Countable nouns
Countable nouns are those nouns that we can count "with number". For example:
I have a book
I have three books
I have one glass
I have 20 glasses
Countable nouns can go in the plural (if there is more than one) or in the singular
QUANTIFIERS for COUNTABLE NOUNS
Some indicates an amount of things with the verb in the affirmative form. For example:
I have some books in the shelf, not a lot
Any indicates a small amount of things with the verb in the negative or interrogative form. For example:
I don't have any books in the shelf.
Any, when used in the negative form, can be substituted by no. For example:
I have no books in the shelf
When used in the interrogative form, any usually refer to "an indetermined amount", whether it be 1, 2 or 50. That is, in the interrogative form, any does not necessarily imply a "small" amount of things.
Do you have any book in the shelf?
(Notice that "book" goes in the singular here, because any is used to ask about the possibility of having 1 or more books in the shelf).
A few is used to indicate "an amount" of things. It can be used in the affirmative, in the negative, and in the interrogative forms. For example:
I have a few books in the shelf. Maybe 20
IMPORTANT!!!
Few alone is the opposite of a few and it means "a small amount" of things. For example:
I have few books in the shelf. Maybe 2.
Many is used to indicate:
a) "A lot". For example:
I have many books = I have a lot of books
b) How many is used to ask for a quantity of countable things. For example:
How many books do you have?
Uncountable nouns
Uncountable nouns are those nouns that we cannot count "with number". These are nouns that refer to:
a) A substance: glass, plastic, petrol
b) Cognition: learning, talent, information
c) Mass food: rice, sugar, flour
d) Collective: traffic, clothes
Countable nouns cannot go in the plural. If we want to express a large quantity of them, we need to use premodifiers. For example:
a) a pane of glass, a piece of plastic, a tank of petrol
b) an amount of learning, a measure of talent, a piece of information
c) a bowl of rice, a cup of sugar, a spoonful of flour
e) a mass of traffic, a bunch of clothes
These premodiers ARE countable nouns.
QUANTIFIERS for COUNTABLE NOUNS
Some indicates an amount of things with the verb in the affirmative form. For example:
I have some rice in the shelf, not a lot
Any indicates an amount of things with the verb in the negative or interrogative form. For example:
I don't have any rice in the shelf.
Any, when used in the negative form, can be substituted by no. For example:
I have no rice in the shelf
When used in the interrogative form, any usually refer to "an indetermined amount", whether it be a little or a lot. That is, in the interrogative form, any does not necessarily imply a "small" amount of things.
Do you have any rice in the shelf?
A little is used to indicate "an amount" of things. It can be used in the affirmative, in the negative, and in the interrogative forms. For example:
I have a little rice in the shelf. Maybe a kilo.
IMPORTANT!!!
Little alone is the opposite of a little and it means "a small amount" of things. For example:
I have little rice in the shelf. Maybe a cup.
Much is used to indicate:
a) "A lot". For example:
I have much rice = I have a lot of books
b) How much is used to ask for a quantity of countable things. For example:
How much books do you have?
***There are a lot of uncountable nouns related to food. Below you will find some interesting quantifiers:
A breadcrumb/ A few breadcrumbs/ Some breadcrumbs/ A slice of bread/ Some slices of bread/ Half a loaf of bread/ A loaf of bread/ Some loaves of bread
A little (bit of) cheese/ Some cheese/ Lots of cheese/ Lots of cheeses
A drop of olive oil/ A few drops of olive oil/ A teaspoon of olive oil/ Some olive oil/ Lots of olive oil/ A bottle of olive oil
A tiny bit of jam/ A teaspoon of jam/ A tablespoon of jam/ Quite a lot of jam/ A jar of jam/ Some jars of jam
A pinch of salt/ A little (bit of) salt/ A tablespoon of salt/ A cup of salt/ A bag of salt
A segment of orange/ Half an orange/ An orange/ Some oranges/ Lots of oranges
A leaf of lettuce/ A few leaves of lettuce/ Some lettuce/ A lettuce/ Some lettuces/ Lots of lettuces
A drop of wine/ Half a glass of wine/ A glass of wine/ Some glasses of wine/ A bottle of wine/ Some bottles of wine
A dash of milk / A quarter of a cup of milk / A jug of milk / Some glasses of milk / A liter of milk / Some milk
PRACTICE
http://a4esl.org/q/j/ck/ch-countnouns.html
http://esl.about.com/library/beginner/blmuchmanyquiz.htm
http://www.learnenglish.de/Games/CountUncount/CountUncount.htm
http://www.eslcafe.com/quiz/count1.html
http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/quizshow.php?title=COUNTABLE-UNCOUNTABLE-NOUNS-IN-ENGLISH-1&quesnum=1
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-grammar-nouns-uncountable.htm
