lot of books / water |
| Units | a piece of, a slice of, a loaf of | a piece of advice |
Quantity check. Look in your kitchen or bag. Write six sentences about what you see. Use many, much, a few, a little, a lot of and a piece of or a slice of. Then write a paragraph of 60 to 80 words on the benefit of learning a second language.