We use a/an with countable singular nouns: a house, a tree, an apple.
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Countable plural nouns |
Uncountable nouns |
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Some, any |
Some, Any + plural countable, uncountable Some (+) I have some good books on the shelf. Any (-, ?) Are there any good books? There aren’t any bad books here! But Some (?) – offers Would you like some tea? – requests Can I have some pasta? |
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Large quantity
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A lot of, plenty of, lots of (+) There are a lot of people in the street. We have a lot of money. |
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Many (-, ?) There aren’t many dresses left in the shop. Are there many people? Too many Look! You’ve made too many mistakes – you need to the task all over again. How many …? |
Much (-, ?) There isn’t much time left. Do you have much free time? Too much You are making too much noise. Could you be quieter, please? How much…? |
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Small quantity |
(very) few We have few plants in the flat. We need to buy more. |
(very) little There is little jam left. Can you buy some? |
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= Several , some |
A few I have a few good friends and we spend most weekends together. |
A little I have a little ice-cream. Would you like some? |
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Sufficient quantity |
Enough Are there enough apples in the fridge? There isn’t enough space for the table here. |
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Zero quantity |
No, none We have no oranges (= We have none). There is no information about it (= There is none). |
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Note:
1) The following nouns are uncountable
advice, bread, furniture, hair, information, news, weather, work (but: a job is countable)
a watch is countable.
2) Some nouns can be countable or uncountable depending on the meaning. Compare: glass – a glass (a container made of glass, used for drinking out of), paper – a paper (=a newspaper) etc.
3) We use some nouns with uncountable nouns to specify: a carton of juice, a bottle of water, a piece of cake, a bar of chocolate, a packet of crisps, a jar of honey, a slice of cheese.