English teaching professional, may, 2015 we all had that moment in class in our early days of teaching when we were trying to teach our students to differentiate between countable and uncountable nouns, and realized that it wasnt as straight forward as it looked at first. Count and noncount nouns english esl worksheets for. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Introduction to count noncount nouns this esl worksheet introduces students to count nouns using many and noncount nouns using much. They use examples of quantifiers, count and noncount nouns a lot in their conversation, so itll be an excellent opportunity for you to revise quantifiers in your classes. Examples like this can be multiplied for mass nouns denoting pat terned materials. There are some exceptions, but most abstract nouns cannot be made plural, so they are noncount nouns. Discuss the concept in relation to some of the words listed at the bottom of this page, all of which are wholes. This is a work sheet with an answer key for count and noncount nouns. When they change from a count to a noncount noun, the meaning changes slightly. Before forming plurals correctly, it is important to understand the difference between count and noncount nouns. The nouns are listed and the person wholl use it will just need to select from the list. English language quiz countable or noncountable nouns i. For example, ini made a cake, cakeis a count noun, and the abefore it indicates.
A lot of teachers make the mistake of saying that uncountable nouns are things we cant count, and while this is true of liquids like milk, water or juice, there are some uncountables you can actually count like money. Com learn about noncount nouns, then try some quizzes. For those teachers who have recently had to make the switch to online teaching due to the covid. Count nouns can be separated into individual units and counted. In the count form, the noun refers to a specific example or type. For this reason, they are sometimes called mass nouns. It is a useful material for practising countable and uncountable nouns in english.
Eflesl lessons and lesson plans from the internet tesl. A noncountable noun is a noun without a plural form. Non count and count nouns 2 purchase photocopiable pdf. Count nouns refer to things that can be divided up into smaller units which are separate and distinct from one another. Count and noncount nouns 1 count and noncount nouns some nouns can be plural. Some common nouns may be either count or non count, depending on the kind of reference they have. Such nouns can be counted with numbers or other modifiers that indicate singular or plural number.
Use the noun plural ending s correctly use the appropriate type of article. Count nouns are the nouns that we can physically count e. To express a particular quantity, some noncount nouns may be preceded by unit expressions, e. The worksheet is about identifying the mass nouns and count nouns. They show that the idea that elements in the denota tion of a mass noun can. Countable nouns are individual objects, people, places, etc. Noncount nouns knowing the difference between count and noncount nouns will help you do the following. What has happened is that we have added a quantifiying phrase, a loaf or a slice, before the noncount noun, bread.
Count nouns and noncount nouns basic english grammar. Non count nouns are nouns that are more of a whole and cannot be counted. English esl noncount nouns worksheets most downloaded. Choose whether the following nouns are countable or uncountable. For additional exercises based on chart 73, see workbook practices 12 and. Be sure students understand that some can be used with both plural count nouns and noncount nouns, but not with singular count nouns. Activities to teach the count and noncount noun distinction by ron belisle. This exercise contrasts count and noncount nouns in sentence contexts so that learners can begin to understand the differences between them. Eflesl lessons and lesson plans from the internet tesl journal if you have a lesson that you are willing to contribute, please submit it.
Pdf acquisition of the zero and null articles in english. Advanced in each space in the following sentences, indicate whether the noun before that space is a count noun write c or a non count noun write nc. Countable and uncountable nouns english grammar periwinkle. Count and noncount nouns san jose state university. We often place dishes and silverware on this when we are ready to have a meal. The main difference between count and noncount nouns is whether or not the things they refer to can be counted. Count nouns are nouns that are separate pieces and can be counted. Noncount nouns refer to either an undifferentiated mass or an abstract idea that, as the name implies, cannot be counted. Noncount nouns it is important for students to understand the concept of a noncount noun. Count and non count worksheets in these count and non count worksheets, students learn to identify count and non count nouns. Examples of abstract nouns include anger, education, melancholy, softness, violence, and conduct. The objects in english require a counting word to express plurality. Learn the basics of count nouns and non count nouns for english grammar. Count and noncount nouns thompson rivers university.
Noncount noun definition for englishlanguage learners from. Displaying all worksheets related to mass nouns and count nouns pdf. Noncount nouns are common in the following categories. They usually have both a singular and a plural form. In addition, some nouns that are noncount in english may be countable in other languages e. The main difference between count and noncount nouns is whether you can count the things they refer to or not. Pdf information structure and english article pedagogy. Some nouns have both a count meaning and a noncount meaning. Many students dont know why they have to use much with some nouns but many with other nouns. With count nouns in the plural, the quantifiers to use are many, few a few, and some. For example, pieces of furniture, cups of coffee or cartons of milk. A collection of english esl worksheets for home learning, online practice, distance learning and english classes to teach about non count, nouns, non count n.
In certain contexts, some of these nouns can take an s ending. Also, note that a number of these words can be used as more than one part of speech. Count, noncount nouns with articles, adjectives purdue. Ppt count and noncount nouns powerpoint presentation free. Mar 04, 2012 nouns in english can be classified or grouped together in many different ways. Count and noncount nouns with articles and adjectives. Heres a short dialogue between a husband and wife talking about their daily shopping. Basic rul es adjectives with countable and uncountable nouns the basic rules. The present downloadable teaching material is recommended for elementary school at elementary a1 and preintermediate a2 level.
Identifying count and non count nouns categorizing nouns. Furniture chairs are count, money dollars are count, mail letters are count, luggage suitcases are count, jewelry bracelets are count, traffic cars are count grains. Some of these words could be either count or non count nouns, but you should determine how each is being used in the sentence. In the noncount form, the noun refers to the whole idea or quantity. Today we are going to talk about the difference between count and noncount nouns most nouns in english can be counted. An abstract noun a noun that you cannot see, touch, or count. So the basic explanation should be that you can add a number in front of countables, but you cant do that to uncountables. The reasons depend on the noun being modified and the materials in this resource clearly explain the basic differences between 2 types of nouns, count and non count nouns. T he n oncount n oun recognize a noncount noun when you see one. Jan 18, 2017 noncount nouns can be preceded by determiners such as some, any, this, that or expressions such as much, a lot of, little, enough. This is an interactive multiplechoice javascript quiz for students of english as a second language. On the other hand, words like traffic and furniture are non count.
Abstract ideas like creativity or courage are also uncountable. Countable and noncountable nouns in english 1 free grammar. Noncount nouns are the nouns that cannot be counted, and they do not make a distinction between singular and plural forms. The group noun meat may consist of several meat cuts. Count nouns refer to things that exist as separate and distinct individual units.
This page has lots of examples of noncountable nouns and two interactive tests. In linguistics, a count noun also countable noun is a noun that can be modified by a numeral and that occurs in both singular and plural forms, and that cooccurs with quantificational determiners like every, each, several, etc. In general, non count nouns are considered to refer to indivisible wholes. Help them understand count and noncount nouns better with this threepage grammar guide, worksheets, and an activity. They also learn ways to make non count nouns countable with measurement and container words. Typically, the count meaning is concrete it refers to the actual thing and the noncount meaning is abstract it refers to the idea of the thing. Worksheets are particular presents mass count and nouns, 2 mass and count properties of nouns and verbs, nouns countable and uncountable, count and noncount nouns, collective nouns, nouns countable and uncountable answers, are these words count or non count. We can use numbers with countable nouns one lemon, two lemons. Definition of noncount noun written for english language learners from the merriamwebster learners dictionary with audio pronunciations, usage examples, and count noncount noun labels. Countable and noncountable nouns in english 1 free. Typically, a noun is made plural by adding an s to the end of the word.
Count and noncount nouns grammar academic guides at. Definition of count and noncount nouns count or noncount. Count nouns non count nouns uses articles a, an or the. Many noncount nouns can be quantified, that is made countable, by adding certain phrases before them. Count nouns and noncount nouns esl worksheet by grace710508.
The sentences in parentheses illustrate how the words are used as nouns. Count and noncount nouns vary from language to language. English teaching professional, may, 2015 we all had that moment in class in our early days of teaching when we were trying to teach our students to differentiate between countable and uncountable nouns, and realized that it. They also learn ways to make noncount nouns countable with measurement and container words. The refers to a specific or unique noun in a context known, understood, or. Count and non count nouns in english, count nouns more precisely, nouns in their countable meanings are people, places, things, activities, or events that can be either singular or plural. Count nouns, sometimes called countable nouns, have both singular and plural forms. You use some with noncount nouns or plural count nouns. Home beginners esl lessons countable uncountable nouns exercise. In other words, noncountable nouns refer to things that cannot be counted e. If you are not familiar with countable and uncountable nouns see count noncount or nouns lessons. Count and noncount nouns with plurals, articles, and quantity words section 1. Count nouns noncount nouns uses articles a, an or the.
Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the check button. Uncountable nouns are nouns that come in a state or quantity that is impossible to count. The choice of certain quantifiers such as much many, few little, some and any depends on whether a noun is a count noun or a non count noun. Noncount nouns are nouns that are more of a whole and cannot be counted. Uncountable nouns, noncount nouns, or uncount nouns. Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
Count and noncount nouns with articles and adjectives countable nouns countable nouns refer to things that we can count. Countable and uncountable nouns english grammar periwinkle watch our other videos. Such nouns can take either singular or plural form. For my next three posts i am going to focus on the differences between count and noncount nouns noncount or noncount nouns are also sometimes called mass nouns. Errors with count and noncount nouns can result in errors with article usage and with subject verb agreement. Types of quantifiers 10 min a quantifier is a word that expresses a quantity. Learn how to identify nouns that can be countable or uncountable i. English esl countable and uncountable nouns worksheets. A collection of english esl countable and uncountable nouns worksheets for home learning, online practice, distance learning and english classes to teach about.
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