Semestral San Marcos

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INGLÉS
SEMESTRAL SAN MARCOS

COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

COUNTABLE NOUNS

The major division of English nouns is into “countable” and “uncountable”.

Countable nouns are easy to recognize. They are things that we can count.
For example: “pen”. We can count pens. We can have one, two, three or more pens. Here are some more countable
nouns:

• dog, cat, animal, man, person

• bottle, box, litre
• coin, note, dollar
• cup, plate, fork
• table, chair, suitcase, bag

Countable nouns can be singular or plural:

• My dog is playing.
• My dogs are hungry.

We can use the indefinite article a/an with countable nouns:

• A dog is an animal.

Countable nouns are also called “count nouns”.

When a countable noun is singular, we must use a word like a/the/my/this with it:

• I want an orange. (not I want orange.)

• Where is my bottle? (not Where is bottle?)

When a countable noun is plural, we can use it alone:

• I like oranges.
• Bottles can break.

We can use some and any with countable nouns:

• I’ve got some dollars.

• Have you got any pens?

We can use a few and many with countable nouns:

• I’ve got a few dollars.

• I haven’t got many pens.

“People” is countable. “People” is the plural of “person”. We can count people:

There is one person here.
There are three people here.

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UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

Unlike countable nouns, uncountable nouns are substances, concepts etc that we cannot divide into separate elements. We
cannot “count” them. For example, we cannot count “milk”. We can count “bottles of milk” or “litres of milk”, but we cannot
count “milk” itself. Here are some more uncountable nouns:

• music, art, love, happiness

• advice, information, news
• furniture, luggage
• rice, sugar, butter, water
• electricity, gas, power
• money, currency

We usually treat uncountable nouns as singular. We use a singular verb. For example:

• This news is very important.

• Your luggage looks heavy.

We do not usually use the indefinite article a/an with uncountable nouns. We cannot say “an information” or “a music”. But
we can say a “something” of:

• a piece of news
• a bottle of water
• a grain of rice

We can use some and any with uncountable nouns:

• I’ve got some money.

• Have you got any rice?

We can use a little and much with uncountable nouns:

• I’ve got a little money.

• I haven’t got much rice.

UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS ARE ALSO CALLED “MASS NOUNS”.

Here are some more examples of countable and uncountable nouns:

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When you learn a new word, it’s a good idea to learn whether it’s countable or uncountable.

PARTITIVE STRUCTURE WITH UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

To count or quantify an uncountable noun we use a unit of measurement - a measure word. For example, we cannot usually
say “two breads” because “bread” is uncountable. So, if we want to specify a quantity of bread we use a measure word such
as “loaf ” or “slice” in a structure like “two loaves of bread” or “two slices of bread”. We call this structure a partitive structure.

We can use the same uncountable noun in different partitive expressions with different meanings. For example, a loaf of bread
and a slice of bread are partitive expressions with different meanings. A loaf of bread is what we call a whole unit of bread that
we buy from a baker. A slice of bread is what we call a smaller unit of bread after it has been cut from a loaf.

Here are some more examples:

• Don’t forget to buy a bag of rice when you go shopping.

• Can I have one cup of coffee and two cups of tea.
• The police found some items of clothing scattered around the floor.
• I need a truck that will take at least three pieces of furniture.
• You’d think a tablespoon of honey would be more than enough.

The word “partitive” indicates that only “part” of a whole is being referred to. The partitive structure using a measure word is
common with uncountable nouns, but it can also be used with countable nouns, for example: a series of accidents, two boxes
of matches, a can of worms.

NOUNS THAT CAN BE COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE

Sometimes, the same noun can be countable and uncountable, often with a change of meaning.

Drinks (coffee, water, orange juice) are usually uncountable. But if we are thinking of a cup or a glass, we can say (in a restau-
rant, for example):
Two teas and one coffee please.

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TEXT 1

A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY!
Wine is not cheap and a good wine can cost a lot of money these days. So spare thought for Mr. Sokolin, a New York wine
merchant, who recently lost a bottle of wine worth $500,000 (or about $85,000 a glass!). It was a 1784 Chateau Margaux which
had once belonged to Thomas Jefferson, the third president of America. Mr. Sokolin took the bottle to a wine tasting and put in
on a table. The bottle was made of dark glass and a waiter didn’t notice it. He hit it with a tray, making a large hole in it. Most
of the wine was lost, but Mr. Sokolin was able to taste some of it. He said it was not very good, but the loss of the bottle was
describe as a terrible tragedy.

1. Who is Mr. Sokolin?

A) The waiter who break the bottle of wine accidentally.

B) The third president of America.
C) A wine merchant from New York.
D) The narrator of the text.
E) The owner of the restaurant.

2. How much money does a 1784 Chateau Margaux cost?

A) $85,000
B) $500,000
C) very cheap
D) not really expensive
E) it tastes good

3. What happened with the expensive bottle of wine?

A) It was sold
B) It was taken to New York
C) It was a cheap wine
D) It was broken by a tray
E) It was put on a chair

4. After breaking the bottle of wine, Mr. Sokolin could

A) save it
B) take it to the wine tasting
C) buy another one
D) clean all the mess
E) taste some of it

5. After the terrible tragedy, we can say that the loss of the bottle, it was a

A) waste
B) taste
C) good wine
D) cheap wine
E) benefit

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TEXT 2

JUNK OR ART?
Who became famous for painting a tin of soup? The answer is the American pop artist, Andy Warhol. Andy painted everyday
objects and he also liked to collect them in large numbers: cookie jars, sets of cutlery, vases, furniture and paintings. Andy died
in 1987 and his vast collection was sold. Someone paid $23,100 for two cookie jars which had cost a few dollars each. Pieces
of furniture were sold for nearly $300,000. The sale raised a lot of money for the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts,
which may now have $100m! So, before you clear out your attic, take another look. What you think is rubbish today, might be
treasure tomorrow. That ugly old vase belonging to Grandma may be more valuable than you think!

1. Who was Andy Warhol?

A) a trash collector
B) a famous artist
C) a salesman
D) a British artist
E) a person who hates art

2. When Andy died all his art collection was

A) kept
B) donated
C) sold
D) given to a foundation
E) thrown away

3. All the money from the sale was destined for

A) an American pop artist

B) your attic
C) the local government
D) the Andy Warhol Foundation
E) a very exclusive art store

4. The phrase: “What you think is rubbish today, might be treasure tomorrow” can be interpreted in the context as

A) a waste of time
B) not really worthy
C) very precious thing
D) incredible things
E) invaluable now but valuable in the future

5. What would be a good synonym of junk?

A) rubbish
B) treasure
C) collection
D) art
E) foundation