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Definition of journey

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Definition of journey  (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

transitive verb

Did you know?

The Latin adjective diurnus means “pertaining to a day, daily”; English diurnal stems ultimately from this word. When Latin developed into French, diurnus became a noun, jour, meaning simply “day” The medieval French derivative journee meant either “day” or “something done during the day,” such as work or travel. Middle English borrowed journee as journey in both senses, but only the sense “a day’s travel” survived into modern usage. In modern English, journey now refers to a trip without regard to the amount of time it takes. The verb journey developed from the noun and is first attested in the 14th century.

  • peregrination
  • peregrinate

Examples of journey in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'journey.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French jurnee day, day's journey, from jur day, from Late Latin diurnum , from Latin, neuter of diurnus — see journal entry 1

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

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Cite this Entry

“Journey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/journey. Accessed 21 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of journey.

Kids Definition of journey  (Entry 2 of 2)

Middle English journey "a trip, travel," from early French journee "day's work, day's journey," from jour "day," derived from Latin diurnus "of a day, daily," from dies "day" — related to diary , journal

More from Merriam-Webster on journey

Nglish: Translation of journey for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of journey for Arabic Speakers

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"What's the plural of journey?"

The plural of journey is journeys .

Definition of journey:

A journey refers to the act of traveling from one place to another, usually over a considerable distance. It involves a process or experience of moving, exploring, or embarking on a specific trip or adventure.

Which is Correct: Journeys or Journies?

The correct plural form of the word " journey " is " journeys ." Although " journies " may seem like a logical pluralization, it is not accepted or recognized in standard English usage.

Nouns ending in a vowel + - y form their plural by simply adding - s to the end of the word. This is why the plural of journey is journeys and not journies.

Is Journey a Countable or Uncountable Noun?

The word " journey " is considered a countable noun. Countable nouns are objects or entities that can be counted as separate units or individuals. Each journey represents a distinct travel experience or specific trip, and its plural form " journeys " reflects this countability.

You can use numerical quantifiers such as " one journey ," " two journeys ," " three journeys ," and so on to specify the quantity of journeys.

Countable nouns have both singular and plural forms and can be used with articles like " a " or " an " for singular nouns and "the" for plural nouns. For example, you would say " a journey " when referring to a single travel experience and "the journeys" when referring to multiple trips or adventures.

Collective Noun for a Group of Journeys

In English, there isn't a widely recognized specific collective noun dedicated to a group of journeys. However, you can use the term " collection " or " series " to refer to a group of journeys that share a common theme, purpose, or destination. These terms can convey the idea of multiple journeys being grouped or connected in some way.

For example, you could say " a collection of journeys exploring ancient civilizations " or " a series of journeys through remote wilderness areas ."

Plural of Journey Example Sentences

Singular form: journey.

  • A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
  • She embarked on a transformative journey to discover her true passion.
  • The train ride offered breathtaking views throughout the entire journey .

Plural Form: Journeys

  • I have taken multiple journeys around the world, each one leaving a lasting impression.
  • The travelers shared their remarkable journeys and adventures at the gathering.
  • These guided tours offer diverse cultural and historical journeys for every traveler's interest.

Journeys vs. journies

The graph shows the occurances of the plural of journey in written English since 1800 using Google's Ngram Viewer .

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/journey

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The plural of journey is journeys

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Journey in american english, examples of 'journey' in a sentence journey, cobuild collocations journey, trends of journey.

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Simple English Videos

Travel trip and journey video transcript

Kathy! How are you? Fine. We wanted to speak to you about our business trip. You know we’re travelling to California next month? Yes. Can we travel business class? Absolutely not! But it’s a six hour flight. It’s such a long journey. Business class is far too expensive. I think that was a ‘no’.

Here are three words my students often muddle up. They have similar meanings. In this video we’ll learn how to use them correctly and fix some common mistakes.

Wow! Look at that view. Isn’t that beautiful? Yeah! Let’s go up to the top of that mountain, Jay. That’s a long walk. I think we can travel by cable car. Really? Yeah. Wow!

The word ‘travel’ is usually a verb – an action – and it means to go from one place to another.

Riding a bike is a great way to travel around the city. I can slip through all the traffic.
You know we’re travelling to California next month? Yes. Can we travel business class? Absolutely not.

We spell the word ‘traveling’ with one ‘L’ in American English and two ‘Ls’ in British English. And we call people who travel, travellers. In American English we spell that with one ‘L’. And in British English it has two ‘L’s.

I’m traveling to New York today and then on to Boston. It’s a business trip.
Travel’ is normally a verb, but not always. Let’s look at another example. Is ‘travel’ a verb here?
My job involves a lot of travel. I’m often away from home. My job involves a lot of travel. I’m often away from home.

In this sentence, travel is a noun – a thing. And here’s where it get tricky. If ‘travel’ is a noun, we use it to talk about travel in general. So we might talk about air travel, rail travel, space travel or time travel.

The rising price of jet fuel is pushing up the price of air travel for business travelers.

When ‘travel’ is a noun, it’s normally uncountable. That means we can’t talk about ‘a’ travel. This is wrong. We use it to talk about travel in general, so this question is wrong too. If you’re talking about a specific piece of travelling, you need to use other words instead, like journey or trip.

But it’s a six hour flight. It’s such a long journey. Business class is far too expensive.

We use ‘journey’ when places are a long way apart, so there’s a big distance or a lot of time involved. We might talk about a journey acrosss the Sahara, or a journey to outer space.

How long does it take you to commute to work, Jay? Two hours. Wow! That’s a long journey! Umm. I guess that’s why you’re always tired when you get to work. Ummm.

So a journey involves a long distance or a lot of time. Trips are similar.

We can take trips for business or trips for pleasure. Tourists in Paris like to take boat trips for fun. When you know someone is going to travel somewhere, you can say, ‘Have a nice trip’.

Have a nice trip, Frank. Sure Kitty. See you when I get back. Bon voyage.

Now be careful with this word. If it’s a verb, it means something different. If you catch your foot on something and almost fall, you trip. Jay nearly tripped over there. But when trip is a noun, it means a journey to a place and then back again.

So how was your trip? It was great. I think we got the contract. Oh well done! And what about your journey? How was that? There were a lot of delays.

Trip and journey are both nouns here and they mean slightly different things. Journey refers to the travelling, but trip is the travelling and everything that happens on the way, so the whole visit as well as the journey.

So let’s review. There’s travel. It’s normally a verb. We travel from place to place and sometimes it’s a noun – an uncountable noun. When we’re talking about a specific piece of travelling, we use journey and trip. Journeys are often longer than trips. Also journey is just the travelling and trip is the travelling and everything that happens on the way. And that’s it. Now you know how to use these words.

Oh hi Kathy! So how was California? Awful! Fantastic! The journey was terrible. The airline lost my luggage. I hate traveling. My journey was wonderful. I got upgraded to first class for free. Oh that’s nice. But what happened in your meetings? Nothing! My trip was a waste of time. I didn’t sell anything. I got three new clients. Oh well done Vicki. What a successful trip!
Are you travelling anywhere soon? Have a safe journey and enjoy your trip.

Click here to see an earlier version of this video with a clickable transcript Click here to see our video on how to check in at an airport Click here to learn the lyrics of the beautiful Doris day song ‘Sentimental Journey’ Click here to learn about a road trip Jay and Vicki took And click here to see lots more videos on tricky English words and vocabulary

4 thoughts on “Travel, Trip and Journey (countable and uncountable nouns)”

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Thanks for this amazing information. I had learned a lot.

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So glad you liked it Deepak Thanks for writing.

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It has been written: “In this videos you’ll learn that travel is usually an uncountable noun and that we don’t usually use it as a verb” and then we learn this:”The word ‘travel’ is usually a verb – an action – and it means to go from one place to another.”.

Hi Ciesielski! I’m not sure I understand this because I don’t know where you’ve read ‘travel’ is usually a verb. It would have to depend on context. In scientific texts it’s often a verb. For example light travels at a speed of 299 792 458 m/s. In everyday speech though, it’s generally an (uncountable) noun. Hope this helps.

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is journey countable or uncountable

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.

Here are some more examples of countable and uncountable nouns:

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.
  • List of common measure words
  • List of partitive expressions with example sentences

Nouns that can be Countable and Uncountable

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

See also this list of nouns that are count and noncount , with example sentences, notes and quizzes

Countable and Uncountable Nouns in English

Countable nouns, uncountable nouns, counting uncountable nouns, countable and uncountable nouns, singular/plural uncountable nouns.

  • Lingolia Plus English

Introduction

Nouns in English grammar can be either countable or uncountable . Countable nouns refer to individual things and we can use them in the singular or plural (e.g. coin/coins ). Most nouns in the English language are countable. Uncountable nouns, also known as mass nouns , refer to things we consider a whole or mass and cannot be counted (e.g. money ). Many abstract nouns (e.g. happiness ) are uncountable in English.

Learn the rules for countable and uncountable nouns in English grammar with Lingolia’s online grammar explanations and interactive exercises.

is journey countable or uncountable

Mike and his sister Sandra are shopping. They need milk , apples , and bread .

Sandra wants to make a cake tomorrow. She needs 6 eggs , 400 grams of flour, a bar of chocolate and some strawberries .

At the checkout, Mike doesn’t have any money , just a few coins in his pocket – oops!

  • Most English nouns are countable nouns . This means they can be used in both the singular and the plural. Example: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Apples are healthy.
  • We can put numbers and indefinite articles in front of countable nouns. Example: one banknote, two banknote s one coin, two coin s a cake a sister
  • We cannot use singular countable nouns without articles or possessive pronouns (a/the/your). Example: I saw your sister yesterday. ( not: I saw sister yesterday. )Can you give me a hand? ( not: Can you give me hand? ) However, we can use plural countable nouns alone. Example: Did you buy apples ? Yes, but I forgot to buy stawberries .
  • We can use some/any /(a) few / many with plural countable nouns. Example: We need some apples. I don’t have any eggs. There are a few strawberries in the fridge. Mike dosen’t have many coins.
  • Some collections of countable nouns have a corresponding uncountable noun which describes them as a whole/mass. Example: suitcases, bags, trunks = baggage tables, chairs, couches = furniture peaches, bananas, apples = fruit ( but: one vegetable, two vegetables) socks, dresses, t-shirts = clothes
  • Some English nouns are uncountable nouns. This means they only have one form. Most uncountable nouns are singular, but some are plural see below singular/plural uncountable nouns. Example: I drink milk everday. Milk is healthy. ( not: Milks are healthy. ) My trousers are too big. (not: My trouser is too big. )
  • We cannot usually put numbers in front of uncountable nouns. Example: money ( not : one money/two moneys ) milk ( not: one milk / two milks ) bread ( not: one bread/ two breads )
  • We can use many uncountable nouns without an article or possessive pronoun. Example: We need flour and chocolate to make a cake. ( not:  … a flour and a chocolate… ) Can you buy milk on the way home? ( not: can you buy a milk… )
  • We use some/any/ little / much with uncountable nouns. Example: We can buy some bread at the bakery. We don’t have any milk. There’s a little flour in the pantry. Mike doesn’t have much money.
  • Materials, liquids, and collections are often uncountable nouns. Example: materials – paper, wood, gold, glass etc. liquids – water, milk, oil, coffee, etc. collections – furniture, luggage, traffic etc.

Although we can’t count uncountable nouns themselves, we can use different units, such as a bottle/grain/ glass/loaf/ piece/kilo/gram of, to count them. Here, we are counting the units rather than the actual uncountable nouns.

Some nouns have both a countable and an uncountable form. The countable form usually refers to something more specific and the uncountable form to something more general.

Some uncountable nouns are used in plural and some are used in singular.

  • Singular uncountable nouns are used with verbs in the third person singular. Here is a list of common singular uncountable nouns: advice, bread, chewing gum, equipment, fun, furniture, grass, information, knowledge, luck, luggage, money, milk, news, pasta, poetry, progress, rain, research, rice, snow, traffic, travel, weather, work, … Example: money – Money makes the world go around. ( not: Money make the world go around. ) milk – The milk has gone sour. ( not: The milk have gone sour. ) news – The news was wonderful. ( not: The news were wonderful. )
  • Plural uncountables are used with verbs in the plural. Here is a list of common plural uncountable nouns: clothes, remains, thanks, groceries, glasses, jeans, scissors, trousers/pants Example: clothes – His clothes are too big. ( not: His clothes is too big. ) groceries – The groceries were expensive.. ( not: The groceries was expensive. )

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Countable and Uncountable Nouns

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There are many different types of nouns in English. Objects, ideas, and places can all be nouns. Every noun is either countable or uncountable.

Countable nouns are nouns you can count, and uncountable nouns are nouns you can't count. Countable nouns can take the singular or the plural form of a verb. Uncountable nouns always take the singular form of the verb. Study the rules and examples below.

What Are Countable Nouns?

Countable nouns are individual objects, people, places, etc. which can be counted. Nouns are considered content words meaning they provide the people, things, ideas, etc. about which we speak. Nouns are one of the eight parts of speech . For example, apple, book, government, student, island.

A countable noun can be both singular—a friend, a house, etc.—or plural—a few apples, lots of trees, etc.

Use the singular form of the verb with a singular countable noun :

  • There is a book on the table.
  • That student is excellent!

Use the plural form of the verb with a countable noun in the plural:

  • There are some students in the classroom.
  • Those houses are very big, aren't they?

What Are Uncountable Nouns?

Uncountable nouns are materials, concepts, information, etc. which are not individual objects and can not be counted. For example, information, water, understanding, wood, cheese, etc.

Uncountable nouns are always singular. Use the singular form of the verb with uncountable nouns:

  • There is some water in that pitcher.
  • That is the equipment we use for the project.

Adjectives With Countable and Uncountable Nouns.

Use a/an with countable nouns preceded by an adjective(s):

  • Tom is a very intelligent young man.
  • I have a beautiful grey cat.

Do not use a/an ( indefinite articles ) with uncountable nouns preceded by an adjective(s):

  • That is very useful information.
  • There is some cold beer in the fridge.

Some uncountable nouns in English are countable in other languages. This can be confusing! Here is a list of some of the most common, easy to confuse uncountable nouns.

  • accommodation
  • information

Obviously, uncountable nouns (especially different types of food) have forms that express plural concepts. These measurements or containers are countable:

  • water - a glass of water
  • equipment - a piece of equipment
  • cheese - a slice of cheese

Here are some of the most common containers / quantity expressions for these uncountable nouns:

  • accommodation - a place to stay
  • advice - a piece of advice
  • baggage - a piece of baggage
  • bread - a slice of bread, a loaf of bread
  • furniture - a piece of furniture
  • garbage - a piece of garbage
  • information - a piece of information
  • knowledge - a fact
  • luggage - a piece of luggage, a bag, a suitcase
  • money - a note, a coin
  • news - a piece of news
  • pasta - a plate of pasta, a serving of pasta
  • research - a piece of research, a research project
  • travel - a journey, a trip
  • work - a job, a position

Here are some more common uncountable food types with their container / quantity expressions :

  • liquids (water, beer, wine, etc.) - a glass, a bottle, a jug of water, etc.
  • cheese - a slice, a chunk, a piece of cheese
  • meat - a piece, a slice, a pound of meat
  • butter - a bar of butter
  • ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard - a bottle of, a tube of ketchup, etc.
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is journey countable or uncountable

Do I Use ‘Travel’ or ‘Journey’?

‘travel’ and ‘journey’ are similar in meaning, but their usages differ. let’s understand how to use these words..

Remya Prakash

Remya Prakash

As a noun, this word is a general term that describes the movement from one place to another.

I love listening to my friend talk about her travels abroad. Travel educates you more than any book.

‘Travelling’ can also be used as a noun to refer to the activity of ‘travel’.

Travelling across the country after retirement is difficult, but not impossible.

As a verb, ‘travel’ refers to going or moving from one place to another.

I travel 50 km to work every day. My cousins are currently travelling across Western Europe.

‘Travel’ is a mass noun or an uncountable noun, and is never preceded by ‘a’.

I’m planning a travel to Indonesia. (Incorrect) I’m planning to travel to Indonesia. (Correct)

Journey is used as a noun to describe travelling from one place to another. It refers to a single segment of travel.

The journey to Bangalore takes 12 hours by train and 2 hours by flight. Our travel guide made sure our journey was pleasant.

Journey is sometimes used as a verb in formal situations or poetic language.

We journeyed through the desert, without food or water.

Unlike ‘travel’, ‘journey’ is a countable noun and can be preceded by the singular indefinite article ‘a’.

‘Life is a journey not a destination’ is a common adage.

It is important to note that the plural form of journey is written as ‘journeys’ and not ‘journies’.

The video below summarizes how to use these words correctly.

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Countable vs. Uncountable Nouns

Did you know that not all nouns are countable in English? Knowing the difference between countable and uncountable nouns can help you in many areas of English grammar.

Countable Nouns

Countable nouns are nouns that can be counted. Most nouns in English are countable.

  • I have two dogs .
  • Sandra has three cars .
  • Jessie has ten dollars .

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns are not counted in English. This usually has to do with the way English speakers think of these nouns. We often picture these nouns as a single concept or one big thing which is hard to divide. Many of these words are countable in other languages, but they ARE NOT countable in English. Generally, we do not use plural forms of these words; however some of these words do end in "s", so don't get confused.

  • Mack drinks a lot of water .
  • Cindy gives great advice .
  • Paul enjoys politics . Ends with "s" but uncountable

Uncountable nouns tend to belong to one of the following categories:

Liquids and Gases

Solid and granular substances, energy words and forces.

  • electricity

Grouped Concepts

Information and abstract concepts.

  • information
  • intelligence

Uncountable Plurals

  • We'll have two coffees . Cups of coffee
  • I bought three waters . Bottles of water
  • The company produces two leathers . Types of leather

Different Meanings

There are certain words which have multiple meanings. It is possible for one meaning to be countable and the other to be uncountable. Take for example the word "light":

  • I couldn't see anything because there was no light . Uncountable noun
  • The Christmas tree was covered with hundreds of lights . Countable noun

Generally, the rules are still the same. The first use of "light" is a form of energy. The second use of "light" means "small light bulbs", which are normal countable objects.

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What Are Countable and Uncountable Nouns?

by Phil Williams | Sep 13, 2022 | Definitions , Grammar | 0 comments

countable and uncountable nouns

When discussing grammar, nouns can be described as either countable or uncountable . I’ve been meaning to cover this for a while, as we’ve got a few articles relating to these definitions but not one that defines them, and describes what to look out for.

After some discussion last month, I thought it time I go into more detail on this. So, here’s my complete guide to countable and uncountable nouns.

What are countable and uncountable nouns?

Firstly, note that these are grammatical terms which describe types of nouns. Whether something is countable or uncountable does not necessarily refer to the nature of what it describes, but how the specific noun behaves grammatically.

Countable nouns are ones which we can count. This means we can assign a number to them or otherwise quantify them. A noun that can be described in separate or plural terms is countable, for example a book or two books .

Uncountable nouns are ones which we cannot count. They do not have a plural and cannot be described with numbers or as separate. These are typically nouns that describe masses, such as liquids ( water, milk ), or other substances that cover an area, such as materials ( leather, metal ), or abstract properties ( love, success ).

How can you tell if a noun is countable or uncountable?

To test whether a noun is countable or uncountable, consider if it has a plural form or if you can assign numbers before it. Indefinite articles, numbers and certain quantifiers (e.g. both, each, either, many, a few, every ) can only come before countable nouns.

  • both chairs
  • every chair

Uncountable nouns either have no article, number or quantifier, or a select few quantifiers such as a little or much .

  • a little knowledge

Note that the definite article ( the ) can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns. When used with uncountable nouns, it can refer to a specific instance of that noun and usually implies additional information which may need to be clarified, for example with a prepositional phrase or defining clause.

  • the knowledge of museums
  • the knowledge which I gained from reading this article

Certain pairings of quantifiers can clearly distinguish between countable and uncountable nouns, such as many/much and a few/a little . One way you can see the difference is by considering whether we ask “How many?” (countable) or “How much?” (uncountable).

Countable and Uncountable Nouns with Verb Forms

As countable nouns can be either singular or plural, they will be followed by either singular or plural verbs depending on the noun form.

  • six cats are

Uncountable nouns do not have a plural, so they should be treated as singular.

Watch out for noun phrases that quantify uncountable nouns with countable units, however, as these can form countable plurals. In such cases, you may find the uncountable noun comes directly before a verb, but the verb should be in plural form. For example:

  • The jugs of water were very full.
  • Two pieces of pie were sitting on the table.

Confusions Between Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Plenty of uncountable nouns relate to things we expect to be quantifiable but are not. For example: money, time, information, hair, weather, accommodation . Likewise, some nouns that are uncountable in English are countable in other languages ( hair is a common one for foreign learners to trip up on!). Often, we can break uncountable nouns down with countable nouns to quantify them:

  • money -> coins, pounds, collars
  • time -> hours, minutes, seconds
  • accommodation -> houses, rooms, apartments

In other cases, uncountable nouns have connected, very similar countable versions.

  • work -> job
  • money -> currency
  • travel -> journey

Another area of confusion is that uncountable nouns can sometimes appear to have a plural when we wish to distinguish between different types of an uncountable noun, or when we refer to an example or unit of something. This is most notable with substances such as food and drink where we either distinguish between different types (e.g. a French cheese) or refer to a serving of the substance (e.g. a portion, a cup of, a glass of, etc.).

  • I like cheese. BUT I liked two of the cheeses on offer. (types of cheese)
  • I’ll have a beer. (a glass of beer)

For some uncountable nouns, there may be a difference between the substance and a particular instance of that substance. For example, pie as a food type is uncountable, which we might break down with a unit such as a piece of pie , but a pie (countable) can refer to an object, one pie.

This can work with abstract nouns and materials, too, often where a noun has both an uncountable and countable form, with different (but often closely-related) meanings. Time is uncountable as a concept, but we refer to countable times for particular instances. Love is uncountable, but loves can mean particular people/things loved.

Another area of confusion can come from using the definite article with uncountable nouns. This can appear to create individual/separate instances of the noun, as we can contrast, for example, the advice he gave me vs the advice she gave me . This does not necessarily make the instances countable, though. The specific instances are two pieces of advice , not two advices .

Confusion can arise when you have irregular plurals as these might be assumed as uncountable when they are in fact plurals. People , for example, is the plural of person , and should be treated as a plural, not uncountable. Finally, however, there are also instances of plural nouns which are also treated as uncountable, such as the police or scissors . As this is an unusual area, I’ve got a separate article all about that here .

For some further reading on this topic, check out my article on fewer/less and some countable/uncountable exercises . And as always, if you have any questions or comments please post below!

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All you need to know about countable and uncountable nouns

is journey countable or uncountable

What’s the difference between countable and uncountable nouns , and what grammar rules do you need to know to use them correctly?

Also known as  count and noncount nouns , this vocabulary point can trip you up when you’re learning English as a second language. It’s especially tricky because:

  • There are no concrete rules for classifying nouns as countable or uncountable (although there are some general guidelines that we will explain later).
  • Certain nouns that are countable in other languages may be uncountable in English, so you’ll have to un-learn what you know from your native language and learn a different set of rules for English words.

So, let’s take a detailed look at countable vs uncountable nouns, with plenty of examples showing how to use them with the correct articles, quantifiers, and other determiners.

a table spread with countable and uncountable nouns foods

The basics of countable and uncountable nouns

What is a countable noun.

A  countable noun (also called a count noun) is a noun naming something that can be counted using standard numbers. Countable nouns usually have singular and plural forms. 

Examples of countable nouns include chair, table, rabbit, page, part, and lemon .

So, we can have one chair, five tables, ten rabbits, twenty-three lemons, and three hundred pages .

You are probably already familiar with this pattern of counting things in English.

What is an uncountable noun?

An uncountable noun (also called a mass noun or a non-count noun) is a noun naming something that cannot be counted in English using standard numbers. These nouns cannot be made plural.

Examples of uncountable nouns include rice, money, advice, news, and happiness .

We cannot have one rice, five monies, two advices, or a happiness .

Instead, we must use different determiners to quantify these particular things: a cup of rice , a bag of money , and a piece of advice .

Now you know these basics, it’s time to take a deeper look at what this means in practice. You need to know whether you’re dealing with a countable or uncountable noun so you can select the correct determiners and plural forms in your writing and speech.

Rules for using countable nouns

We’ll begin by going over the rules for using countable nouns, since these are most straightforward.

Countable nouns:

  • Can be separated into whole, individual, countable units
  • Broadly refer to people, places, and things
  • Have a singular and a plural form (with a few exceptions like sheep, deer, fish) – see this site for more about how to form plurals
  • May take indefinite articles (a/an) as well as the definite article (the)
  • May take other determiners such as this/that/these/those, some/any/few/many/several, my/your/his/her/our/their
  • To form a question about a countable noun, we say ‘How many…’

Countable noun example sentences

Most of the nouns we use in English are countable. Here are some example sentences showing correct usage:

  • I have two cats as pets .
  • She bought a few books from the store .
  • We went to the zoo and saw several giraffes .
  • The school has six classrooms for different subjects .
  • He has a collection of ten stamps .
  • My father owns a few bikes .
  • The store has a variety of balloons in different colors.
  • He has five siblings : three brothers  and two sisters .
  • There are many oranges in the fruit basket .
  • The bakery doesn’t have any bread left.
  • I would like to buy that handbag .
  • How many meals should I order at  the restaurant ?

Read about the difference between few vs a few here.

Rules for using uncountable nouns

Uncountable nouns are used less often in English, and they:

  • Are abstract ideas, qualities, or masses that can’t be separated and counted individually
  • Do not have a plural form and are treated as singular nouns (and therefore take the singular form of the verb)
  • May take the definite article (the) but do not take the indefinite articles (a/an)
  • May take other determiners such as much/little/less/any/some and my/your/his/her/our/their
  • Can be quantified with phrases that contain countable nouns (e.g. a bag of rice)
  • To form a question about an uncountable noun, we say ‘How much…’

See also: What’s the difference between less and fewer?

Uncountable noun examples

We can group uncountable nouns into some broad categories. Although we cannot list them all here, the following groups are a general guide that may make it easier for you to identify others in the future:

This may seem like a long list of uncountable nouns; however, there are hundreds more. 

Quantifying an uncountable noun

Although we can’t quantify uncountable nouns using numbers, we can add a countable unit of measurement to refer to one or more quantities of these things. Below are some of the most common quantifiers we can use to refer to things that are uncountable.

  • A piece of… advice, art, cheese, equipment, evidence, furniture, homework, information, luck, luggage, music, news, paper, poetry, publicity, rubbish, software
  • A bottle of… beer, water, wine, sauce, salad dressing
  • A carton of… juice, milk, cream
  • A packet of… ketchup, rice, gum
  • A plate/bowl of… cereal, pasta, rice
  • A drop of… blood, oil, rain, water
  • A game of… badminton, chess, football, soccer, tennis
  • A ray of… hope, light, sun
  • A grain of… sand, rice, sugar, dignity
  • A cube of… ice, sugar
  • A blob of… toothpaste, mayonnaise, glue
  • A pane of glass
  • A round of applause
  • A bar of soap
  • A mode of transport
  • A bolt of lightning
  • A blade of grass
  • A rasher of bacon
  • A sheet of paper

Determiners for count and noncount nouns

You’ll have seen from the examples above that certain determiners can only be used for one type of noun, whereas others can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns. Here’s a handy reference table for these, although this is not an exhaustive list.

Most other adjectives can modify both countable and uncountable nouns.

See also:  What’s the difference between advice vs advise?

Some nouns can be countable and uncountable

You might often hear people say something like “I take two sugars in my tea”. What they really mean is “two teaspoons of sugar”, but the noun “sugar” has taken on that meaning and become countable.

In this way, uncountable nouns can sometimes be used as countable when referring to a complete unit or measurement of something, normally in relation to food and beverages. Here are some more examples:

  • I’ll have three coffees , please. (three cups of coffee)
  • I’ve had too many beers tonight! (glasses/cans/bottles of beer)
  • Could I get two more ketchups ? (two sachets of ketchup)

Uncountable nouns may also be used as countable when they refer to a specific type, example, or category of something . For example:

  • You should have at least five different cheeses on your cheese board.
  • The best wines in the world are produced in France.
  • We used three woods to make this beautiful box.
  • They encountered a lot of difficulties while completing the project.
  • These juices are all freshly squeezed.

These plural countable nouns are exceptions to the rule given earlier.

Nouns with different countable and uncountable meanings

To make things even more confusing, certain nouns in English have two or more meanings. When a noun refers to different things, one countable and one uncountable, you must remember which is which in order to form a correct sentence. Here are some common examples of words with dual meanings:

As you can see,  English can be hard to learn . Fortunately, you can always check in a dictionary to see whether a noun is countable or uncountable. Some dictionaries, such as  Oxford Dictionaries , specify this in the definition.

We hope this information about countable vs uncountable nouns has been helpful. It can be quite a tricky English grammar topic to get right because, even once you have mastered the rules of count and noncount nouns, there is still no hard-and-fast way to know which words are which, unless you look them up.

Leave a comment below if you have any more questions about this topic or want to check your understanding of a particular point we’ve mentioned.

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is journey countable or uncountable

Countable Nouns

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Countable nouns are the names of separate objects, people, ideas etc which can be counted. They have plurals .Examples are: dog, tree, girl, book, occasion and book

We can use numbers and the article a/an with countable nouns.

  • three girls

Uncountable nouns

Uncountable or mass nouns are the names of materials, liquids, abstract qualities, collections and other things which we do not see as separate objects. Most uncountable nouns are singular with no plurals. Examples are: wheat, sand, weather, water, wool, milk

We cannot use numbers with uncountable nouns. They are also not normally used with the article a/an.

List of uncountable nouns in English

Here is a list of common words which are usually uncountable in English. Corresponding countable expressions are given in brackets.

accommodation ---> (countable - a place to live)

advice ---> (a piece of advice)

baggage ---> (a piece of baggage; a bag, a case)

bread ---> (a piece of bread; a loaf; a roll)

chess ---> (a game of chess)

chewing gum ---> (a piece of chewing gum)

equipment ---> (a piece of equipment; a tool)

furniture ---> (a piece/article of furniture)

grass ---> (a blade of grass)

information ---> (a piece of information)

knowledge ---> (a fact)

lightning ---> (a flash of lightning)

luck ---> (a bit/stroke of luck)

luggage ---> (a piece of luggage; a bag)

money ---> (a note; a coin; a sum)

news ---> (a piece of news)

poetry ---> (a poem)

thunder ---> (a clap of thunder)

travel ---> (a journey/trip)

work ---> (a job; a piece of work)

milk ---> a glass of milk

coffee ---> a cup of coffee

chocolate ---> a bar of chocolate

bread ---> a loaf of bread

rice ---> a kilo of rice

honey ---> a spoon of honey

cheese ---> a slice of cheese

dust ---> a cloud of dust

sugar ---> a particle of sugar

sand ---> a grain of sand

scissors ---> a pair of scissors

air ---> a breath of fresh air

petrol ---> a litre of petrol

salt ---> a pinch of salt

ice ---> a sheet of ice / paper

water ---> a drop of water

grass ---> a blade of grass

paper ---> a sheet / piece of paper

To refer to a large quantity of paper, you can use the phrase a ream of paper . In the same way, to refer to a large quantity of rice, sand, wheat etc., use a heap of rice / sand / wheat etc.

Countable or uncountable

Sometimes it is not easy to see whether a noun is countable or uncountable. For instance, travel is normally uncountable, while journey is countable. It is impossible to give complete details. The following rules, however, should help.

The names of illnesses are usually uncountable in English. Examples are: chickenpox, measles, cancer, diabetes, flu etc.

  • If you have had chickenpox, you can’t get it again.

But note that the words for some minor ailments are uncountable. Examples are: a cold, a headache

  • I have a bad headache.

Many nouns have both countable and uncountable uses, sometimes with a difference of meaning.

Words for materials are usually uncountable. But note that the same word is often used as countable noun to refer to something made of the material.

  • Have you got some typing paper? (uncountable)
  • I want a paper. (countable)
  • Have you got any coffee?
  • Could I have two coffees? (= two cups of coffee)

Many abstract nouns are uncountable when used in a general sense. The same noun can be countable in a particular sense.

  • She hasn’t got enough experience for the job. (uncountable)
  • It was a strange experience. (countable)
  • Take your own time. (uncountable)
  • Have a good time. (countable)

Plural uncountable nouns

Some uncountable nouns are plural. They have no singular forms with the same meaning, and cannot be used with numbers. Examples are: trousers, jeans, pyjamas, pants, scissors, spectacles, glasses, arms, goods, customs, groceries, clothes and thanks

  • Have you bought the groceries?
  • Many thanks for your help.

Other plural uncountable nouns include the expressions the British, the Dutch, the English, the French, the Irish, the Spanish and the Welsh.

Countable and uncountable nouns exercise

Underline the nouns and state whether they are countable or uncountable.

1. I have bought some chairs.

2. Have we got enough nails?

3. How much money do you earn?

4. Rice is the staple food of South Indians.

5. She likes to give advice.

6. The grass is always greener on the other side.

7. Please visit our website for more information.

8. How many hours do you work?

9. We have not made any progress so far.

10. She attributed her success to luck.

1. I have bought some chairs . (Chairs - countable)

2. Have we got enough nails ?(Nails - countable)

3. How much money do you earn? (Money - uncountable)

4. Rice is the staple food of South Indians . (Rice - uncountable; food - uncountable; Indians - countable)

5. She likes to give advice . (Advice - uncountable)

6. The grass is always greener on the other side . (Grass - uncountable)

7. Please visit our website for more information (Website - countable; information - uncountable).

8. How many hours do you work? (Hours - countable)

9. We have not made any progress so far. (Progress - uncountable)

10. She attributed her success to luck . (Success - uncountable; luck - uncountable)

The nouns food and success can be countable and uncountable. Food is uncountable when we are talking about food in general.

I ate a lot of food . We cannot survive without food .

It is countable when we are talking about the different types of foods.

Fatty foods do not agree with me.

Success also has both countable and uncountable use.

Nothing succeeds like success . (Here we are talking about success in general and hence it is uncountable.) His latest movie was a commercial success . (Here success is used as a countable noun and takes the article 'a' with it.)

Sections in this article

Countable and uncountable nouns Common uncountable nouns Countable and uncountable nouns exercise

Tenses exercises and worksheets

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English EFL

Countable and uncountable nouns.

It's important to distinguish between countable and uncountable nouns in English because their usage is different in regards to both determiners and verbs.

COUNTABLE NOUNS

Countable nouns are for things we can count using numbers. They have a singular and a plural form. The singular form can use the determiner "a" or "an". If you want to ask about the quantity of a countable noun, you ask "How many?" combined with the plural countable noun.

  • She has  three dogs .
  • I own  a house .
  • I would like  two books  please.
  • How many friends  do you have?

UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

Uncountable nouns are for the things that we cannot count with numbers. They may be the names for abstract ideas or qualities or for physical objects that are too small or too amorphous to be counted (liquids, powders, gases, etc.). Uncountable nouns are used with a singular verb. They usually do not have a plural form.

We cannot use  a/an  with these nouns. To express a quantity of an uncountable noun, use a word or expression like  some, a lot of, much, a bit of, a great deal of  , or else use an exact measurement like  a cup of, a bag of, 1kg of, 1L of, a handful of, a pinch of, an hour of, a day of . If you want to ask about the quantity of an uncountable noun, you ask "How much?"

  • There has been  a lot of research  into the causes of this disease.
  • He gave me  a great deal of advice  before my interview.
  • Can you give me  some information  about uncountable nouns?
  • He did not have  much sugar  left.
  • Measure  1 cup of water, 300g of flour, and 1 teaspoon of salt .
  • How much rice do you want?

TRICKY SPOTS

Some nouns are countable in other languages but uncountable in English. They must follow the rules for uncountable nouns. The most common ones are: accommodation, advice, baggage, behavior, bread, furniture, information, luggage, news, progress, traffic, travel, trouble, weather, work

  • I would like to give you  some advice .
  • How much bread  should I bring?
  • I didn't make  much progress  today.
  • This looks like  a lot of trouble  to me.
  • We did  an hour of work  yesterday.

Be careful with the noun  hair  which is normally uncountable in English, so it is not used in the plural. It can be countable only when referring to individual hairs.

  • She has long blond hair.
  • The child's hair was curly.
  • I washed my hair yesterday.
  • My father is getting a few grey hairs now. (refers to individual hairs)
  • I found a hair in my soup! (refers to a single strand of hair)

Course Curriculum

  • NOUN GENDER 15 mins
  • Singular and Plural Nouns 25 mins
  • Countable and Uncountable nouns 30 mins
  • Compound Nouns 25 mins
  • Capitalisation Rules 25 mins
  • Nationalities 30 mins

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Nouns: countable and uncountable

Countable nouns.

Some nouns refer to things which, in English, are treated as separate items which can be counted. These are called countable nouns. Here are some examples:

a car , three cars
my cousin , my two cousins
a book , a box full of books
a city , several big cities

Singular and plural

Countable nouns can be singular or plural. They can be used with a/an and with numbers and many other determiners (e.g. these, a few ):

She’s got two sisters and a younger brother .
Most people buy things like cameras and MP3-players online these days .
These shoes look old now.
I’ll take a few magazines with me for the flight .

Determiners ( the, my , some , this )

Singular and plural nouns

Uncountable nouns

In English grammar, some things are seen as a whole or mass. These are called uncountable nouns, because they cannot be separated or counted.

Some examples of uncountable nouns are:

Ideas and experiences: advice, information, progress, news, luck, fun, work

Materials and substances: water, rice, cement, gold, milk

Weather words: weather, thunder, lightning, rain, snow

Names for groups or collections of things: furniture, equipment, rubbish, luggage

Other common uncountable nouns include: accommodation, baggage, homework, knowledge, money, permission, research, traffic, travel .

These nouns are not used with a/an or numbers and are not used in the plural.

We’re going to get new furniture for the living room.
Not: We’re going to get a new furniture for the living room . or We’re going to get new furnitures for the living room .
We had terrible weather last week.
Not: We had a terrible weather last week .
We need rice next time we go shopping.

Some nouns always have plural form but they are uncountable because we cannot use numbers with them.

I bought two pairs of trousers .
Not: I bought two trousers .

Other nouns of this type are: shorts, pants, pyjamas, glasses (for the eyes), binoculars, scissors .

Some nouns which are uncountable in English are countable in other languages (e.g. accommodation, advice, furniture, information ):

They can give you some information about accommodation at the tourist office.
Not: They can give you some informations about accommodations at the tourist office .
Can you give me some advice about buying a second-hand car?
Not: Can you give me some advices about buying a second-hand car?

A good learner’s dictionary will tell you whether a noun is countable or uncountable.

Quantity expressions ( a bit/piece )

To refer to one or more quantities of an uncountable noun , expressions such as a bit of, a piece of , an item of or words for containers and measures must be used:

He bought a very expensive piece of furniture for his new apartment.
Maggie always has some exciting bits of news when she comes to see us.
I think we’ll need five bags of cement for the patio.
There’s a litre of milk in the fridge for you. And I bought you a bar of chocolate .

Determiners ( my, some, the )

Uncountable nouns can be used with certain determiners (e.g. my, her , some, any , no , the, this, that ) and expressions of quantity (e.g. a lot of, (a) little ):

They gave me some information about courses and scholarships and things.
Have you heard the news ? Fran’s getting engaged.
She’s been studying hard and has made a lot of progress .
There’s no work to do here, so you can go home if you like.
This milk ’s a bit old, I’m afraid.

Countable phrases for uncountable nouns

We can sometimes use countable noun phrases to talk about an individual example of the thing an uncountable noun refers to.

Finding a place to live is difficult if you’re a student and you’ve got no money. (or Finding accommodation … )
Not: Finding an accommodation …
She brought two big suitcases and a rucksack with her.
Not: She brought two big luggages …
I read a poem once about someone riding a horse at night.
Not: I read a poetry …
We went on a trip to the Amazon when we were in Brazil.
Not: We went on a travel …

Countable and uncountable nouns with different meanings

Some nouns can be used either countably or uncountably, but with different meanings.

Uncountable nouns used countably

Measures and examples.

Sometimes uncountable nouns are used countably, to mean ‘a measure of something’ or ‘a type or example of something’:

Can I have two teas and one coffee , please? (two cups of tea and one cup of coffee …?)
A: How many sugars do you want in your tea? (How many spoonfuls/lumps of sugar?) B: Just one, please .
To some degree we tend to eat the foods that we ate as children. (i.e. types of food)

Abstract nouns

Some abstract nouns can be used uncountably or countably. The uncountable use has a more general meaning. The countable use has a more particular meaning.

Nouns of this type include: education, experience, hatred, help, knowledge, life, love, sleep, time, understanding .

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IMAGES

  1. Countable and uncountable noun

    is journey countable or uncountable

  2. Countable and Uncountable Nouns: Useful Rules & Examples

    is journey countable or uncountable

  3. 0shares Learn how to identify nouns that can be countable or

    is journey countable or uncountable

  4. Countable and uncountable nouns online exercise for Grade 5

    is journey countable or uncountable

  5. Countable or uncountable: English ESL worksheets pdf & doc

    is journey countable or uncountable

  6. Countable and Uncountable Nouns in English Grammar

    is journey countable or uncountable

VIDEO

  1. June's Journey TIME RUSH COMPETITION, 11/12 December 2023 updates

  2. Journey Drama Takes a Surprising Turn

  3. Countable and Uncountable Nouns

  4. Journeys

  5. Learn countable/uncountable in 2 minute

  6. តើ Countable Nouns and Uncountable Nouns ជាអ្វី?

COMMENTS

  1. difference

    1) The travel was too dangerous to take it on my own. -> Here travel is not general. "Travel" here refers to a concrete journey, that is in the mind of the speaker. -> Here travel is not uncountable. -> Before of the discovery of this sentence in my course I would have used "journey" in this sentence. 2) Her second travel around the world took ...

  2. journey

    journey meaning, definition, what is journey: an occasion when you travel from one pla...: Learn more. ... From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English journey jour‧ney 1 / ˈdʒɜːni $ -ɜːr-/ S3 W2 noun [countable] ... [uncountable] the general activity ...

  3. Nouns: countable and uncountable

    Nouns: countable and uncountable - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary

  4. Journey Definition & Meaning

    journey: [noun] something suggesting travel or passage from one place to another.

  5. What's the plural of journey?

    Is Journey a Countable or Uncountable Noun? The word "journey" is considered a countable noun. Countable nouns are objects or entities that can be counted as separate units or individuals. Each journey represents a distinct travel experience or specific trip, and its plural form "journeys" reflects this countability.

  6. JOURNEY definition and meaning

    3 meanings: 1. a travelling from one place to another; trip or voyage 2. a. the distance travelled in a journey b. the time.... Click for more definitions.

  7. Travel, Trip and Journey (countable and uncountable nouns)

    We travel from place to place and sometimes it's a noun - an uncountable noun. When we're talking about a specific piece of travelling, we use journey and trip. Journeys are often longer than trips. Also journey is just the travelling and trip is the travelling and everything that happens on the way. And that's it.

  8. Uncountable Nouns

    journey: travel: job: work: view: scenery: 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 ...

  9. Countable and Uncountable Nouns in English

    Nouns in English grammar can be either countable or uncountable. Countable nouns refer to individual things and we can use them in the singular or plural (e.g. coin/coins ). Most nouns in the English language are countable. Uncountable nouns, also known as mass nouns, refer to things we consider a whole or mass and cannot be counted (e.g. money ).

  10. Countable and Uncountable Nouns for Beginners

    Objects, ideas, and places can all be nouns. Every noun is either countable or uncountable. Countable nouns are nouns you can count, and uncountable nouns are nouns you can't count. Countable nouns can take the singular or the plural form of a verb. Uncountable nouns always take the singular form of the verb. Study the rules and examples below.

  11. Do I Use 'Travel' or 'Journey'?

    Unlike 'travel', 'journey' is a countable noun and can be preceded by the singular indefinite article 'a'. 'Life is a journey not a destination' is a common adage. It is important to note that the plural form of journey is written as 'journeys' and not 'journies'. The video below summarizes how to use these words correctly.

  12. Countable vs. Uncountable Nouns

    Uncountable nouns are not counted in English. This usually has to do with the way English speakers think of these nouns. We often picture these nouns as a single concept or one big thing which is hard to divide. Many of these words are countable in other languages, but they ARE NOT countable in English. Generally, we do not use plural forms of ...

  13. What Are Countable and Uncountable Nouns?

    Countable nouns are ones which we can count. This means we can assign a number to them or otherwise quantify them. A noun that can be described in separate or plural terms is countable, for example a book or two books. Uncountable nouns are ones which we cannot count. They do not have a plural and cannot be described with numbers or as separate.

  14. Rules for countable and uncountable nouns (with examples)

    A countable noun (also called a count noun) is a noun naming something that can be counted using standard numbers. Countable nouns usually have singular and plural forms. Examples of countable nouns include chair, table, rabbit, page, part, and lemon. So, we can have one chair, five tables, ten rabbits, twenty-three lemons, and three hundred pages.

  15. Countable and uncountable nouns

    Countable or uncountable. Sometimes it is not easy to see whether a noun is countable or uncountable. For instance, travel is normally uncountable, while journey is countable. It is impossible to give complete details. The following rules, however, should help. Illnesses. The names of illnesses are usually uncountable in English.

  16. Countable and Uncountable Nouns: Explanation and Examples

    What Are Countable Nouns? Countable nouns (also known as count nouns) differ from uncountable nouns in that they: can be counted, can be preceded with the articles "a," or "an," or a number, and usually have singular and plural forms.. Sloane was looking for a jacket.An apple a day keeps the doctor away.I read ten books this past summer.There were a total of 15 doctors at the national ...

  17. Countable and uncountable nouns

    Uncountable nouns are for the things that we cannot count with numbers. They may be the names for abstract ideas or qualities or for physical objects that are too small or too amorphous to be counted (liquids, powders, gases, etc.). Uncountable nouns are used with a singular verb. They usually do not have a plural form.

  18. How to Tell if a Noun is Countable or Uncountable

    Uncountable: Some vegetation has started to grow over the study site. Countable: Some desserts can be very healthy. Uncountable: After 5 minutes most of the calcium carbonate should be dissolved. Countable: Most of the chemicals are not easy to obtain. However, there are certain terms that can only be used with either uncountable or countable ...

  19. Countable and Uncountable Nouns: Useful Rules & Examples

    For instance, using "few" or "many" is appropriate for countable nouns, while "little" or "much" is suitable for uncountable nouns. Some quantifiers, like "some" and "any," can be applied to both categories. Examples: Countable: a few books, many students. Uncountable: a little sugar, much water.

  20. "travel"

    Mar 8, 2012. #1. Let me tell you what I think and then I would like somebody to correct me. "Travel" is uncountable. Of course, there is a plural form known as "travels", but that doesn't mean that we can divide those "travels" into several separate ones, because there is no such thing as "a travel". "Travel" means travelling in general.

  21. Nouns: countable and uncountable

    Nouns: countable and uncountable - gramática inglés y uso de palabras en "English Grammar Today" - Cambridge University Press