Contents
- 1 What are uncountable (uncountable) nouns? (with examples)
- 2 Examples of Non-Countable Nouns
- 3 Examples of Non-countable (Noncount) Nouns
- 4 Non-countable Nouns Contrast with Countable Nouns
- 5 Some Nouns Can Be Countable or Non-countable
- 6 Why Should I Care about Non-countable Nouns?
- 7 (Issue 1) Making Non-countable Nouns Plural
- 8 (Issue 2) Using the Right Quantifier with a Non-Countable Noun
- 9 Key Point
What are uncountable (uncountable) nouns? (with examples)
An uncountable noun (or mass noun as it is also known) is a noun without a plural form.
Uncountable nouns refer to things that cannot be counted.
Examples of Non-Countable Nouns
These are some examples of uncountable nouns:
| Non-countable Noun | An Attempt At Making It Plural |
|---|---|
| music | five musics |
| furniture | five furnitures |
| tennis | five tennises |
| mercury | five mercuries |
Los sustantivos no contables son singulares.
Examples of Non-countable (Noncount) Nouns
Uncountable nouns typically fall into one of the following categories:
| Category | Example |
|---|---|
| Concept | bravery, honesty, information, intelligence, patience |
| Activity | homework, playing, reading, sleeping |
| Food | bread, butter, cheese, fish, milk |
| Gas | air, helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, smoke |
| Liquid | coffee, petrol, water, wine, beer |
| Material | chalk, cloth, concrete, lumber, wood, metal |
| Item Category | clothing, furniture, luggage, mail, money, software |
| Natural Phenomenon | gravity, heat, humidity, rain, snow, sunshine, thunder |
| Particles | dust, flour, rice, salt, sugar |
Non-countable Nouns Contrast with Countable Nouns
Los sustantivos no contables contrastan con los sustantivos contables, que se pueden pluralizar. Estos son algunos ejemplos de sustantivos contables:
- apple, bear, cup, dog, ear, flower, giant, house, island
(Note that these all have plural forms, e.g.,“apples,““bears,““cups.“)
Some Nouns Can Be Countable or Non-countable
Generally, uncountable nouns cannot be pluralized. However, some can be pluralized when talking about categories of that noun. This is most common with non-count nouns in the food and liquid categories. For example:
- France is famous for its cheeses.
(Categories of cheese) - There are many fine wines from Chile.
(Categories of wine)
Why Should I Care about Non-countable Nouns?
Aquí hay dos problemas notables asociados con los sustantivos no contables.
(Issue 1) Making Non-countable Nouns Plural
There are two methods to pluralize a concept expressed by an uncountable noun:
Method 1: Precede it with a [countable noun] +“of.“
For example:
- five loaves of bread
(“Loaves“is the countable noun.) - five blocks of cheese
(“Blocks“is the countable noun.)
Method 2: Make the non-countable noun an adjective to a countable noun.
For example:
- five bread loaves
- five cheese blocks
(Issue 2) Using the Right Quantifier with a Non-Countable Noun
Usa“amount of“with an uncountable noun. The terms“amount of“y“number of“They are used with countable nouns. For example:
- Amount of sunshine ✔️
- Quantity of wood ❌
Key Point
- ¿Usas un sustantivo no contable? Usa“amount of“.
