SKILL 40: DISTINGUISH COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS




In English, nouns are classified as countable or uncountable. For certain questions on the TOEFL test, it is necessary to distinguish countable and uncountable nouns in order to use the correct modifiers with them.

As the name implies, countable nouns are nouns that can be counted. Countable nouns can come in quantities of one, or two, or a hundred, etc. The noun “book” is countable because you can have one book or several books.

Uncountable nouns, on the other hand, are nouns that cannot be counted because they come in some indeterminate quantity or mass. A noun such as “milk” or “happiness” cannot be counted; you cannot have one milk or two milks, and you cannot find one happiness or two happinesses. Uncountable nouns are often liquid items, such as “water, oil, or shampoo”. Uncountable nouns can also refer to abstract ideas, such as “security, excitement, or hope”.

It is important for you to recognize the difference between countable and uncountable nouns when you come across such key words as much and many.

In the first example, much is incorrect because “films” is countable. This sentence should say “many foreign films”. In the second example, many is incorrect because “fun” is uncountable. This sentence should say “much fun”.



Video Pembahasan





Follow Me On Instagram