Countable or not?

A few rules

A countable noun has a singular and a plural form. We can use the indefinite article and numbers with it. The quantifiers some, many, lots of, a lot of, a few, few are used with countable nouns:

"How many workers are there here?"
"There are three workers doing one job!"
"Lots of people work here."

An uncountable noun only has one form, usually singular. We cannot use the indefinite article a/an or numbers with it. You can indicate quantity by placing a relevant countable expression (a piece of, an item of) in front of an uncountable noun or by adding a quantifier (some, a little, a lot, a lot of). We use much with uncountable nouns:

"Can I give you a piece of advice? Don't join this company!"
"There's some information on the project in that file."
"How much time have we got left?"

Nouns that are both countable and uncountable

Some nouns can be either countable or uncountable, depending on the meaning. The countable form has a specific meaning, whereas the uncountable form has a general meaning:

Countable
"My computer is making a really strange noise again."
Uncountable
"The noise in this office is unbearable - I've got a terrible headache."

Countable
"Sue has set up a new business in the centre of town."
Uncountable
"Business is booming!"

Now, try the exercise!

Deborah Capras