Grammar
Determiners : Word order

Use

What is a countable noun?

Can I count animals?
Yes: 1 animal, 2 animals, 3 animals etc.

What is an uncountable noun?

Can I count water?
No, I cannot

Countable nouns can be counted, so they can be used in the singular or in the plural.
Examples:
a cat / 2 cats
1 key / 3 keys
the child / a lot of children

Uncountable nouns are either always singular or always plural. We can never use „a/an‟ before them.
Examples:
Water is a precious resource. → It is a precious resource.
Her hair is blond. →It is blond.
The police are on their way.→ They are on their way.
These people were very nice.→ They were very nice.

Some nouns can be countable in some cases, and uncountable in other cases.
Examples:
Coffee please! (uncountable)
3 coffees please! (countable)

There are real homonyms, but their definitions are different:
Examples:
people (plural of “a person‟) / a people (a population)
glass (material) / a glass (a container)
business (work) / a business (a company)

Language Tip: Quantities with Uncountable Nouns
Because we cannot say „a/an‟ before an uncountable noun, we have to use phrases such as „a piece of‟ in order to express the singular.

Examples:
I will give you a piece of advice.
This table is the most important piece of furniture in this house.
She is asking for a slice of bread.
I bought a bar of soap for the guest bathroom.
I would like a glass of water.
Joe is bringing a bottle of orange juice.

For quantities greater than 1, we can use: little, a little, much, a lot of, etc. (see lesson on Quantifiers).