Uncountable nouns

Test it, Fix it. English grammar - Kenna Bourke 2003

Uncountable nouns

Test it

1 Choose the best option, A or В

a Did you hear ... noise?

A -

B a

b Rice ... good for you.

A is

В are

c John has too much ... to do.

A works

В work

d Can I get ... advice here?

A an

В -

e The spaghetti you cooked ... delicious!

A tastes

В taste

f He uses the London tube every day so he spends a lot on ... .

A travel

В travels

g We’ve got ... good news for you.

A -

B a

h Money ... buy you love.

A don't

В doesn't

i Please be quiet! You're making too much ... .

A noises

В noise

j Patrick's got ... blond hair and blue eyes.

A a

В -

2 Choose the correct sentence in each pair.

a Three coffee, please.

b Three coffees, please.

c Where can I get information about the city?

d Where can I get informations about the city?

e This job advert says you need an experience.

f This job advert says you need experience.

g Oil float in water.

h Oil floats in water.

i Do you enjoy listening to music?

j Do you enjoy listening to a music?

Test it again

1 Complete the sentences. Use a word from the list and a where necessary.

happiness work water coffee travel furniture luck journey tea money

a ... is expensive these days. This chair costs £150.

b Carla only drinks mineral ... . She never drinks anything else.

с I wish you ... for your exams.

d ... isn't important. You can't buy happiness.

e ... grows in India and China.

f What is ...? It's difficult to describe.

g Susanna went on ... from Canada to Mexico.

h I'd like ... and a slice of cake, please.

i Nick's got ... to do so he can't come tonight.

j Christine spends £500 on ... every year.

2 Find and correct ten mistakes.

Fix it

Answers to Test it

Check your answers. Wrong answer?

Read the right Fix it note to find out why.F

1 a B → D f A → A

 b A → B g A → C

 c B → A h B → B

 d B → C i B → D

 e A → B j B → C

2 The correct sentences are:

b → D

c → A

f → C

h → B

i → C

Answers to Test it again

1 a Furniture

 f happiness

 b water

 g a journey

 c luck

 h a coffee

 d Money

 i work

 e Tea

 j travel

Fix it notes

A

Uncountable nouns are normally singular. Don't add s.

В

Use a singular verb with uncountable nouns.

C

Don’t use a or an with uncountable nouns.

D

Some nouns, e.g. coffee, noise, can be countable or uncountable with different meanings.

Review

Uncountable nouns

Many nouns that are uncountable in English are countable in some other languages. You need to learn whether a noun is countable or uncountable when you see it for the first time. For information about using quantifiers with uncountable nouns, see page 53.

• Some nouns can be countable or uncountable but be careful!

The meaning changes.

Did you hear a noise? (a particular noise)

There's too much noise. I can't work. (noise in general)

I'd like a coffee, please. (a cup of coffee)

We need coffee and sugar. (coffee and sugar in general)

There’s a hair on your jacket. (just one hair)

He's got blond hair. (the hair on his head)

• Here's a list of common uncountable nouns:

accommodation furniture milk  spaghetti

advice  gas   money  sugar

baggage hair   noise  tea

bread  happiness music  traffic

butter  information news  travel

cheese  juice  oil   water

coffee  knowledge petrol  weather

electricity love  pollution work

experience luck   progress