ENGLISH 112 (Language Structures and Drills II) Peter Lambe, Spring 2015
CHAPTER 11 (Sections 11-1 to 11-7) Count/Noncount Nouns and Articles (Supplementary Notes)
Overview of English Nouns Count Nouns Features of Count Nouns Using Articles and Demonstratives with Singular Count Nouns Using Articles and Demonstratives with Plural Count Nouns Using Quantifiers with Count Nouns Noncount Nouns Features of Noncount Nouns List of Common Noncount Nouns (Table 1) Using Articles and Demonstratives with Noncount Nouns Using Quantifiers with Noncount Nouns Summary of Articles, Demonstratives and Quantifiers Used with Count and Noncount Nouns (Table 2) Nouns that can be Count or Noncount Using Units of Measure with Noncount Nouns
OVERVIEW OF ENGLISH NOUNS Classification of Nouns
Proper Nouns
Concrete Nouns
Nouns Count Nouns
Abstract Nouns Common Nouns Concrete Nouns Noncount Nouns Abstract Nouns Definition of a “Noun” In Chapter 6 we saw that a noun is a word that “names” something. It can name a person, a place, a thing (a physical object or substance), or an abstract concept. All of the following words are nouns: teacher, boy, engineer, sister, Peter, Mona, Dr. Khan (people) hospital, park, city, street, river, Riyadh, Olaya Street, Egypt, Asia (places) desk, book, newspaper, liquid, water, air, Arab News, leaf, oxygen (things) happiness, anger, illness, information, idea, death (abstract concepts)
Nouns can be divided into two (2) main groups: Proper Nouns and Common Nouns. Proper nouns refer to specific people, places or things and are always capitalized. Common nouns refer to general categories of people, places and things and are not capitalized (unless they begin a sentence or are part of a title).
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Proper Nouns Proper nouns have a unique reference in context. This means that they always refer to one (unique) person, place or thing. Even for nouns such as Peter (which can refer to many different men with the same name), the person we are referring to is unique within the context (situation) that it is being used. For example. Peter gave his students a grammar quiz two days ago. (In this context, we are obviously referring to the grammar instructor named Peter.) Proper nouns must always be capitalized in English. They refer to personal names (with or without a title), festivals or holidays, months, days of the week and geographical names (such as continents, countries, states, provinces, cities, towns, lakes, mountains, rivers, buildings, streets, bridges, etc), and names of specific newspapers, magazines, etc. Proper nouns are generally not used with articles in English. However, there are special cases in which the definite article ‘the’ must be used. These include plural nouns (The Wilsons), a small number of countries (The Philippines, The Netherlands, The Emirates, The Congo), rivers (The Nile, The Amazon), seas (The Mediterranean Sea, The Caspian Sea), canals (The Suez Canal), public places or institutions (The Riyadh Zoo, The Marriott Hotel, The Arab National Bank) and newspapers or magazines (The Saudi Gazette, The Arab News, The New York Times, The Economist). For more information about the rules of capitalization in English and practice exercises, refer to Betty Azar’s Fundamentals of English Grammar (pp. 339 – 341).
Common Nouns Common nouns do not have a unique reference in context. They refer only to general categories of people, places, things or abstract concepts. They are not capitalized in English (unless they occur at the beginning of a sentence or as part of a title). All of the nouns in the previous list (page 1) which do not start with capital letters are common nouns:
teacher, boy, engineer, sister hospital, park, city, street, river desk, book, newspaper, liquid, water, air, leaf, oxygen happiness, anger, illness, information, idea, death
(people) (places) (things) (abstract concepts)
Common nouns can divided into two (2) sub-groups: Count Nouns and Noncount Nouns. Count nouns can be counted (i.e. they can be used with any number such as 1, 2, 3 . . . etc). Noncount nouns cannot be counted. They usually refer to continuous substances (gases, liquids or solids) or collections of things that consist of many smaller particles (rice, sand, sugar) which are not practical to count. Noncount nouns can also refer to abstract concepts from science (heat, energy, humidity, sunlight) or abstract metal concepts (love, anger, poverty). 2
COUNT NOUNS Features of Count Nouns A count noun can be used with any number (1, 2, 3, …). If it is used with the number 1, it must appear in the singular form. If it is used with the number 2 or any higher number it must appear in the plural form. 1 book, 1 pen, 1 teacher, 1 man, 1 fish, 1 child, 1 sheep (singular nouns) 2 books, 3 pens, 4 teachers, 57 men, 28 fish, 30 children, 126 sheep (plural nouns) (Notice that the nouns with irregular plurals are still considered count nouns because they can be used with numbers.) Most count nouns are concrete. “Concrete” means that they have physical substance and you touch them. A small number of count nouns, however, are not concrete. They are abstract. “Abstract” means that they cannot be touched; they have no physical substance. They are just mental constructs. Some examples of abstract count nouns include: 1 idea, 1 dream, 1 joke
(singular nouns)
2 ideas, 3 dreams, 5 jokes
(plural nouns)
Using Articles and Demonstratives with Singular Count Nouns The indefinite article (a/an) has the same meaning as the number 1, so it can be used with any singular count noun. It is nonspecific in meaning. If the noun (or word immediately following the indefinite article) starts with a consonant sound, then a is used. If the noun (or word immediately following the indefinite article) starts with a vowel sound, then an is used. a book, a computer, a calculator, a fresh apple, a *university (the word immediately after the article begins with a consonant sound) an eraser, an envelope, an apple, an *honest man (the word immediately after the article begins with a vowel sound)
The definite article (the) can also be used with a count noun if that noun is specific in reference. Mona bought a new plant. The plant is on her desk. (specific) The demonstrative words this and that can also precede singular count nouns. They are similar to the article the because they refer to specific singular nouns that can be touched or pointed to (if they are concrete). I bought this dictionary at Jareer Bookstore last night. (specific) I borrowed that video from Mohammed. (specific) 3
Using Articles and Demonstratives with Plural Count Nouns
Since the indefinite article (a/an) is equivalent to the number 1, it can only be used with singular count nouns. It can never be used with a plural noun. However, the definite article (the) can be used with both singular and plural count nouns. It refers to a specific group of things.
Saud bought some new shoes last night. The shoes are made of leather. (specific)
Rayan told Mohammed several jokes. He told him the jokes during class. (specific)
The demonstrative words these and those can also precede plural count nouns. They are similar to the article the because they refer to specific nouns that can be touched or pointed to (if they are concrete). I bought these novels at Jareer Bookstore last night. (specific) Waleed borrowed those notes from Abdulaziz. (specific) Plural count nouns can occur alone in a phrase (with no article or other word preceding them). In this case, we say that the noun takes a zero article (written as Ø). This symbol Ø is only used when we analyze the structure of the sentence; of course we don’t normally write it in the sentence. Students need books, desks and pens in their classrooms.
(actual sentence)
Ø Students need Ø books, Ø desks and Ø pens in their classrooms.
(analysis)
The sentence above contains five plural count nouns, four of which use Ø and one of which uses the possessive their. Note: Only plural count nouns can be preceded by Ø. Singular count nouns, on the other hand, cannot use Ø. This means that singular count nouns cannot occur alone – they must always have another word preceding them. I bought * Ø book last night. *Ø Book was very expensive. incorrect incorrect
(*incorrect!!!)
I bought a book last night. The book/That book/My book was very expensive. (correct)
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Using Quantifiers (Quantity Words) with Count Nouns We can express the exact number of count nouns by using a numeral (2, 3, 4 … etc.) before the noun: 2 books
16 classrooms
987 students
Often it is unnecessary to give an exact number. Instead a general quantity word can be used with the plural count noun. Examples of quantifiers that often precede a plural count noun include:
several
many
a few
*some
*lots of ( = a lot of)
few
how many . . . ?
*Note: The quantifiers some and a lot of ( = lots of) can also be used with noncount nouns.
Several, many, a few, few and how many can only be used with plural count nouns:
Several windows in the old house were broken. (plural count)
(several = ‘a small nonspecific number’)
There were many people on the bus this morning. (many = ‘a large nonspecific number’) (plural count) A few students came late to the lecture yesterday. (a few = ‘a small nonspecific number’) (plural count) There were few tables in the cafeteria that were empty. We had problems finding one. (plural count) (few = ‘a small nonspecific number (similar to a few) but implying a negative consequence’)
How many provinces are there in Canada? (how many = WH question for specific number) (plural count) Some and a lot of ( = lots of) can be used with plural count nouns and noncount nouns: (some = ‘a nonspecific number’)
Some countries have very cold winters. (plural count) 5
(some = ‘a nonspecific amount’)
I bought some rice at the supermarket yesterday. (noncount)
A lot of shops in Riyadh are open in the evenings. (plural count)
(a lot of = ‘a large nonspecific number’) (lots of = ‘a large nonspecific number’)
= Lots of shops in Riyadh are open in the evenings. (plural count)
(a lot of = ‘a large nonspecific amount’)
Canada gets a lot of snow in the winter. (noncount)
(lots of = ‘a large nonspecific amount’)
= Canada gets lots of snow in the winter. (noncount)
NONCOUNT NOUNS Features of Noncount Nouns
A noncount noun cannot be counted. That means that it cannot be used with any number (such as1, 2, 3, …) or with the article a/an. There are usually obvious reasons why these nouns cannot be counted. For example,
1. They can refer to continuous matter (i.e. liquids, solids or gases) with no specific boundary or quantity. gold
bread
water
air
ice
oil
2. They can refer to solid materials that consist of many small particles. Although it is possible to count these particles, it is usually impractical or unnecessary. rice
salt
sugar
sand
hair
grass
3. They can refer to general groups of items that share certain qualities. Although these separate items can usually be counted themselves, the general category is not countable. Some of these words do not always follow a clear system of logic, and may be considered countable in other languages. jewelry
furniture
traffic
garbage
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fruit
4. They can refer to various states of weather or natural phenomena associated with weather. fog
thunder
lightning
humidity
sunshine
weather
5. They can refer to abstract concepts from science. Although all of these general concepts can be scientifically measured, specific units of measurement must be used. space
time
matter
energy
gravity
electricity
6. They can refer to mental concepts such as feelings, abstract states, types of work, information, courses/ fields of study, languages, games, or gerunds referring to activities. fun
homework
knowledge
physics
Arabic
tennis
driving
For a more complete list of typical noncount nouns in English see Table 1 (page 8). Notice that noncount nouns can be either concrete (with physical substance) or abstract (purely mental constructs).
CONCRETE
Chart 1: List of Common Noncount Nouns
Liquids
water oil phlegm
milk soup
coffee gasoline
Gases
oxygen smog
nitrogen helium pollution
tea urine
air
steam
blood
smoke
(solids consisting of a continuous mass) ice bread butter cheese gold iron silver glass paper wood cotton wool soap toothpaste meat *beef *fish *chicken (*refers only to the meat from the animal)
Solid materials
(solids consisting of smaller particles) rice chalk corn dirt dust grass hair pepper salt sugar wheat
baggage food garbage junk machinery scenery cash
Groups of similar items
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clothing laundry jewelry luggage make-up traffic change
flour sand
equipment furniture hardware mail postage money fruit
ABSTRACT OR CONCRETE ABSTRACT
Natural phenomena and abstract scientific concepts
weather humidity hail sunshine space
dew lightning snow gravity energy
Feelings, states and abstract mental concepts
beauty fun honesty luck pride justice wealth
confidence happiness hospitality laughter arrogance peace poverty
hail rain light
courage health generosity music progress violence experience
work dental work homework
Forms of work
heat sleet sunlight time
enjoyment help significance patience recreation
housework
lab work
Information
information intelligence
knowledge advice
ignorance news
Courses or fields of study
chemistry mathematics engineering literature
biology history medicine
physics psychology dentistry
Languages
ABSTRACT
fog thunder darkness electricity matter
Arabic
English German Urdu
Linguistic terms (sets of rules/words)
grammar morphology
Games and recreation
football chess
Gerunds (-ing verbs functioning as nouns)
bowling reading camping
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slang
tennis squash
walking singing fishing
vocabulary
basketball cricket
jogging studying teaching
Chinese Spanish
syntax
volleyball baseball
swimming driving praying
Using Articles and Demonstratives with Noncount Nouns
It is possible to use a noncount noun alone without any article, demonstrative or quantifier. In this case we say that there is zero article Ø.
Ø Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen.. When we dug a hole in the ground, we found Ø water. Ø Homework is essential in this course. Peter gives his students Ø homework every evening.
The definite article the can be used with a noncount noun that has specific reference.
The water in that lake is very clear. The homework that Peter assigned yesterday was easy.
The singular demonstratives this and that can be used with noncount nouns. Notice, however, that the plural demonstratives these and those cannot be used because all noncount nouns require singular verbs.
This water is potable (i.e. you can drink it). That water is polluted. Don’t swim in it!
The indefinite article a/an cannot be used with a noncount noun because it is equivalent to the number 1. Using Quantifiers (Quantity Words) with Noncount Nouns
The quantifiers some and a lot of ( = lots of) can be used with noncount nouns as well as plural count nouns (as we saw in the last section).
Sulaiman put some water in his thermos. Peter gave us some homework last night. Rami received some mail yesterday. 9
I learned some Hindi while I was living in northern India. We heard some thunder in the early evening.
Cars and factories produce a lot of pollution. = Cars and factories produce lots of pollution. Some people prefer a lot of sugar in their coffee. = Some people prefer lots of sugar in their coffee. We had a lot of fun on our last vacation. = We had lots of fun on our last vacation. Mohammed does a lot of reading in his free time. = Mohammed does lots of reading in his free time.
The quantifiers much, little, a little, and the question phrase how much can also be used with noncount nouns. We didn’t have much gasoline left in our tank, so we stopped driving. There was so much smoke in the coffee shop that we had to leave. I think there is too much violence on television these days. There is not much information available on that topic. There wasn’t much traffic on the highway last night. Please hurry! We don’t have much time left! Little progress was made in solving the problem. People in some parts of the world have little food to eat. He shouldn’t apply for that job because he has little experience. My friend is gaining weight because he gets little exercise.
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Notice that the word little in the examples above has a negative implication (i.e. suggesting that some problem is arising from the situation). The quantity expression a little also means “a small amount�, but has a more positive implication.
We are happy that a little progress has been made. I often enjoy a little food with my coffee in the afternoon. Perhaps I can help you. I have a little experience in that field. A little walking every evening can strengthen your heart.
The expression how much is used to question the quantity of a noncount noun.
How much bread did you buy in the supermarket? How much dust did Nadia sweep off the floor? How much jewelry does that woman own? How much rain does Riyadh receive every year? How much dental work does Omar need to get done? How much Spanish did you learn in your summer course?
Remember that the expression how many must be used with a plural count noun.
How many desks are there in your classroom? How many chapters will be included on the first grammar exam? How many children were sitting in the garden? How many sandwiches did Abdulaziz buy in the cafeteria?
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Chart 2: Summary of Articles, Demonstratives and Quantifiers used with Count and Noncount Nouns COUNT NOUNS
NONCOUNT NOUNS
Singular
Plural
Ø
books
Ø
water
1 book a book (an apple) 2, 3, 4…
books
some books several
books
a lot of books (= lots of books) many
some water
a lot of water (= lots of water)
books much*
water
a few books few books a little water little water how many
books? how much
the book (= this/that
book)
the books (= these/those books)
the water (=this/that water)
* With noncount nouns, a lot of is normally used in statements. Those plants need a lot of water. (statement) Much can be used in statements when it is preceded by so or too (i.e. so much, too much). There was so much water on the road, we were unable to drive on it. That plant died because I gave it too much water. With negatives or questions, either a lot of or much may be used. Those plants don’t need a lot of water. Those plants don’t need much water. (negative) Do those plants need a lot of water? Do those plants need much water? (question)
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water?
NOUNS THAT CAN BE NONCOUNT OR COUNT Some noncount nouns in English can also be used as count nouns. When they become count nouns, they change meaning. Study the following examples:
glass Noncount (NC) : meaning “the material itself with no specific boundary” Glass is a transparent material that breaks very easily. Count (C): meaning “drinking cups made of glass material” or “eyeglasses” Mona poured juice into three glasses. Some people need to wear glasses for reading.
hair Noncount (NC) : meaning “a whole collection of individual hairs together that form a mass” A Turkish barber cut Abdullah’s hair yesterday. Count (C): meaning “individual strands of hair” My uncle is starting to get a few grey hairs in his beard.
iron Noncount (NC) : meaning “the metal or element itself with no specific boundary” Iron is a very strong metal. Blood contains iron. Count (C): meaning “devices used to remove wrinkles from clothing” Sarah bought two new irons in Euromarche.
light Noncount (NC) : meaning “the term from physics referring to electromagnetic energy ” The sun is the earth’s main source of light. The moon also gives off light. Count (C): meaning “individual lamps, bulbs or tubes giving off light” 13
Some of the lights were not working in our classroom. paper Noncount (NC) : meaning “the material used for writing, with no specific size” Canada manufactures and exports a lot of paper. Count (C): meaning “a specific quantity of written information such as a newspaper or essay” You can buy several English language papers in Saudi Arabia. The Arab News and The Saudi Gazette are the most popular papers. The students have written several papers (i.e. essays) for their writing instructor.
time Noncount (NC) : meaning “something measured by a clock, a term from physics” Watches and clocks are instruments used for measuring time. Count (C): meaning “an individual event or occurrence” I have travelled to Indonesia three times.
space Noncount (NC) : meaning “all of the area where things exist, a term from physics” Rockets can now carry humans into outer space. Count (C): meaning “a specific place that can be measured ” When you indent a paragraph, you should leave at least five spaces.
work Noncount (NC) : meaning “a general activity that requires effort” Those employees enjoy their work very much. Students do regular homework. Housework includes washing clothes and doing dishes. Count (C): meaning “a complete piece of art”
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Galleries (i.e. art museums) contain many modern works of art.
coffee Noncount (NC) : meaning “a hot beverage made from ground coffee beans” Fahad drinks a lot of coffee while he is studying. Count (C): meaning “an understood amount of coffee served in a container” Fahad has already drunk three coffees* since he sat down. (*Note: This is a short form of three cups of coffee.) The same shortened expressions can be used with other beverages served in containers such as cups, bottles, glasses, cans, etc.)
chicken Noncount (NC) : meaning “the meat from the animal” We ordered chicken and rice in the restaurant. The meat was delicious. Count (C): meaning “the complete animal itself” There are five chickens running around in the farmer’s yard. (Note: The same noncount/count relationship exists for other types of meat such as turkey, lamb, etc. Some kinds of animals have a special word to refer to their meat (such as beef – meat from a cow, veal – meat from a baby calf, poultry – meat from any kind of bird, etc.).
fish Noncount (NC) : meaning “the meat from the animal” Many restaurants in London serve fish and chips. It’s a famous dish. Count (C): meaning “the complete animal itself” There are fifteen tropical fish in my aquarium.
pepper Noncount (NC) : meaning “the spice that you sprinkle on food (like salt)” You can find containers of salt and pepper on most restaurant tables. 15
Count (C): meaning “the complete vegetable that grows on a plant” Several green peppers were growing on one of the plants in our garden. experience Noncount (NC) : meaning “knowledge or skill you gain from doing something” You need a lot of flying experience to qualify as a commercial pilot. Count (C): meaning “a memorable event or occurence” Getting trapped in an elevator for an hour was a frightening experience.
change Noncount (NC) : meaning “excess money returned to you when you pay for something” After I paid the waiter in cash, he brought me my change. Count (C): meaning “modification, adjustment or alteration” There have been many changes in Riyadh over the last twenty years.
USING UNITS OF MEASURE WITH NONCOUNT NOUNS Although numbers cannot be used directly with noncount nouns, it is possible to add a special unit of measurement to the noncount noun. This word itself is countable, so it can be used with numbers. For example:
I often order soup for lunch.
(soup – noncount noun)
The restaurant serves three types of soup. Sometimes I eat two bowls of soup.
(type – count noun)
(bowl – count noun)
Units of measure such as type or bowl are count nouns, so they can be used with numbers. Words such as type, kind, sort, etc. describe characteristics or qualities of the noncount noun.
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My two favorite kinds of soup are mushroom and chicken noodle. Swiss cheese is a type of cheese with large holes in it. Laila buys many sorts of perfume and soap when she goes shopping.
Units of measure are also used to express a certain portion or amount of a noncount noun. When used this way, they are called partitive nouns (because they express a part or portion of the noncount noun). A partitive noun can be a scientific unit of measurement (e.g. foot, kilogram, litre), the name of a container that holds the substance (e.g. bottle, box, bag, cup), or the shape of a piece of the substance (e.g. slice, bar, pile). Some noncount nouns also have their own special partitives (e.g. grain, blade, strand).
Examples of Partitive Nouns 1) Scientific units of measurement a yard of cloth an acre of land 1 gallon of gasoline 8 litres of water 3 ounces of gold 2.5 kilograms of sugar 2 tons of coal
(length) (area) (volume) (volume) (weight) (weight) (weight)
2) Containers that hold substances a bag of flour/sugar 2 bottles of juice 3 boxes of cereal several cans of soup 5 jars of jam/honey 2 tubes of toothpaste 1.5 teaspoons of salt 3) Typical shapes of substances 4 bars of soap/chocolate/gold 7 sheets of paper 2 slices of bread/cheese/pizza/cake a few loaves of bread 3 blocks of ice 4 cubes of ice/sugar a pile/heap of garbage
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4) Special partitives (specific to particular noncount nouns) many grains of rice 2 blades of grass a strand of hair 5) General partitives describing individual items from a group 10 pieces of chalk/information/furniture an article/item of furniture/clothing Note: Partitive nouns are not restricted to noncount nouns. They can sometimes be used with countable nouns as well. For example:
a bag of sugar a bag of apples
(sugar - noncount) (apples – count)
a jar of jam a jar of olives
(jam – noncount) (olives – count)
a box of cereal a box of crackers
(cereal – noncount) (crackers – count)
Examples of other partitive nouns used in everyday English can usually be found in illustrated teaching resources such as The Oxford Picture Dictionary.
_______________________________ Peter Lambe (Spring 2014)
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