Master count and non-count nouns in English. Learn rules, examples, and common mistakes in a simple and friendly way. There are two main types of nouns which are countable noun and uncountable noun or noncount noun. Countable noun refer to the noun that we can count 1, 2, 3...etc. While uncountable noun cannot be counted. Countable noun has a singular form and a plural form. Now let's explore more.
Countable nouns
We can count a thing like a book or five books. It has a singular and a plural form and goes with singular and plural verb forms.
- These books are very interesting.
- I have two cats.
- He has a car.
- There are 20 students in my classroom.
Singular Noun
- a book
- a person
- one car
- an apple
- a leaf
- a fly
Plural Noun
- five books
- ten people
- some apples
- a lot of leaves
- a lot of flies
Rule 1: adding -es
We add -es to the noun that ends in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -o, -z
- a bus > two buses
- a glass > ten glasses
- one dish > many dishes
- one watch > a lot of watches
- a box > some boxes
Rule 2 : adding -ies
Add -ies to the noun that ends in consonant + y.
- a fly > a lot of flies
- a candy > some candies
- a party > many parties
Rule 3 : adding -ves
Add -ves to the noun that ends in -fe & -f
- a life > many lives
- a leaf > a lot of leaves
- a shelf > two shelves
Rule 4 : adding -s
Add -s to the noun that doesn't follow rule 1, 2 & 3.
- a book > many books
- a teacher > some teachers
- one plane > a lot of planes
- an apple > three apples
Irregular Noun
- a man > two men
- a person > people
- a mouse > a lot of mice
- a child > some children
- tooth > teeth
- foot > feet
- goose > geese
- woman > women
Noncount Noun
Example
- water
- oil
- money
- bread
- coffee
- oil
- cheese
- rice
- grain
- cereal
- tea
- soup
- happiness
- education
- furniture
- success
📘 Easy Lesson: A, An, Some, Any, Much, Many, A Lot of, A Few, Few
1️⃣ A / An (one thing)
👉 Use for singular countable nouns
a → before consonant sounds
an → before vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u)
Examples
a cat 🐱
a book 📘
an apple 🍎
an orange 🍊
✔️ I have a pen.
✔️ She eats an egg.
2️⃣ Some (a small number or amount)
👉 Use with plural countable and uncountable nouns
👉 Common in positive sentences
Examples
some apples 🍎🍎
some water 💧
some rice 🍚
✔️ I have some friends.
✔️ There is some milk.
3️⃣ Any (not specific)
👉 Use in questions and negative sentences
👉 Works with countable & uncountable nouns
Examples
any books
any money
✔️ Do you have any pens?
✔️ I don’t have any sugar.
4️⃣ Much (uncountable)
👉 Use with uncountable nouns
👉 Mostly in questions & negatives
Examples
much water 💧
much time ⏰
✔️ How much milk do you want?
✔️ There isn’t much rice.
5️⃣ Many (countable)
👉 Use with plural countable nouns
👉 Often in questions & negatives
Examples
many students 👩🎓👨🎓
many books 📚
✔️ How many apples are there?
✔️ She doesn’t have many friends.
6️⃣ A Lot of (very common & friendly)
👉 Use with countable & uncountable nouns
👉 Good for positive sentences
Examples
a lot of food 🍕
a lot of cars 🚗
✔️ There is a lot of water.
✔️ He has a lot of toys.
7️⃣ A Few (some, positive 😊)
👉 Use with plural countable nouns
👉 Means a small number, but enough
Examples
a few friends
a few cookies 🍪
✔️ I have a few pencils.
(= good, not zero)
8️⃣ Few (almost none 😟)
👉 Use with plural countable nouns
👉 Means very small number, not enough
Examples
few students
few chairs
✔️ There are few chairs.
(= almost no chairs)
🔍 Quick Comparison
| Word | Countable | Uncountable | Feeling |
|---|---|---|---|
| a / an | ✅ | ❌ | neutral |
| some | ✅ | ✅ | neutral |
| any | ✅ | ✅ | neutral |
| much | ❌ | ✅ | neutral |
| many | ✅ | ❌ | neutral |
| a lot of | ✅ | ✅ | positive |
| a few | ✅ | ❌ | 😊 positive |
| few | ✅ | ❌ | 😟 negative |
✏️ Simple Practice (Oral / Written)
I have ___ apple.
There is ___ water in the bottle.Are there ___ students in the class?
She has ___ friends, so she is happy.
There are ___ chairs, we need more.
📝 Count & Non-Count Nouns – Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which sentence is correct? 🍎
A. Much apples
B. Many apples
C. Much apple
D. A little apples
2. Which word is a non-count noun? 💧
A. Chair
B. Book
C. Water
D. Pen
3. Choose the correct sentence. 🍞
A. Two breads
B. Some bread
C. Many bread
D. A bread
4. Which is a count noun? 🐶
A. Milk
B. Rice
C. Dog
D. Sugar
5. We use “much” with ____ nouns. 🤔
A. Count
B. Non-count
C. Plural
D. People
6. Which sentence is correct? 🍚
A. A rice
B. Many rice
C. Some rice
D. Two rice
7. Which word can have -s / -es? ➕
A. Information
B. Money
C. Books
D. Water
8. “How many” is used with ____ nouns. 🔢
A. Non-count
B. Count
C. Liquid
D. Food
9. Which sentence is correct? 🥛
A. A glass of milk
B. Two milks
C. Many milk
D. A milk
10. Which noun is non-count? 🍯
A. Apple
B. Egg
C. Honey
D. Banana
11. Choose the correct word: “I have ___ friends.” 😊
A. Much
B. Little
C. Many
D. Some much
12. Choose the correct sentence. 🧀
A. Many cheese
B. Some cheese
C. A cheese
D. Two cheese
13. Which noun is a count noun? ✏️
A. Advice
B. Information
C. Pencil
D. Rice
14. We use “a few” with ____ nouns. 📚
A. Non-count
B. Count
C. Liquid
D. Abstract
15. Which sentence is correct? 🍪
A. Much cookies
B. A few cookies
C. Little cookies
D. Some cookie
16. Which word is non-count? 🧠
A. Idea
B. Thought
C. Knowledge
D. Answer
17. Choose the correct sentence. 🍊
A. An orange
B. Much orange
C. Some oranges juice
D. A orange juice
18. “How much” is used with ____ nouns. 💦
A. Count
B. Plural
C. Non-count
D. People
19. Which sentence is correct? 🧂
A. A salt
B. Many salt
C. A little salt
D. Two salts
20. Which is a count noun? 🐱
A. Milk
B. Sugar
C. Water
D. Cat