It can be difficult to know whether to use ‘some’ or a number when talking about certain nouns. Here I will explain what countable and uncountable nouns are and show you how to use them correctly.
Countable Nouns
Quite simply, countable nouns are items that can be easily separated or counted. For example, we can easily refer to three apples, five people, or six guitars. These nouns are all countable nouns. They are also referred to as ‘count nouns’
Uncountable Nouns
Certain items, such as ‘butter’ are uncountable as they do not have easy boundaries. Therefore we say ‘some’ butter, or a certain weight, such as ‘100g’. When referring to butter, we use ‘the’ rather than ‘a’. Other uncountable nouns include water, sand, milk, and coffee. Most liquids are uncountable as they do not have easily defined boundaries. We also refer to many abstract concepts as uncountable nouns. For example ‘music’, ‘love’, ‘happiness’, ‘sadness’. ‘Information’ and ‘money’ are also uncountable, though if you talk about ‘pieces’ of information, or ‘pounds’ or ‘pence’, these are then countable. Uncountable nouns are also referred to as ‘mass nouns’.
Some words, such as ‘data’, are controversial as they are sometimes treated as countable nouns, and sometimes treated as uncountable. If in doubt, look at the context. Is ‘a’, or ‘some’ used? What is the thing in question? Can it easily be counted?
Professional Proofreading
To get your paper professionally proofread for errors such as these, upload it today at Proofread My Paper!