Nouns in English can be classified or grouped together in many different ways: people, places or things, proper or common nouns, count or non-count nouns, etc.\u00a0 For my next three posts I am going to focus on the differences between count and non-count nouns (“non-count” or “noncount” nouns are also sometimes called “mass” nouns).\u00a0 Knowing the difference between count and non-count nouns is important for a number of reasons:<\/p>\n
To begin, the main difference between count and non-count nouns is not a secret; count nouns are objects or things that can be counted, while non-count ones are objects or things that cannot be counted.\u00a0 Simple, right?\u00a0 Well, it is a little bit more complicated than that!\u00a0 Count nouns refer to things that can be separated or divided into units that are distinct from one another.\u00a0 Count nouns usually refer to things that can be seen<\/em> or heard<\/em>.\u00a0 Non-count nouns or mass nouns refer to things that are seen as a whole (or a mass), which cannot be divided into distinct parts.\u00a0 Non-count nouns usually refer to things that are abstract<\/em> or that have collective meaning<\/em>.<\/p>\n Here is one helpful way to think about the difference between count and non-count nouns: Think of baking a cake.\u00a0 You will need to make a batter* to make a cake. Before putting the batter into the oven to cook the cake, you cannot divide it into parts because it is a liquid mix. Once the batter has been baked, it is solid enough to be cut or divided into pieces. Non-count nouns are like the cake batter which forms a mass, and the pieces of cake are like the count nouns, which may be numbered and divided into pieces and distributed.<\/p>\n Here are some more examples count and non-count nouns:<\/p>\n Here are some common categories of non-count nouns that may help you remember which types of nouns are most often non-count.\u00a0 Note:<\/em> These same categories will also include some count nouns, but thinking about these categories may help you remember some of the common non-count nouns that exist in English.<\/p>\n Even though knowing about these categories often helps people remember which nouns are count or non-count in English, really learning which nouns are count and non-count only comes with practice.<\/p>\n Now, here are some important rules to remember when using count versus non-count nouns:<\/p>\n Count nouns can be pluralized by adding a final -s to the nouns.<\/p>\n In my post tomorrow I will discuss some exceptions to these rules, then in the post the day after tomorrow I will cover how to express quantity with count and non-count nouns.<\/p>\n * batter = a (semi)liquid mixture of flour, egg, and milk or water used in cooking<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nouns in English can be classified or grouped together in many different ways: people, places or things, proper or common nouns, count or non-count nouns, etc.\u00a0 For my next three posts I am going to focus on the differences between count and non-count nouns (“non-count” or “noncount” nouns are also sometimes called “mass” nouns).\u00a0 Knowing…<\/p>\n\n\n
\n Count<\/strong><\/td>\n Non-count<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n storm(s)<\/td>\n weather<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n table(s), chair(s), couch(es)<\/td>\n furniture<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n smile(s)<\/td>\n happiness<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n assignment(s)<\/td>\n homework<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n \n\n
\n Category<\/strong><\/td>\n Examples<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Abstractions<\/td>\n fun, help, honesty, information, intelligence, knowledge, patience, etc.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Activities<\/td>\n homework, housework, music, reading, singing, sleeping, soccer, etc.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Some Foods<\/td>\n beef, bread, butter, fish, macaroni, meat, popcorn, pork, poultry, toast<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Gases<\/td>\n air, oxygen, nitrogen, smog, smoke, steam, etc.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Groups of Similar Items<\/td>\n clothing, luggage, equipment, money, vocabulary, etc<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Liquids<\/td>\n blood, coffee, gasoline, milk, oil, soup, water, etc.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Natural Events<\/td>\n electricity, gravity, heat, humidity, moonlight, weather, etc.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Materials<\/td>\n aluminum, concrete, cotton, glue, wood, etc.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Particles or Grains<\/td>\n dirt, dust, hair, rice, salt, pepper, sugar, etc.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n \n