Uncountable nouns in English. Countable and uncountable nouns

Does everything in the world lend themselves to accounting and measurement? No. True, here we do not talk 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 notion of an uncountable noun

The words "love" and "friendship" will have the most direct relationship to this topic. Neither one nor the other can not be counted. We can say "a lot of love", but we can not "three love". This is how we distinguish countable and uncountable nouns, the number of the first can always be calculated. There may be one bottle of water, two bottles of water, but one water, two waters, or three waters - so do not speak. The word "water" is uncountable.

Why even get acquainted with the category of uncountable nouns? Is it really wrong to use these words without knowing whether you can count them? In fact, in English it is important, because before the uncountable nouns there is not used the indefinite article "a" (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 accounted for. Although mismatches are quite rare. In any case, one should have an idea of what words can be attributed to the uncountable, if only in order to properly use articles with them. The list of uncountable nouns in English includes:

• Abstract nouns: beauty - beauty, permission - permission;
• Names of diseases: flu - flu;
• Weather conditions: rain - rain;
• Food: cheese - cheese;
• Substances: water - water;
• Sports or activities: gardening - gardening;
• Objects: equipment - equipment;
• Geographic features: the Mississippi - Mississippi;
• Languages: German - German, Russian - Russian.

And also a number of generalizing nouns like information - information, money - money. In most cases, it is not difficult to guess whether a noun is uncountable. But some words can cause difficulties. For example, hair is the hair. Some students are at a dead end, meeting in the tasks a hair. 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 "hair" and can be used in the plural. The word advice can also surprise. It does not have a plural, advices do not exist. It can be translated both as "advice" and as "advice" depending on the situation. The word fruit means not "one fruit", but "fruit". It is very rare to find fruits, but it has quite a specific meaning with the approximate meaning of "fruits of different species."

Features of the use of uncountable nouns: pronouns, article

With uncountable nouns, only the definite article is used. For example, the news is this news. The indefinite article "a" before them is never put. Also these nouns do not have a plural. Many of them are already in the plural: news. But they can be used with quantitative pronouns: some, a little, a lot, and also with indexes: 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 packet, a pot, a glass, a tile, a cup, a loaf, a slice and the like.

For example, a bar of soap / chocolate / gold - a bar of soap / chocolate bar / gold bar, a bowl of fruits - a bowl of fruit, a carton of milk - a packet of milk, a can of beer - a can of beer, a cup of coffee - A cup of coffee, a loaf of bread - a loaf or a loaf of bread.

Uncountable nouns with the expression a piece of

It is very interesting to use the word "piece" - a piece of. It is often used with the most unexpected for a Russian person abstract and uncountable words, 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 entirely acceptable. But since these are fairly stable expressions, then the translation will be specific: "advice", "musical work", "message".

Harmonization of uncountable nouns with verbs

Which verb to use with an uncountable noun: in the form of a single or plural? For example, how to say "money on the table"? The money is on the chest or The money are on the chest? The first option will 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 auxiliary words that allow you to measure uncountable nouns, then the alignment of the verbs occurs already with them. For example, two cartons of milk are on the table - two packages of milk on a table, three bottles of water are in the fridge - three bottles of water in the refrigerator.

Uncountable nouns in English: species

Can all nouns that are not amenable to accounting be divided into groups? In English there are two such groups, and, strangely enough, they are divided according to the number, single or plural. Nouns that end in -s, -es belong to the plural. For example, the names of games (darts), scientific theories (economics), groups and associations (Police, the Andes). Before them are used demonstrative pronouns of the plural those or these. Before the uncountable nouns of the singular, and their majority, in this case this or that is used.

Countable and uncountable nouns: examples

To better understand the features of these kinds of nouns, consider pairs of nouns, one of which is countable, and the other - uncountable. Particularly interesting are those that have the same translation. So: song - music (song - music), bottle - wine, report - information, cupboard - furniture, tip advice (advice, tip - advice), job - work (work, piecework work - work), jorney - travel (travel, trip - journey), view - scenery (view, view - view, landscape). The word "clock", which in Russian is used only in the plural, in English will stand only in the singular. The watch is very expensive - These watches are very expensive. Although, if it is a question of a lot of hours, it is quite possible to say watches. The word money can also cause difficulties. After all, Russian "money" is a plural. In English, the word money is always the only number without exceptions. 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, garlic, harm, homework, chalk, content, Text, and graphic content of the site), currency, fame (fame, fame, popularity), garbage (garbage, garbage, remains), innicence (purity, innocence), jelly, labor (especially physical work) , Livestock (livestock, animals that are kept on the farm).

Uncountable nouns in English and possessive

The possessive case expresses property relations. For example, in the phrase "dog tail" it is not clear who owns 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 stating the English countable nouns in the possessive case are quite simple: you just need to add the ending "s" through an apostrophe, for example, dog's tail. But how to say "water temperature", "mass of matter" or "a few pounds of ice cream"? It should be noted right away that inanimate nouns are rarely used in the possessive case. As a rule, the preposition "of" is used, for example: mass of a substance is the mass of a substance (as we see in English, the word "substance" is not uncountable), a few pounds of ice-cream are a few pounds of ice cream. Often, the construction of "noun + noun" is used. For example, water temperature is the water temperature.