English — Countable vs uncountable nouns
Countable nouns have singular and plural forms (a book / two books). Uncountable nouns (water, advice, information) have no plural and take no a/an. The type decides which quantifiers you can use.
How it works
Use a/an and numbers only with countable nouns: a book, an apple, two chairs. With uncountables use much/(a) little and no article: much water, little time. Some/any/a lot of work with both. To count uncountable things, use a partitive: a piece of advice, a glass of water, a bit of information.
Examples
| Example | Type / rule |
|---|---|
| a book / two books | Countable: takes a/an and a plural |
| water (not a water) | Uncountable: no a/an, no plural |
| how many books? | Countable question word: many |
| how much water? | Uncountable question word: much |
| a piece of advice | Partitive: makes advice countable |
| a glass of water | Partitive: a unit of water |
| a lot of time / a lot of friends | a lot of works with both types |
Good to know
Several nouns that are countable in other languages are uncountable in English: advice, information, news, furniture, luggage, money, bread. Say some advice or a piece of advice, never an advice or advices. Also, news looks plural but is uncountable and singular: The news is good.