COUNTABLE OR UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS? EXERCISE 2 (ESL)
level: Beginner/Intermediate (A2/B1)
This second countable/uncountable exercise goes beyond identification: it tests your knowledge of the quantifiers and determiners that pair with each noun type — much, many, a few, a little, some, and more. The grammar review below explains which quantifiers work with which noun type.
GRAMMAR REVIEW! Countable and uncountable nouns — determiners and common errors
Once you can identify countable and uncountable nouns, the key skill is choosing the right quantifier or determiner to go with each type.
With COUNTABLE nouns (plural): many, a few, few, several, a number of, both
There are many chairs in the room. I have a few friends there.
With UNCOUNTABLE nouns: much, a little, little, a great deal of
There isn’t much time. I need a little help.
With both countable and uncountable: some, any, a lot of, plenty of, no, enough
Is there any milk? (uncountable) Are there any cups? (countable)
Frequently confused uncountable nouns: These are commonly treated as countable by learners, but they are not:
advice, information, news, equipment, money, work, research, progress, evidence
If in doubt, use a piece of or an item of to refer to a single unit: a piece of advice, an item of clothing.
Once you can identify countable and uncountable nouns, the key skill is choosing the right quantifier or determiner to go with each type.
With COUNTABLE nouns (plural): many, a few, few, several, a number of, both
There are many chairs in the room. I have a few friends there.
With UNCOUNTABLE nouns: much, a little, little, a great deal of
There isn’t much time. I need a little help.
With both countable and uncountable: some, any, a lot of, plenty of, no, enough
Is there any milk? (uncountable) Are there any cups? (countable)
Frequently confused uncountable nouns: These are commonly treated as countable by learners, but they are not:
advice, information, news, equipment, money, work, research, progress, evidence
If in doubt, use a piece of or an item of to refer to a single unit: a piece of advice, an item of clothing.
Choose the correct (countable or uncountable) word(s) to complete each sentence.
Example: He put a lot of salt (salt/salts) in the dish.
Click on ANSWER to see the correct response.
1. What kind of _____ do you want to talk about?
a. thing
b. things
2. What kind of _____ would you like me to buy?
a. milk
b. milks
3. I ate many kinds of _____ yesterday.
a. cheese
b. cheeses
4. Do you have some _____ for me?
a. information
b. informations
5. I had many horrifying _____ during my travels in Haiti.
a. experience
b. experiences
6. Do you know all the _____ of the world?
a. capital
b. capitals
7. He had a lot of _____ in him.
a. anger
b. angers
8. P1: What did you buy? P2: I bought some _____.
a. orange
b. oranges
9. I have to buy some apples and some _____.
a. rice
b. rices
10. I left my _____ at the airport.
a. luggage
b. luggages
11. I have to buy a lot of _____ for my new apartment.
a. furniture
b. furnitures
12. He brought up a lot of interesting _____ during the lecture.
a. point
b. points
13. After the party, there was a lot of _____.
a. garbage
b. garbages
14. Thank you so much for all the _____!
a. applause
b. applauses
15. Your _____ are due on September 15th.
a. essay
b. essays
16. I went to the market and bought a lot of _____.
a. fruit
b. fruits
17. There are many different types of _____ in the world.
a. people
b. peoples
18. He has one of the most expensive _____ on the market.
a. computer
b. computers
19. I have to cut my _____ today.
a. hair
b. hairs
20. I can't stand the _____ in this city.
a. traffic
b. traffics
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER RELATED EXERCISES:
Countable or uncountable nouns? 1 (A2/B1)
Countable or uncountable nouns? 2 (A2/B1)
Article or no article? 1 (A2/B1)
Article or no article? 2 (A2/B2)
Article or no article? 3 (A2/B2)
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Countable or uncountable nouns? 1 (A2/B1)
Countable or uncountable nouns? 2 (A2/B1)
Article or no article? 1 (A2/B1)
Article or no article? 2 (A2/B2)
Article or no article? 3 (A2/B2)
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