count
nouns use singular and plural verbs
and pronouns:
noncount
nouns use only singular verbs and pronouns:
There is an apple.
(singular)
There are some apples. (plural)
There is some fruit. (singular
verb)
I like that chair. ("that" is
singular).
She likes those chairs. ("those" is
plural)
I like that furniture.
I like those furniture. (no!)
A car is an expensive thing
to own. Cars are an expensive form
of transportation.
Traffic was heavy today. (singular
verb)
Apples taste good
Fruit tastes good.
Digital cameras make photography easy. They are
fun to use.
TV stations have a lot of video
equipment. It is expensive.
The camera is very nice.
The equipment are nice. (no!)
Asking questions for an amount or a number:
Count Nouns
Noncount
Nouns
How many chairs
are there?
How
many chairs are there?
How much furniture
is there?
There is one chair
There are
two chairs
There
is a lot of furniture
How many cameras are
there?
How many cameras
are there?
How much equipment
is there?
There's one camera
There are
four cameras
There's
a lot of video equipment
Only count nouns can take a number:
There is one camera. There are four cameras.
Noncount nouns don't use numbers:
There is some equipment. There is a lot of equipment.
Knowing the difference between count and noncount nouns will
make your English sound much better. Below are words and phrases
that can be used with count and noncount nouns. As you continue
through the next levels, you will probably need to come back
to this page.
