In this article, we will learn about non-count nouns. Most non-count nouns refer to a ‘whole’ that is made up of different parts.
Many nouns can be used as either non-count or count nouns, but the meaning is different. Examples:
- Non-count: Anna has brown hair.
- Count: Tim has a hair on his jacket.
To express a particular quantity, some non-count nouns may be preceded by unit expressions. For example:
- a spoonful of sugar,
- a glass of water,
- a cup of coffee,
- a quart of milk,
- a loaf of bread,
- a grain of rice,
- a bowl of soup,
- a bag of flour,
- a pound of meat,
- a piece of furniture,
- a piece of paper,
- a piece of jewelry.
The following are typical of nouns which are commonly used as non-count nouns:
- Whole groups made up of similar items:
- baggage, clothing, equipment, food, fruit, furniture, garbage, hardware, jewelry, junk, luggage, machinery, mail, makeup, money/cash/change, postage, scenery, traffic, etc.
- Fluids:
- water, coffee, tea, milk, oil, soup, gasoline, blood, etc.
- Solids:
- ice, bread, butter, cheese, meat, gold, iron, silver, glass, paper, wood, cotton, wool, etc.
- Gases:
- steam, air, oxygen, nitrogen, smog, smoke, pollution, etc.
- Particles:
- rice, chalk, corn, dirt, dust, flour, grass, hair, pepper, salt, sand, sugar, wheat, etc.
- Abstractions:
- beauty, confidence, courage, education, enjoyment, fun, happiness, health, advice, information, news, time, space, energy, homework, work, grammar, vocabulary, etc.
- Languages:
- Arabic, Chinese, English, Spanish, etc.
- Fields of study:
- chemistry, engineering, history, literature, mathematics, psychology, dentistry, etc.
- General activities:
- driving, studying, swimming, traveling, walking, etc.
- Recreation:
- baseball, soccer, tennis, chess, poker, etc.
- Natural phenomena:
- weather, dew, fog, hail, heat, humidity, lightning, rain, sleet, snow, thunder, wind, darkness, light, sunshine, electricity, fire, gravity, etc.
Should you have any comment or question regarding this topic, feel free to leave a message in the comment box down below.
Compiled and written by @sherlydarmali for @EnglishTips4U on Sunday, December 4, 2016
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^MQ