Countable nouns are for things we can count using numbers. They have a singular and a plural form. The singular form can use the determiner "a" or "an". If you want to ask about the quantity of a countable noun, you ask "How many?" combined with the plural countable noun.

Uncountable nouns

Uncountable nouns are for the things that we cannot count with numbers. They may be the names for abstract ideas or qualities or for physical objects that are too small or too amorphous to be counted (liquids, powders, gases, etc.). Uncountable nouns are used with a singular verb. They usually do not have a plural form.

We cannot use a/an with these nouns. To express a quantity of an uncountable noun, use a word or expression like some, a lot of, much, a bit of, a great deal of , or else use an exact measurement like a cup of, a bag of, 1kg of, 1L of, a handful of, a pinch of, an hour of, a day of. If you want to ask about the quantity of an uncountable noun, you ask "How much?"

Tricky spots

Some nouns are countable in other languages but uncountable in English. They must follow the rules for uncountable nouns. The most common ones are:
accommodation, advice, baggage, behavior, bread, furniture, information, luggage, news, progress, traffic, travel, trouble, weather, work

Be careful with the noun hair which is normally uncountable in English, so it is not used in the plural. It can be countable only when referring to individual hairs.

Count and Noncount Nouns: Basic Rules

Adjectives with Countable and Uncountable Nouns

The Basic Rules: Count and Noncount Nouns

A count noun is one that can be expressed in plural form, usually with an "s." For example, "cat—cats," "season—seasons," "student—students."

A noncount noun is one that usually cannot be expressed in a plural form. For example, "milk," "water," "air," "money," "food." Usually, you can't say, "He had many moneys."

Count and Noncount Nouns with Adjectives

Most of the time, this doesn't matter with adjectives. For example, you can say, "The cat was gray" or "The air was gray." However, the difference between a countable and uncountable noun does matter with certain adjectives, such as "some/any," "much/many," and "little/few."

Some/Any: Some and any countable and uncountable nouns.

• "There is some water on the floor."
• "There are some students here."
• "Do you have any food?"
• "Do you have any apples?"

Much/Many: Much modifies only uncountable nouns. Many modifies only countable nouns.

• "We don't have much time to get this done."
• "Many Americans travel to Europe."

Little/Few: Little modifies only uncountable nouns.

• "He had little food in the house."
• "The doctor had little time to think in the emergency room."

Few modifies only countable nouns.

• "There are few doctors in town."
• "Few students like exams."

Other basic rules

A lot of/lots of: A lot of/lots of are informal substitutes for much and many. They are used with uncountable nouns when they mean much and with countable nouns when they mean many.

• "They have lots of (much) money in the bank."
• "A lot of (many) Americans travel to Europe."
• "We got lots of (many) mosquitoes last summer."
• "We got lots of (much) rain last summer."

A little bit of:A little bit of is informal and always precedes an uncountable noun.

• "There is a little bit of pepper in the soup."
• "There is a little bit of snow on the ground."

Enough: Enough modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.

• "There is enough money to buy a car."
• "I have enough books to read."

Plenty of: Plenty of modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.

• "They have plenty of money in the bank."
• "There are plenty of millionaires in Switzerland."

No: No modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.

• "There is no time to finish now."
• "There are no squirrels in the park."

Count and Noncount Nouns (with Plurals, Articles, and Quantity Words)

Section 1: Definition of Count and Noncount nouns

Count or Noncount?

The main difference between count and noncount nouns is whether you can count the things they refer to or not.

Count nouns refer to things that exist as separate and distinct individual units. They usually refer to what can be perceived by the senses.

Examples:

• table
• finger
• bottle
• chair
• remark
• award
• word
• girl
• candidate

Example sentences:

Noncount nouns refer to things that can't be counted because they are thought of as wholes that can't be cut into parts. They often refer to abstractions and occasionally have a collective meaning (for example, furniture).

Examples:

• anger
• courage
• progress
• furniture
• education
• weather
• warmth
• leisure
• precision

Example sentences:

Think of the batter from which a cake is made. Before you put the batter into the oven, it can't be divided into parts because it's a thick liquid. Once it has been baked, it becomes solid enough to be cut into pieces. Noncount nouns are like cake batter; count nouns are like pieces of cake

Note: Since the issue is complicated and almost no rule is absolute, there will be exceptions to the above definitions; however, we can show some general patterns. Bear in mind that what is countable in another language may not be countable in English, and vice versa.

Section 2: Uses of Count and Noncount Nouns

Pluralizing

The Rule

From the definitions of mass and count given above you may have already guessed the rule for pluralizing them:

• most count nouns pluralize with -s
• noncount nouns don't pluralize at all

This rule works for all of the nouns in the lists of examples in the first section. Check this rule for yourself before reading further.

An Exception to the Rule

For a number of nouns, the rule needs slight revision. Certain nouns in English belong to both classes: they have both a noncount and a count meaning. Normally the noncount meaning is abstract and general and the count meaning concrete and specific. Compare:

Count

• I've had some difficulties finding a job. (refers to a number of specific problems)
• The talks will take place in the Krannert building. (refers to a number of specific lectures)
• The city was filled with bright lights and harsh sounds. (refers to a number of specific lights and noises)

Noncount

• She succeeded in school with little difficulty. (refers to the general idea of school being difficult)
• I dislike idle talk. (refers to talking in general)
• Light travels faster than sound. (refers to the way light and sound behave in general)

Note: A special case of the use of noncount nouns in a count sense has to do with classification. Sometimes a usually noncount noun can be understood as one item separate and distinct from other items of the same category. The nouns that function in this way often denote foods and beverages: food(s), drink(s), wine(s), bread(s), coffee(s), fruit(s), and so on. Examples:

• There are several ________ wines to choose from. (= kinds of wine)
• I prefer Sumatran coffees to Colombian. (= kinds of coffee)
• We use a variety of different batters in our bakery. (= kinds of batter)

A recent entry into this class is homework, which at least among some students has the count plural homeworks in addition to its noncount use. (For example, "You're missing three of the homeworks from the first part of the course.") Because this usage is not firmly established and is likely to be considered nonstandard, you should check with your instructor before using it in writing.

A Revision of the Rule

These exceptions require that the rule for pluralizing be revised: count nouns and nouns used in a count sense pluralize; noncount nouns and nouns used in a noncount sense do not.

The two possibilities in each half of the rule require different choices. If you know that a particular noun must be either count or noncount and cannot be both, you need to decide only if it is possible to pluralize the noun. On the other hand, if you know that a particular noun may be used in either a count or noncount sense, then you need to decide whether it is appropriate to pluralize.

To summarize, we may put the rule in a chart, like this:

Articles

Nouns and Articles

Choosing which article to use (if any) with a noun is a complex matter because the range of choices depends on whether the noun in question is 1) count or noncount and 2) singular or plural. Both count nouns (whether singular or plural) and noncount nouns take articles.

Combinations of Nouns and Articles

The following chart shows which articles go with which kinds of nouns. Notice that this, that, these, and those have been included because, like the, they mark the noun that they modify as definite, which means that the noun refers 1) to a unique individual or 2) to some person, event, or object known to both the writer and reader from their general knowledge or from what has been previously mentioned in a piece of writing.

Examples:

Quantity Terms

The following chart shows which quantity words go with which kinds of nouns. Note that quantity words can be used in combinations such as many more, many fewer, much more, and much less, any of which can be preceded by how to form questions or relative clauses. Negatives like not and no can also be applied to many of these terms.

Examples:

Count and Noncount Nouns (with Articles and Adjectives)

Countable Nouns

Countable nouns refer to things that we can count. Such nouns can take either singular or plural form.

Concrete nouns may be countable.

Collective nouns are countable.

Some proper nouns are countable.

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns refer to things that we cannot count. Such nouns take only singular form.

Abstract nouns are uncountable.

Some concrete nouns are uncountable (when understood in their undivided sense).

While uncountable nouns do not generally take a plural form, sometimes they may be pluralized when used in a countable sense. The difference between the uncountable and countable meanings of nouns that are used in either sense can be seen in the following chart:

Using Articles with Countable and Uncountable Nouns

A countable noun always takes either the indefinite (a, an) or definite (the) article when it is singular. When plural, it takes the definite article if it refers to a definite, specific group and no article if it is used in a general sense.

Uncountable nouns never take the indefinite article (a or an), but they do take singular verbs. The is sometimes used with uncountable nouns in the same way it is used with plural countable nouns, that is, to refer to a specific object, group, or idea.

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns are substances, concepts etc that we cannot divide into separate elements. We cannot "count" them. For example, we cannot count "milk". We can count "bottles of milk" or "litres of milk", but we cannot count "milk" itself. Here are some more uncountable nouns:

• music, art, love, happiness
• advice, information, news
• furniture, luggage
• rice, sugar, butter, water
• electricity, gas, power
• money, currency

We usually treat uncountable nouns as singular. We use a singular verb. For example:

• This news is very important.
• Your luggage looks heavy.

We do not usually use the indefinite article a/an with uncountable nouns. We cannot say "an information" or "a music". But we can say a something of:

• a piece of news
• a bottle of water
• a grain of rice

We can use some and any with uncountable nouns:

• I've got some money.
• Have you got any rice?

We can use a little and much with uncountable nouns:

• I've got a little money.
• I haven't got much rice.
  
  Uncountable nouns are also called "mass nouns".

Nouns that can be Countable and Uncountable

Sometimes, the same noun can be countable and uncountable, often with a change of meaning.

Drinks (coffee, water, orange juice) are usually uncountable. But if we are thinking of a cup or a glass, we can say (in a restaurant, for example): Two teas and one coffee please.

Examples of Proper Nouns

One of the easiest ways to fully grasp the meaning of proper nouns is to compare them with common nouns.  A common noun refers to the general names of things.  Look around you and name the items you see.  A desk, a chair, a lamp, a window, a door.

When you go shopping, who do you see?  A man, a child, a salesperson, an attendant, a toddler, a policeman.  These are all general, common nouns.  Now lets compare common nouns to proper nouns.

Common Noun/Proper Noun

• man/Asif
• woman/Amy
• state/California
• company/Human Services Globe
• store/Shan
• restaurant/Shan
• mountains/Mckinley
• states/Illinois, France,
• continents/North America, Africa, Asia, Latin, Australia
• waitress/Betty
• chair/La-Z-Boy
• soldier/Lieutenant Abraham
• river/the Mississippi River
• institution/University of Qureshi

Here are some example sentences to further show the difference.

 Capitalizing Proper Nouns

The rules for capitalizing proper nouns are pretty simple. Proper nouns always begin with a capital letter.

However there are times when a word can be used as either a common noun or proper noun and you might get confused as to when you should use the capitalized form. For example, “father” can either be common or proper.

One rule for thumb is that if you are using the word as a title and name it should be capitalized.

See the difference? In the first example the word was used more generally as a common noun. In the second example, the word was used like a name. In this instance the term “father” took the place of the actual name, such as “Bob.”

To make things a little clearer for you, here is a list of proper nouns categories.

• Holidays: Christmas, New Year’s Day, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving
• Geographical areas: San Francisco, Europe, Spain, the Nile River
• People and pets: Mrs. Caroline Jones, Rip Van Winkle, Snoopy
• Books, Newspapers, Magazines: Wuthering Heights, Atlanta Journal, Southern Living
• Companies and organizations: Google, ChildFund International, General Electric
• Religious terms: Christian, Methodist, Hindu, God, Allah
• Places, buildings: Yellowstone National Park, Empire State Building, Ritz-Carlton
• Titles: President Bush, King George, Queen Elizabeth, Judge Judy (titles are not capitalized when they’re referred to in general terms.  For example: The criminal appeared before the judge.
• Languages: English, French, Italian
• Brand names: Coach, Pepsi, Lucky
• Possessive Proper Nouns

Creating the possessive form of a proper noun follows the same rule as the possessive of a common noun.  Add ‘s if the word is singular or if the word ends in s just the apostrophe. Plural nouns that end in s get an apostrophe at the end.

• Mary’s coat
• United States’ health care program
• Georgia’s swampland
• Kansas’ prairie lands

Proper names that end in s are made possessive by adding ‘s:  Charles’s house.  It’s also correct to just add the apostrophe, such as with Jesus’ mother.

Proper nouns ( also called proper names) are the words which name specific people, organisations or places. They always start with a capital letter.

For example:-

Each part of a person's name is a proper noun:-

Asif Qureshi - Amy Derringer ...

The names of companies, organisations or trade marks:-

Human Services Globe - Rolls Royce - the Round Table - WWW

Given or pet names of animals:-

Amy Rustum

The names of cities and states and words derived from those proper nouns:-

Paris - London - New York - England - English

Geographical and Celestial Names:-

the Red Sea - Alpha Centauri - Mars

Monuments, buildings, meeting rooms:-

The Taj Mahal - The Eiffel Tower - Room 222

Historical events, documents, laws, and periods:-

the Civil War - the Industrial Revolution - World War I

Months, days of the week, holidays:-

Monday - Christmas - Eid - December

Religions, deities, scriptures:-

God - Christ - Jehovah - Christianity - Judaism - Islam - the Bible - the Koran - the Torah

Awards, vehicles, vehicle models and names, brand names:-

the Nobel __________ - the _____ Movement - Ford Focus - the Bismarck - Kleenex - Hoover

Regular Plurals

The plural form of most nouns is created simply by adding the letter 's' to the end of the word .

For example:-

• minute - minutes

Nouns that end in -ch, -x, -s, -sh, z or s-like sounds, the plural is formed by adding 'es' to the end of the word.

For example:-

• church - churches | box - boxes | gas - gases | bush - bushes | ass - asses

Nouns that end in a single -z, the plural is formed by adding 'zes' to the end of the word.

For example:-

• quiz - quizzes

Most nouns ending in -o preceded by a consonant also form their plurals by adding 'es' .

For example:-

• potato - potatoes | tomato - tomatoes | volcano - volcanoes

However many newly created words and words with a Spanish or Italian origin that end in -o just add an 's'.

For example:-

• photo - photos | piano - pianos | portico - porticos

Nouns ending in a consonant + y, drop the y and add 'ies'.

For example:-

• party - parties | lady - ladies

Most nouns ending in -f or -fe, drop the f and add 'ves'.

For example:-

• calf - calves | half - halves | wolf - wolves

Most words ending in -is, drop the -is and add -es.

For example:-

• crisis - crises | hypothesis - hypotheses | oasis - oases

Irregular Plurals

There are many common nouns that have irregular plurals.

For example:-

• child - children | person - people | foot - feet | mouse - mice | tooth - teeth

Some nouns have identical plural and singular forms, although they are still considered to have a plural form.

For example:-

• aircraft - aircraft | fish - fish | headquarters - headquarters | sheep - sheep | species - species

Uncountable nouns on the other hand have no plural form and take a singular verb (is / was ...).

For example:-

• advice | information | luggage | news

Some nouns (especially those associated with two things) exist only in the plural form and take a plural verb (are / were...).

For example:-

• cattle | scissors | trousers | tweezers | congratulations | pyjamas

Nouns that stem from older forms of English or are of foreign origin often have odd plurals.

For example:-

• ox - oxen | index - indices or indexes

In compound nouns the plural ending is usually added to the main noun.

For example:-

• court martial - courts martial | ___-in-law - ___s-in-law | passer-by - passers-by

!Note - Some nouns just create controversy. Did you know that the proper plural spelling for roof is rooves and not the more common roofs?

A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. Some clauses are dependent: they can't stand alone and need an independent clause, or sentence, to support them.

These dependent clauses can be used in three ways: as adjectives, as adverbs and as nouns. This article focuses on noun clauses.

What is a noun clause?

A noun clause is a dependent clause that acts as a noun.

What words are signs of a noun clause?

Noun clauses most often begin with the subordinating conjunction that. Other words that may begin a noun clause are if, how, what, whatever, when, where, whether, which, who, whoever, whom and why.

What can a noun clause do in a sentence?

Since a noun clause acts as a noun, it can do anything that a noun can do. A noun clause can be a subject, a direct object, an indirect object, an object of a preposition, a subject complement, an object complement or an appositive.

Examples:

Whatever you decide is fine with me.
(subject of the verb is)

With your bouncy personality, I knew that you'd enjoy bungee jumping.
(direct object of the verb knew)

We will give whoever drops by a free Yogalates lesson.
(indirect object of the verb phrase will give)

Lacey talked at length about how she had won the perogy-eating contest.
(object of the preposition about)

The problem is that my GPS is lost.
(subject complement after the linking verb is)

Call me whatever you like; you're still not borrowing my car.
(object complement referring to object me)

Al's assumption that bubble tea was carbonated turned out to be false.
(appositive, explaining noun assumption)

How do noun clauses differ from other dependent clauses?

Other dependent clauses act as adjectives and adverbs. We can remove them and still have a complete independent clause left, with a subject and verb and any necessary complements.

That is not the case with most noun clauses. A clause acting as an indirect object or an appositive may be removable, but other types of noun clauses are too essential to the sentence to be removed. Consider these examples:

Whether you drive or fly is up to you.

I wondered if you would like to go to the barbecue.

Sandy led us to where she had last seen the canoe.

If we remove these noun clauses, what is left will not make much sense:

is up to you

I wondered

Sandy led us to

That is because, in each example, the dependent noun clause forms a key part of the independent clause: it acts as the subject, the direct object, the object of a preposition. Without those key parts, the independent clauses do not express complete thoughts.

A sentence containing a noun clause is thus the one case in which an “independent” clause may actually need a dependent clause to be complete!

When are commas needed with a noun clause?

Noun clauses may need to be set off by one or two commas in the following situations.

Appositives

John Allen, the _____ of Riverton, is speaking tonight.

Noun clauses are nominals and can act as appositives. In that case, they may require commas if they are not essential to the meaning of the sentence:

I did not believe his original statement, that he had won the lottery, until he proved it to us.

Here, the words his original statement identify which statement is meant, so the noun clause provides information that is merely additional and not essential.

Compare this sentence to the one below:

I did not believe his statement that he had won the lottery until he proved it to us.

In this case, the noun clause is essential for identifying which statement is meant and therefore takes no commas.

Unusual position

Other than appositives, noun clauses do not normally require commas. However, if the clause is in an unusual position, it may require a comma:

That the work was done on time, we cannot deny.
(object of verb deny—placed first, instead of after verb)

BUT

That the work was done on time is certainly true.
(subject of verb is, in usual position—no comma)

Whatever I say, she argues with.
(object of preposition with—placed first, instead of after preposition)

BUT

Whatever I say seems to annoy her.
(subject of verb seems, in usual position—no comma)

Clarity

As the above examples show, we do not normally use a comma for a noun clause acting as subject at the beginning of the sentence, because that is the usual position for a subject. However, a comma may sometimes be needed to prevent misreading:

Who the owner of this money is, is a mystery.

Whatever property Alexandra still had, had increased greatly in value.

In the above examples, we use a comma to separate the two identical verbs in order to avoid confusion.