Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Countable nouns (also known as count nouns) are nouns that can be
considered as individual, separable items, which means that we are able to
count
them with numbers—we can have one, two, five, 15, 100, and so on. We can
also use them with the indefinite articles a and an (which signify a single
person
or thing) or with the plural form of the noun.
Single Countable Nouns Plural Countable Nouns
a cup two cups
an ambulance several ambulances
a phone 10 phones
Countable nouns contrast with uncountable nouns (also known as non-
count or
mass nouns), which cannot be separated and counted as individual units or
elements. Uncountable nouns cannot take an indefinite article (a/an), nor can
they be made plural.
✔ Correct ✖ Incorrect
“Would you like tea?” “Would you like a tea?”
“Do you have any information?” “Do you have an information?”
“We bought new camping
equipment.”
“We bought new camping
equipments.”
Collective Nouns
Collective nouns are nouns that refer to a collection or group of multiple
people,
animals, or things. However, even though collective nouns refer to multiple
individuals, they still function as singular nouns in a sentence. This is because
they still are technically referring to one thing: the group as a whole. For
example:
• “The flock of birds flew south for the winter.”
• “The organization voted to revoke the rules that it had previously
approved.”
• “The set of tablecloths had disappeared. ”
Attributive Nouns (Noun Adjuncts)
Attributive nouns, also called noun adjuncts, are nouns that are used to
modify
other nouns. The resulting phrase is called a compound noun. For example:
• “The boy played with his toy soldier.”
In this sentence, toy is the noun adjunct, and it modifies the word soldier,
creating the compound noun toy soldier.
To learn more about attributive nouns, go to the section on Adjuncts in the
chapter on The Predicate.
Compound Nouns
A compound noun is a noun composed of two or more words working
together
as a single unit to name a person, place, or thing. Compound nouns are
usually
made up of two nouns or an adjective and a noun.
• water + bottle = water bottle (a bottle used for water)
• dining + room = dining room (a room used for dining)
• back + pack = backpack (a pack you wear on your back)
• police + man = policeman (a police officer who is a man)
Noun Phrases
A noun phrase is a group of two or more words that function together as a
noun
in a sentence. Noun phrases consist of a noun and other words that modify the
noun. For example:
• “He brought the shovel with the blue handle.”
In this sentence, the shovel with the blue handle is a noun phrase. It
collectively
acts as a noun while providing modifying words for the head noun, shovel.
The
modifiers are the and with the blue handle.
Nominalization (Creating Nouns)
Nominalization refers to the creation of a noun from verbs or adjectives.
When nouns are created from other parts of speech, it is usually through the
use
of suffixes. For example:
• “My fiancée is an actor.” (The verb act becomes the noun actor.)
• “His acceptance of the position was received warmly.” (The verb accept
becomes the noun acceptance.)
• “The hardness of diamond makes it a great material for cutting tools.” (The
adjective hard becomes the noun hardness.)
• “This project will be fraught with difficulty.” (The adjective difficult
becomes
the noun difficulty.)
Quiz
(answers start on page 610)
1. A noun can be which of the following?
a) The subject
b) An object
c) Predicative
d) A & B
e) B & C
f) All of the above
2. What category of nouns is used to identify the person or group being
directly
spoken to?
a) Common nouns
b) Nouns of address
c) Attributive nouns
d) Abstract nouns
3. Identify the type of noun (in bold) used in the following sentence:
“Your indifference is not acceptable.”
a) Proper noun
b) Countable noun
c) Collective noun
d) Abstract noun
4. What category of nouns is used to modify other nouns?
a) Common nouns
b) Nouns of address
c) Attributive nouns
d) Abstract nouns
5. Which of the following is commonly used to create a noun from a verb or
adjective?
a) Prefix
b) Suffix
c) Attributive noun
d) Predicative noun