{"id":36,"date":"2017-07-20T16:27:49","date_gmt":"2017-07-20T16:27:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-styleguide2\/chapter\/count-vs-non-count-nouns\/"},"modified":"2017-07-20T16:27:49","modified_gmt":"2017-07-20T16:27:49","slug":"count-vs-non-count-nouns","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-styleguide2\/chapter\/count-vs-non-count-nouns\/","title":{"raw":"Count vs. Non-Count Nouns","rendered":"Count vs. Non-Count Nouns"},"content":{"raw":"

A count noun<\/strong> (also countable noun<\/strong>) is a noun that can be modified by a numeral (three chairs<\/em>) and that occurs in both singular and plural forms (chair<\/em>, chairs<\/em>). The can also be preceded by words such as a<\/em>, an<\/em>, or the<\/em> (a chair<\/em>).\u00a0Quite literally, count nouns are nouns which can be counted.\n\nA non-count noun<\/strong> (also mass noun<\/strong>), on the other hand, has none of these properties. It can\u2019t be modified by a numeral (three furniture\u00a0<\/em>is incorrect), occur in singular\/plural (furnitures<\/em> is not a word), or co-occur with a<\/em>, an<\/em>, or the<\/em> (a furniture<\/em> is incorrect). Again, quite literally, non-count nouns are nouns which cannot be counted.\n<\/p>

\n

Example: Chair vs. Furniture<\/h3>\nThe sentence pairs below\u00a0compare\u00a0the count noun chair<\/i>\u00a0and the non-count\u00a0noun furniture<\/i>.\n\n\"aThere are chairs<\/b> in the room. (correct)\nThere are furnitures<\/b> in the room. (incorrect)\n\nThere is a chair<\/b> in the room.\u00a0(correct)\nThere is a furniture<\/b> in the room. (incorrect)\n\nThere is chair<\/strong> in the room.\u00a0(incorrect)\nThere is furniture<\/strong> in the room.\u00a0(correct)\n\nEvery chair<\/b> is man made.\u00a0(correct)\nEvery furniture<\/b> is man made. (incorrect)\n\nAll chair<\/strong> is man made. (incorrect)\nAll furniture<\/strong> is man made.\u00a0(correct)\n\nThere are several chairs<\/b> in the room.\u00a0(correct)\nThere are several furnitures<\/b> in the room. (incorrect)\n\n<\/div>\n

Determining the Type of Noun<\/h2>\nIn general, a count noun is going to be something you can easily count\u2014like\u00a0rock<\/em> or dollar bill<\/em>. Non-count nouns, on the other hand, would be more difficult to count\u2014like\u00a0sand<\/em> or\u00a0money<\/em>.\u00a0If you ever want to identify a singular\u00a0non-count noun, you need a phrase beforehand\u2014like\u00a0a grain of sand<\/em> or a sum of money<\/em>.\n
\n

Practice<\/h3>\nSelect the correct word to complete each sentence. Determine whether the correct word is a count or a non-count noun.\n
  1. The internet is contains a lot\u00a0of (information \/ fact).<\/li>\n \t
  2. The internet contains\u00a0a lot of (informations \/ facts).<\/li>\n \t
  3. We each have a (work \/ job) to do.<\/li>\n \t
  4. We each have (work \/ job) to do.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[reveal-answer q=\"169413\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\n[hidden-answer a=\"169413\"]\n
    1. The internet is full of information<\/strong>. Information<\/em>\u00a0is a non-count noun.<\/li>\n \t
    2. The internet contains many facts<\/strong>. Facts<\/i>\u00a0is a count noun.\u00a0The word \"informations\" is incorrect because information<\/em>\u00a0is\u00a0non-count and doesn't have a plural form.<\/li>\n \t
    3. We each have a job<\/strong> to do. Job<\/em>\u00a0is a count noun, so it needs an article (a<\/em>).<\/li>\n \t
    4. We each have work<\/strong> to do.\u00a0Work<\/em>\u00a0is a non-count noun.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[\/hidden-answer]\n\n<\/div>\n

      Less, Fewer, Many, <\/em>and Much<\/em><\/h2>\nThe adjectives\u00a0less<\/em> and\u00a0fewer<\/em> are both used to indicate a smaller amount of the noun they modify. Many<\/em> and\u00a0much<\/em> are used to indicate a large amount of something.\u00a0People often will use these pairs words\u00a0interchangeably; however, the words\u00a0fewer\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0many<\/em>\u00a0are used with count nouns, while\u00a0less<\/em> and\u00a0much<\/em>\u00a0are used with non-count nouns:\n