We can all count. But does everything count? For example, how to calculate the weather? Or water, or money? “Well, we can count money!” many will object. Okay, let's count: one money, two money, three ... Is something wrong? But we can perfectly count rubles, dollars or euros. Why this conversation? Yes, to the fact that we will talk about countable and uncountable nouns in English.
Why is it important
The fact is that in English there are grammatical differences when using countable and uncountable. This concerns the agreement of the subject with the predicate, education, use, use of indefinite pronouns.
How to define countability
Everything is simple here: you need to calculate. If it turns out, then the noun is countable. If not, it's uncountable. We have already counted the money, let's count something else. For example, milk. Try saying: I have five milk. Immediately the question arises: what five? Liters? Glasses? Cans? So milk is an uncountable noun, and a liter, a glass or a can is a countable one. We can count hours, days, seconds, but we cannot count time. So time is an uncountable noun, and days and hours are countable. Using this principle, you can easily determine which noun is countable and which is not.
countable nouns
Countables include specific objects, objects, people, animals, which we perceive as separate units:
doll - doll
girl - girl
tree - tree
cat - cat
pencil - pencil
Some abstract concepts that can be counted can also be countable:
word - word
desire - desire
idea - idea
decision
order - order
You can always put a number in front of them:
four cats - four cats
two decisions - two decisions
Uncountable nouns
Uncountable substances include any substances: liquid, solid, gaseous, in the form of a powder. We also include abstract concepts, feelings, emotions, natural phenomena, various sciences and academic subjects, sports, etc. That is, everything that cannot be divided into separate units, and, therefore, counted:
peace - peace
gold - gold
time - time
kindness - kindness
love - love
Features of some nouns
Take, for example, nouns such as coffee (coffee), tea (tea), beer (beer). These are liquids, they cannot be counted and we refer them to uncountable nouns:
I don't like coffee, I prefer tea.
I dont like coffee, I prefer tea.
But here's another example:
Give us two coffees and a tea, please.
give us two coffee and tea, please.
As you can see, seemingly uncountable liquids have turned into countable ones. Since in this case we are not interested in abstract coffee and tea, but in a specific volume (cup, serving). We mean it, though we don't say it.
More examples
Here are some more examples where the same noun can have two categories. In this case, the semantic meaning of the word may change. Compare:
The statue is made of stone.
The statue is made from stone.
There are two beautiful stones in the girl's pocket.
The girl has (has) two beautiful pebble.
In the first case, the stone is the substance from which the statue is made, so the noun is uncountable. In the second case, a stone is an object that can be counted.
The bridge was not sturdy because it was made out of wood.
The bridge was not strong because it was made of tree.
This wood is huge.
This forest(woodland) is huge.
Forest is like wood, material is an uncountable noun. And the forest as a specific area, the forest area can already be counted.
The sun gives us light and heat.
The sun gives us light and warm.
The light in the room was dim.
Light(lamp, bulb) in the room was dim.
In the first case, the word "light" is used as an abstract concept, in the second, a specific light source is meant, of which there may be several (two light bulbs).
Michael has extensive experience in medicine.
Michael has a big experience in medicine.
When we went to Moscow, we had some interesting experiences.
When we went to Moscow, we had several interesting adventure(experiences).
In the first sentence, experience is an abstract, uncountable concept; in the second, it is specific interesting moments from life that can be counted.
Thus, depending on the meaning, the same noun can be countable or uncountable. How to determine? The old proven way: count.
Differences in languages
advice - advice
work - work
news - news
baggage - baggage
knowledge - knowledge
information - information, message
progress - progress, success
hair - hair
However, there are pitfalls here as well. For example, the word hair is uncountable; in English, hair cannot be counted. But there is a noun a hair, which translates as "hair" and refers to the countable:
There are two hairs on your dress.
Here (there are) two hair on your dress.
Let's move on to grammar
We have learned how to determine the countability of English nouns, now let's see where it can come in handy. The fact is that there are very important grammatical differences in the use of countable and uncountable nouns.
- English nouns change in number and can be either singular or plural. But this only applies to countable nouns. All uncountable nouns are used only in the singular. Don't try to pluralize them, that would be a mistake. In a sentence, uncountable nouns agree with the singular verb and can be replaced by the pronoun it:
This advice is very useful.
This advice very helpful.
water freezes at a temperature of zero degrees.
Water freezes at zero degrees.
I want to remind you that the word news also refers to uncountable, therefore, despite the ending - s, it is a noun in the singular:
no news is good news.
Absence news- good news.
- I think you know that nouns are used with articles, which can be and .
Both articles are used with countable nouns:
There is a big tree in the yard.
In the yard there is a large wood.
The tree is very old.
Wood very old.
The indefinite article cannot be used with uncountable nouns. This is explained simply: the indefinite article a / an comes from the English word one, which means "one". Since uncountable nouns cannot be counted, the article a/an cannot be used either. These nouns are either preceded by a definite article or no article at all:
water is very important for life on the Earth.
Water very important for life on the ground.
The water in the stream is cold and clean.
Water the stream is cold and clear.
- With the indefinite pronouns some and any, both countable and uncountable nouns can be used. However, countable nouns in this case must be in the plural:
I have some friends in Brazil.
I have some friends in Brazil.
He took some money and went to the store.
He took money (some money) and went to the store.
- The use of nouns with the pronouns much, many, little, few also has its own rules.
- The pronouns many (many), how many (how many, how many), (a) few (few, few) can only be used with countable nouns:
He doesn't usually ask many questions.
He usually does not ask many questions.
There are a few flowers in the garden.
The garden has some flowers.
- The pronouns much (many), how much (how much, how much), (a) little (little, a little) are used only with uncountable nouns:
how much time do you usually spend on this kind of work?
What time is it do you usually spend on this kind of work?
There is a little milk in the cup.
There is in the cup some milk.
- The expression a lot of (a lot) is used with any nouns:
There are a lot of cars in the yard.
In the yard a lot of cars.
There is a lot of water in the glass.
In glass plenty of water.
Knowing the grammatical features of countable and uncountable nouns will help you avoid many mistakes. But theory without practice is quickly forgotten. Channel "English - speak freely!" will give you the opportunity to practice your English at any time of the day. See you on the air!
We figured out that nouns are countable and uncountable - and how to determine whether a particular noun is countable or not. Since we can count apples and stars, they are countable. Water and joy cannot be counted - they are incalculable.
There are two difficult points that need to be mentioned. First, many nouns can be both countable and uncountable, depending on the meaning. Secondly, there are two nouns that we don't expect to be uncountable. Let's start with them.
Countable in Russian, uncountable in English
These two words cause the most problems for students up to the highest levels. It's about advice and news. In Russian, we are used to “five tips” and “three news”, but for English speakers, news and tips are something that cannot be counted.
Advice
It would seem “button up, put on a hat” - these are already two pieces of advice that can be easily calculated. But if you suddenly say two advices", this will cut the American or British ear severely. You just need to remember: advice- uncountable. If it is so fundamental to divide it into countable pieces, then, you will be surprised, but tips are considered precisely “pieces”, i.e. pieces of advice. Or "words" word of advice.
Wise men don't need advice. Fools won't take it. Wise people don't need advice, but stupid people won't take it anyway.
Let me give you a piece of advice. Let me give you one piece of advice.
news
It is clear why this word is so desirable to use in the plural - at the end -s, and in Russian "news" is "they". Once again, you just have to break yourself and remember that news is always it, and never “a news”. If you need to count them, then count again pieces of news or bits of news.
What's the news (what is the news)? What's the news?
Good news or bad news first? Which news comes first, the good news or the bad news?
Countable or not depending on the value
Some of the nouns can be either countable or uncountable. Immediately make a reservation that there are many such words. Here are three of them as an example: chocolate, wine, sand. All three are uncountable in the sense of "substance", but are countable if:
- they are indeed objects that can be counted. I ate a box of chocolates. Now I'm happy. I ate a box of chocolates and now I'm happy.
- There are different kinds: There are many delicious wines in France. France has many delicious wines. Note that " There is much wine ” will mean not many varieties, but that there is simply a lot of it.
- in some special terms: Sands of Sahara are one of the hottest places on Earth. The sands of the Sahara are one of the hottest places on the planet. In this case, sands, "sands" is a literary word that can be called a desert or a beach.
And here are some of the most common, and most interesting words that can be both countable and uncountable, depending on the meaning.
Tea, Coffee and other drinks
Like other liquids, tea and coffee are innumerable. But if you order tea or coffee in a cafe, it is not necessary to mention that you mean "cup". “You can have two teas” - can we have two teas, please - drinks, as in Russian, become countable. The same applies to all drinks ordered at the bar, except, perhaps, water - it will still be some water.
two coffees for me and two tequilas for that pretty lady at the bar. Two coffees for me and two tequilas for that pretty girl at the bar.
Hair
Theoretically, hair can be counted - there are about 150 thousand of them on the average head. But in English hair, hair is an uncountable noun. Those. wanting to say "my hair is dark", refrain from both hairs and are are correct my hair is dark or I have dark hair.
But if there are few hairs and they can really be counted - for example, they float in the tea that you just ordered - they become countable. In this sense, hair corresponds to our word "hair".
There's a hair in my coffee! Hair in my coffee!
There are two hairs growing in the middle of my nose. That's disgusting. I have two hairs growing on my nose, what an abomination.
Time
Time is measured in hours, minutes, centuries - therefore hours, minutes and centuries are countable nouns, but time itself is not.
In the case when the word time means "once", "once", "three times", etc. This is a completely different meaning - and in this case, time is a countable noun.
And one more example - to have a great time', have a great time. Or " A long time ago". The indefinite article with time indicates that time in this case is countable. Just because it's a stable expression.
Time is money. Time is money.
In the meaning of "time" - uncountable.
It's okay to make mistakes. It's not okay to repeat each mistake several times. To err is normal. Making mistakes multiple times is not. In the meaning of "times" - countable.
It's a long time since we had a good time.
We haven't had a good time in a while.
Two set expressions in which time, although it means "time", is used with the indefinite article.
Paper
With the word paper, everything is the same as in Russian: paper as a material is an uncountable noun, you can only count pieces (pieces) or sheets (sheets). But if we are talking about documents: contracts, scientific articles, essays, etc. - all this can be called paper, newspapers, in the end - also paper - they can already be counted.
I want to draw a picture. Have you got some paper?
I want to draw a picture. Got paper?
Have you got a paper to read? Do you have a newspaper to read?
Sometimes I laugh when I read students' papers.
Sometimes I laugh when I read student essays.
room
Room - a room in English, obviously, a countable word - everyone living in two-, three- or more-room apartments will not argue with this. This word will also come in handy for tourists when booking a room in a hotel. But besides this, the word room has one more meaning - “free space, space”, and in this meaning it becomes uncountable.
Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms.These include 240 bedrooms and 78 bathrooms. Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms, including 240 bedrooms and 78 toilets.
There's no room for personal life in my schedule. My schedule has no place for personal life.
Come sit on the sofa with us, we can make some room for you. Sit on the couch with us, we'll move in.
work
If you work two jobs, then “you have two jobs” (in general, the difference between job and work is a topic for another discussion). And work itself is an uncountable noun. It becomes quantifiable only in the world of painting, literature and other forms of art - in the meaning of "work, work."
I seem like I'm not leaving office anytime soon, I have some work to finish. Looks like I won't be leaving the office soon, I have some work to finish.
Familiar situation, right? I hope not. But the work, whether it is for 5 minutes or until late in the evening, remains incalculable.
There are 130 thousand works of art in Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. The Tretyakov Gallery has 130,000 works of art.
In this context, work - a countable noun - is counted in pictures, from "Morning in a pine forest" to "Black Square".
In case you are still at a loss whether this or that noun is countable or not, the solution is to look in the dictionary. Countable nouns are marked as , uncountable nouns as . Moreover, if it depends on the meaning, it is indicated for which of them the noun is countable, for which it is not.
We are sure that more than once when studying English in courses you have come across the concept of countable and uncountable nouns. This is not surprising, since in English the categories countable and uncountable influence the choice of the grammatical environment of a word. In Russian, we can count almost anything and it’s easy to say both “two apples” and “two weathers”. The second phrase sounds less harmonious than the first, but, nevertheless, is not a grammatically incorrect construction. In English, counting uncountable concepts means making a gross grammatical error (one cannot say two happinesses). Due to the discrepancy in our native and English grammatical systems, a Russian person can make annoying mistakes related to the countability of nouns. Let's see what difficulties are most often encountered in this case.
Which English nouns are uncountable?
The first thing to do when determining the category of a noun is to count. Most of the time, this resolves the issue quickly. If you can easily count objects, phenomena, put them in the plural so that it does not cause you doubts, they are countable (two carrots, eleven computers, three bags). Otherwise, the noun is uncountable.
However, it is important not to fall into a logical trap. Is money countable? We consider them, there is no arguing here. But, pay attention, when calculating money, we always use the name of the currency: one hundred rubles, fifty dollars, ten yens. Accordingly, money is an uncountable noun, and ruble, dollar, yen are countable. The same situation occurs when counting water, sugar, milk (water, sugar, milk). We can count all these uncountable concepts by resorting to countable nouns denoting measures: kilograms, liters, cups, pieces, etc.
Uncountable are liquids:
tea, blood, milk, oil, water and others. To determine their number, you will have to resort to words such as liters (liters), bottles (bottles), cups (cups), sips (mouthfuls).
Uncountable are products that do not have a standard, familiar form. Such "shapeless" products as butter (butter), meat (meat), rice (rice), ice (ice).
Not calculated gaseous substances: air (air), oxygen (oxygen), smoke (smoke).
Also uncountable are abstract concepts: music (music), knowledge (knowledge), health (health), progress (progress).
Grammar accompanying countable and uncountable
We repeat, it is necessary to correctly determine the countability of a noun in order not to make grammatical errors. What grammatical structures are used with countable and uncountable nouns.The first thing to remember - indefinite article " a» is not used with uncountable nouns. This is logical, since the etymology of the indefinite article goes back to the noun one (one). Thus, uncountable nouns, if necessary, are accompanied by a definite article and are not used in the plural. Do not forget that the verb accompanying an uncountable noun is also used only in the singular is, does, was, has, etc.
The second slippery moment is the choice many/much, a few/a little. Countable nouns are accompanied by the adjectives many and few, uncountable - by much and little. More about it
Nouns that can be countable and uncountable at the same time
In English, there are many nouns that, depending on the context and their meaning, act either as countable or as uncountable. Here are some of the most common variants of such words:|
uncountable |
countable |
|
|
Tea, coffee, other drinks |
Some tea - Some tea. Drinks are always uncountable when it comes directly to the substance. |
A tea, two teas - one cup of tea, two cups of tea. By assigning quantifiable characteristics to substances, we limit their number to one unit. When it comes to tea - one cup. The exception is water, we still say: Can I have some water? |
|
Her hair is red - she is red-haired. The word hair in English is uncountable when we talk about all the hair that belongs to a person. Don't say my hairs - that's grammatically incorrect. | ||
|
The time - time. |
A time - times. |
|
|
The paper - paper (material). |
A paper - document, newspaper. |
|
|
The room - place, space. Come here, we will make some room for you - Sit down, we will move. |
A room - room. |
|
|
The work - work (process). |
A work is a work (the work of an artist, writer, poet, musician). |
|
|
Chocolate |
The chocolate - chocolate (substance, shapeless product). |
A chocolate - chocolate candy, chocolate. |
|
Wine |
The wine - wine (substance, product). |
A wine is a type of wine. |
Nouns that are unexpectedly uncountable in English.
Particular attention should be paid to two nouns that are countable in Russian, but not in English. These insidious words cause a huge number of errors in those who study English in courses or individually.Remember the word advice - an uncountable noun. I'll give you some advice- I'll give you advice. If you still want to count the advice that you give, you will have to do it in “pieces”. A piece of advice- one piece of advice.
A similar situation occurs with the word news. Do not be confused by the ending -s, this is not a plural indicator in this case. What is the news? – What news? Also use pieces of news or bits of news when counting news.
So, it would seem that a simple topic can be fraught with many subtle nuances. By understanding them, you can avoid many mistakes.
We hope you found this material helpful. You may also be interested in the following articles:
√ Countable or uncountable.
√ Uncountable nouns.
√ Countable or uncountable in other languages.
√ When an uncountable noun is used as a countable.
√ Uncountable noun as countable in the singular.
Countable or uncountable.
Nouns can be either countable or uncountable. Countable nouns are those that can be counted, preceded by the article a/an, or used in the plural.
| Countable -nouns that can be counted and can be used in the singular and plural | Uncountable - nouns that can't be counted | ||
Liquid (liquids) |
|||
A coffee (a cup of coffee) A milk A oil Soup A tea A water | bl'd
ˈkɒfi ˈgæsəʊliːn mɪlk ɔɪl suːp tiː ˈwɔːtə | ||
| Could you give me a coffee | There is no coffee in my cup. | ||
Solids |
|||
a glass of wine a jar of jam a piece of cheese a pint of ice cream (pint of ice cream) a pound of meat a slice / loaf of bread (slice / loaf of bread) | brɛd | silver |
|
| Can you buy a loaf of bread. | The air is fresh here. | ||
Gases |
|||
a breath of fresh air
a cloud of smoke | eə ‘ fɒ g mɪ st ˈ naɪ trəʤə n ˈɒ ksɪʤə n smɒ g sməʊ k stiː m | oxygen |
|
| There is some flour on the table. | |||
Bulk |
|||
an ear of corn a speck of dust a bag of flour sweet pepper
a grain of rice a pinch of salt (a pinch of salt) miles of golden sands (miles of golden sands) | ʧɔːk
kɔːn dʌst ˈflaʊə ˈpɛpə raɪs sɔːlt sænd ˈʃʊgə | corn salt |
|
| History is my favorite subject. | |||
Schoolitems |
|||
| baɪˈɒləʤi
ˈkɛmɪstri ˈhændɪkrɑːft ˈhɪstəri ˈlɪtərɪʧə ˌmæθ ɪˈmætɪks ˈfɪzɪks saɪəns | biology literature mathematics |
||
| my homework is what I need to do first. Honesty is the best politics. | |||
Abstract concepts |
|||
a piece of advice a beauty a waste of energy a great help a piece of information a peal of laughter an item of news a rough justice an empty space a moment of time | ədˈvaɪs
ˈbjuːti ˌɛdju(ː)ˈkeɪʃən ˈɛnəʤi ˈgræmə ˈhæpɪnɪs hɛlθ hɛlp ˈhəʊmˌwɜːk ˈɒnɪsti ˌɪnfəˈmeɪʃən ɪnˈtɛlɪʤəns ˈʤʌstɪs ˈnɒlɪʤ ˈlɑːftə njuːz speeds taɪm trueθ wɛlθ wɜːk | education grammar health homework honesty Information intelligence justice space wealth |
|
| I can speak two languages: Polish and English, but my favorite is English. | |||
Languages |
|||
| ˈærəbɪk
ˌʧaɪˈniːz ˈɪŋglɪʃ ˈʤɜːmən ˌʤæpəˈniːz ˈpɒlɪʃ ˈspænɪʃ | Arab Chinese English Deutsch Japanese Polish Spanish |
||
| Fencing is my son's work. | |||
Games |
|||
| ˈbeɪsbɔːl
ʧɛs ˈfɛnsɪŋ ˈfʊtbɔːl ˈpəʊkə ˈtɛnɪs | fencing |
||
| I like swimming. | |||
Actions |
|||
| draɪvɪŋ
ˈʤɒgɪŋ stʌdiɪŋ ˈswɪmɪŋ ˈwɔːkɪŋ | driving jogging study of swimming walking |
||
| Is there your equipment? | |||
Collective |
|||
a piece/bit of equipment a piece of fruit a piece of furniture a piece of jewelry a piece of luggage a waste of money | ɪˈkwɪpmənt
fuːd fruits ˈfɜːnɪʧə ˈgɑːbɪʤ ˈʤuːəlri ˈlʌgɪʤ mel ˈmʌni ˈtræfɪk | equipment jewelry motion |
|
| Humidity in Brest is high. | |||
Natural Phenomena |
|||
a burst of sunshine
a gust of wind (gust of wind)
a touch of frost (frost) | ˈdɑːknɪs heel hiːt hju(ː)ˈmɪdɪti ˈlaɪtnɪŋ ren slit snəʊ ˈwɛðə wɪnd | humidity rain with snow |
|
When an uncountable noun is used as countable.
a) Sometimes an uncountable noun is used when we talk about a substance or an idea, but a countable noun when we talk about containers for things. Compare:
She prefers coffee to tea. And
Four coffees (= cups of coffee), please.
About the kind / type of something, the brand or what the thing is made of. Compare:
There"s butter in the fridge. and There are a lot of butters (= brands of butter) to choose from..
About a specific example of a physical or some specific thing. Compare:
Karina has got black hair. and There's a hair in my soup!
About a specific example of a substance or idea. Compare:
The steps were made of stone. and She has got a stone in her sandal.
We were always bad at sport. and Badminton is mainly a summer sport in Belarus.
B) The same noun can be used both countable and uncountable. Compare:
- There is a lot of iron in Russia. (Metal)
- There was an iron on the table. (a device for clothes to make them smooth)
Other similar nouns like these include:
Weather- in all weathers.
A transport- impulse (emotions) I was in a transport of delight - I was in a fit of delight
Time- time, case. That has been the only time my parents disagreed.
Speech- give/make/deliver a speech - Each pupil had to delivered a short speech to the class.
Sight- sight, view, As they opened the front door they saw a strange sight. When they opened the front door, they saw a strange sight.
- the sights and sounds of the forest the sights and sounds of the forest
room- room. There are a lot of rooms at my place.
property- physical/chemical properties. physical / chemical properties
Paper- newspaper. Have you read today's paper yet? Have you already read today's newspaper?
Education lesson, experience. Having Jimmie to stay has been quite an education! Jimmy taught us a good lesson when we left him!
The noun damage can only be used as a countable plural:
David and Max had damage to the car.
Is everything in the world measurable and measurable? No. True, here we are not talking about such philosophical concepts as love or friendship. We are interested in uncountable nouns in English. We will analyze all the nuances of their use.
The concept of an uncountable noun
The words "love" (love) and will have the most direct relation to this topic. Neither can be counted. We can say "many loves" but we can't say "three loves". This is how we distinguish between countable and uncountable nouns, the number of the former can always be counted. There can be one bottle of water, two bottles of water (one bottle of water, two bottles of water), but "one water" (one water), "two waters" (two waters) or "three waters" (three waters) - so do not speak. The word "water" is uncountable.
Why even get acquainted with the category of uncountable nouns? Is it really impossible to use these words correctly without knowing whether they can be counted? In fact, this is important in English, because the indefinite article "a" is not used before uncountable nouns (for nouns with a vowel - an), and the definite article the is used only in some cases.
Types of uncountable nouns
It should be borne in mind that any Russian uncountable noun can have an English counterpart that can be counted. Although mismatches are quite rare. In any case, one should have an idea of which words can be classified as uncountable, at least in order to correctly use articles with them. The list of uncountable nouns in English includes:
- beauty - beauty, permission - permission;
- names of diseases: flu - influenza;
- weather conditions: rain - rain;
- food: cheese - cheese;
- substances: water - water;
- sports or activities: gardening - gardening;
- items: equipment - equipment;
- geographical objects: the Mississippi - Mississippi;
- languages: German - German, Russian - Russian.
As well as a number of generalizing nouns like information - information, money - money. In most cases, it is easy to guess whether a noun is uncountable. But some words can be difficult. For example, hair - hair. Some students become stumped when they encounter a hair in assignments. In fact, hair and a hair are different words. The first is really uncountable and is translated as hair, the second word has the meaning of "hair" and can be used in the plural. The word advice can also surprise. It does not have a plural, advices does not exist. It can be translated as "advice" or "advice" depending on the situation. The word fruit does not mean "one fruit", but "fruits". It is very rare to see fruits, but it has a rather specific meaning, with the approximate meaning of "fruits of various kinds".
Features of the use of uncountable nouns: pronouns, articles
With uncountable nouns, only the definite article is used. For example, the news - these news. "a" is never preceded by them. Also, these nouns do not have a plural. Many of them are already sort of in the news. But they may well be used with quantitative pronouns: some (some), little (few), much (many), as well as with demonstratives: this (this), that (that). In addition to all this, there are a number of words that allow you to make uncountable nouns in English countable: a piece, a bowl, a bag, a jar, a glass, a tile, a cup, a loaf, a slice, and others.
For example, a bar of soap/chocolate/gold is a bar of soap/chocolate/bar of gold, a bowl of fruits is a bowl of fruit, a carton of milk is a carton of milk, a can of beer is a can of beer, a cup of coffee is a cup of coffee, a loaf of bread - a loaf of bread.
Uncountable nouns with the expression a piece of
Very interesting is the use of the word "piece" - a piece of. It is often used with the most unexpected abstract and uncountable words for a Russian person, for example, a piece of advice, a piece of music, a piece of information. And, of course, we will not translate these expressions as "a piece of advice", "a piece of music" or "a piece of information", although the latter option is quite acceptable. But since this is enough, the translation will be specific: "advice", "musical work", "message".
Agreement of uncountable nouns with verbs
Which verb to use with an uncountable noun: in the singular or plural form? For example, how do you say "money is on the table"? The money is on the chest or The money is on the chest? The first option would be correct. With uncountable nouns, only verbs in the singular are used. Examples: the milk is fresh - the milk is fresh, the water is very hot - the water is very hot. But if you use which allow you to measure uncountable nouns, then the agreement of verbs occurs already with them. For example, two cartoons of milk are on the table - two packs of milk on the table, three bottles of water are in the fridge - three bottles of water in the refrigerator.
Uncountable nouns in English: types
Can all uncountable nouns be divided into groups? There are two such groups in English, and, oddly enough, they are divided by number, singular or plural. Plurals are nouns that end in -s, -es. For example, the names of games (darts), scientific theories (economics), groups and associations (Police, the Andes). They are preceded by the plural demonstrative pronouns those or these. Before uncountable singular nouns, and they are the majority, in this case, this or that is used.
Countable and uncountable nouns: examples
To better understand the features of these types of nouns, consider pairs of nouns, one of which is countable and the other is uncountable. Particularly interesting are those that have the same translation. So: song - music (song - music), bottle - wine (bottle - wine), report - information (message - information), cupboard - furniture (wardrobe - furniture), tip - advice (advice, hint - advice), job - work (work, piecework - work), jorney - travel (travel, trip - travel), view - scenery (review, view - view, landscape). The word "hours", which in Russian is used only in the plural, in English will stand only in the singular. The watch is very expensive - This watch is very expensive. Although, if we are talking about a lot of watches, then it is quite possible to say watches. The word money can also cause confusion. After all, the Russian "money" is the plural. In English, the word money is always, without exception, only the singular. For example, Money in not for me - Money is not for me. Money is under the pillow - Money under the pillow.
Other interesting uncountable nouns in English: mail (mail, that is, parcels and letters), garlic (garlic), harm (harm, evil, loss, damage), homework (homework), chalk (chalk), content (content, text and graphic content of the site), currency (currency), fame (fame, fame, popularity), garbage (garbage, garbage, leftovers), innicence (cleanliness, innocence), jelly (jam), labor (work, especially physical work) , livestock (livestock, farm animals).
Uncountable nouns in English and the possessive case
The possessive case expresses property relations. For example, in the phrase "dog tail" it is not clear who belongs to whom. But if you give the word "dog" the form of the possessive case, then it is immediately clear that the tail belongs to the dog, and not vice versa. The rules for setting English countable nouns into the possessive case are quite simple: you just need to add the ending "s" after an apostrophe, for example, dog's tail. But how do you say "temperature of water", "mass of matter" or "a few pounds of ice cream"? It should be noted right away that inanimate nouns are extremely rarely used in the possessive case. As a rule, the preposition "of" is used, for example: mass of a substance - the mass of a substance (as you can see, in English, the word "substance" is not uncountable), a few pounds of ice-cream - a few pounds of ice cream. The construction "noun + noun" is often used. For example, water temperature - water temperature.
