Countable & Uncountable 2 | Unit 70 | PrepMyEnglish

Unit 70 · Grammar Lesson

Unité 70 · Leçon de Grammaire

Countable and Uncountable Nouns 2
Dual-use nouns · Always-uncountable · travel vs trip — Complete Guide Noms Dénombrables et Indénombrables 2
Noms à double emploi · Toujours indénombrables · travel vs trip — Guide Complet

Master nouns that can be both countable and uncountable with different meanings (noise/a noise, paper/a paper), plus always-uncountable nouns like advice, furniture, luggage, news.

Maîtrisez les noms qui peuvent être dénombrables et indénombrables selon le sens, ainsi que les noms toujours indénombrables comme advice, furniture, luggage, news.

B1 – B2 2 Rules · 4 Exercises · 200-Q Quiz · PDF 2 Règles · 4 Exercices · Quiz 200 Q · PDF 🇬🇧 EN / 🇫🇷 FR

Some nouns are sometimes countable, sometimes uncountable — the meaning changes. For example, noise (uncountable = noise in general) vs a noise (countable = a specific sound). Other nouns are always uncountable in English even when their equivalents in other languages are countable: advice, furniture, luggage, news, information, work…

Certains noms sont parfois dénombrables, parfois indénombrables — le sens change. D’autres noms sont toujours indénombrables en anglais même si leurs équivalents dans d’autres langues sont dénombrables : advice, furniture, luggage, news, information, work…

Nouns That Can Be Both — Meaning Changes Everything

Noms à Double Emploi — Le Sens Change Tout

Many nouns are sometimes countable, sometimes uncountable — but the meaning is different. Compare each pair carefully.

Beaucoup de noms sont parfois dénombrables, parfois indénombrables — mais le sens est différent. Comparez chaque paire attentivement.

Countable meaning

Sens dénombrable

Did you hear a noise just now? (a specific sound)

I bought a paper to read. (a newspaper)

There’s a hair in my soup! (one single strand)

This is a nice room. (a room in a house)

I had some interesting experiences. (things that happened)

Have a great time! (a specific occasion)

Uncountable meaning

Sens indénombrable

There’s too much noise in here. (noise in general)

I need some paper to write on. (writing material)

You’ve got very long hair. (all the hair on your head)

You can’t sit here — there isn’t room. (space)

I got the job because I had experience. (professional skill)

I can’t wait — I don’t have time. (time in general)

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Coffee, tea, beer…Coffee, tea, beer… : Drinks are normally uncountable (I don’t like coffee), but in a café you can say two coffees (= two cups): Two coffees and an orange juice, please. Les boissons sont normalement indénombrables, mais au café on peut dire two coffees (= deux tasses).

Always-Uncountable Nouns — No a/an, No Plural

Noms Toujours Indénombrables — Pas d’a/an, Pas de Pluriel

These nouns are always uncountable in standard English. Never use a/an with them, and never make them plural.

Ces noms sont toujours indénombrables en anglais standard. N’utilisez jamais a/an avec eux et ne les mettez jamais au pluriel.

Always uncountable	✓ Correct	✗ Wrong
Toujours indénombrable	✓ Correct	✗ Incorrect
accommodation	some accommodation	~~an accommodation~~
advice	some advice / a piece of advice	~~an advice / advices~~
baggage / luggage	some luggage / a lot of baggage	~~a luggage / luggages~~
behaviour	good behaviour	~~a good behaviour~~
damage	a lot of damage	~~a damage / damages~~
furniture	some furniture / a piece of furniture	~~a furniture / furnitures~~
information	some information / a piece of information	~~an information / informations~~
luck	good luck	~~a luck / lucks~~
news	the news was unexpected (singular verb!)	~~the news were~~
permission	ask for permission	~~ask for a permission~~
progress	make good progress	~~make a progress / progresses~~
scenery	beautiful scenery	~~a beautiful scenery~~
traffic	a lot of traffic / heavy traffic	~~a traffic / traffics~~
weather	nice weather	~~a nice weather~~
work	looking for work	~~looking for a work~~

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Travel vs trip/journey:Travel vs trip/journey : Travel (noun) means travelling in general and is uncountable — never say a travel. For a specific journey, use a trip or a journey: ✓ They spend a lot of money on travel. ✓ We had a very good trip/journey. Travel (nom) = voyager en général (indénombrable) — ne dites jamais a travel. Pour un voyage spécifique, utilisez a trip ou a journey.

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Compare: countable vs uncountable pairs:Comparez — paires dénombrable / indénombrable : job ↔ work · view ↔ scenery · bag ↔ baggage · chair ↔ furniture · suggestion ↔ advice · car ↔ traffic · day ↔ weather job ↔ work · view ↔ scenery · bag ↔ baggage · chair ↔ furniture · suggestion ↔ advice · car ↔ traffic · day ↔ weather

EX 1

Which is correct — a/an or no article?

Lequel est correct — a/an ou pas d’article ?

Type the correct option.

The engine is making What is it?The engine is making What is it?

We live near a busy road so there’s .We live near a busy road so there’s .

I was in a hurry. I didn’t have for breakfast.I was in a hurry. I didn’t have for breakfast.

We really enjoyed our holiday. We had .We really enjoyed our holiday. We had .

We stayed at a hotel. We had .We stayed at a hotel. We had .

We have a big garage. There’s for two cars.We have a big garage. There’s for two cars.

Answers: 1. a strange noise · 2. a lot of noise · 3. time · 4. a great time · 5. a very nice room · 6. room (= space)

EX 2

Choose the correct option for each sentence.

Choisissez la bonne option pour chaque phrase.

Write the correct word or phrase.

Did you have when you were away?Did you have when you were away?

Our from Paris to Moscow took two days.Our from Paris to Moscow took two days.

Bad news make people happy.Bad news make people happy.

There’s some lovely in this part of the country.There’s some lovely in this part of the country.

The trip took a long time. There was heavy .The trip took a long time. There was heavy .

Your is too long. You should have it cut.Your is too long. You should have it cut.

Answers: 1. nice weather · 2. journey · 3. doesn’t · 4. scenery · 5. traffic · 6. hair

EX 3

Complete with the correct word. Add plural (-s) where necessary.

Complétez avec le bon mot. Ajoutez le pluriel (-s) si nécessaire.

advice · chair · damage · experience · furniture · hair · luggage · permission · progress

We didn’t have much — just two small bags.

We have no , not even a bed or a table.

There is room for everyone. There are plenty of .

Who is that woman with short ?

Carla’s English is better than it was. She’s made good .

If you want to take pictures here, you need to ask for .

I didn’t know what to do, so I asked for .

Kate has done many interesting things. She could write a book about her .

The caused by the storm will cost a lot to repair.

Answers: 1. luggage · 2. furniture · 3. chairs · 4. hair · 5. progress · 6. permission · 7. advice · 8. experiences · 9. damage

EX 4

What would you say? Use the word in brackets.

Que diriez-vous ? Utilisez le mot entre parenthèses.

Your friends arrive with no bags. (luggage) Do you have any ?

You want to know about places to visit. (information) I’d like some .

You want your teacher to advise you. (advice) Can you give me some ?

You got the job! (good news) Hi Tom. I have some . I got the job!

You’re at the top of a mountain. The view is stunning. (scenery) What beautiful !

Answers: 1. luggage · 2. information · 3. advice · 4. good news · 5. scenery

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions fréquentes

Why does “news” take a singular verb?Pourquoi “news” prend-il un verbe singulier ?

News is uncountable — it looks plural because it ends in -s, but takes a singular verb: The news was unexpected. Never say the news were.

News est indénombrable : The news was unexpected. Ne dites jamais the news were.

What’s the difference between “travel” and “a trip”?Quelle est la différence entre “travel” et “a trip” ?

Travel (noun, uncountable) = travelling in general. Never say a travel. For a specific journey: a trip or a journey. ✓ They spend a lot on travel. ✓ We had a great trip.

Travel (indénombrable) = le voyage en général. Ne dites jamais a travel. Pour un voyage spécifique : a trip ou a journey.

Can I say “a furniture” or “furnitures”?Peut-on dire “a furniture” ou “furnitures” ?

No. Furniture is always uncountable — no a/an, no plural. ✓ some furniture · ✓ a piece of furniture. Same for luggage, accommodation, advice, information, progress, damage, scenery, weather.

Non. Furniture est toujours indénombrable. ✓ some furniture · ✓ a piece of furniture.

What is the difference between “experience” and “an experience”?Quelle est la différence entre “experience” et “an experience” ?

Experience (uncountable) = professional knowledge/skill: I got the job because I have a lot of experience. An experience / experiences (countable) = a specific thing that happened: I had some interesting experiences while travelling.

Experience (indénombrable) = compétence professionnelle. An experience / experiences (dénombrable) = quelque chose de spécifique qui vous est arrivé.

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Countable & Uncountable 2 — Quiz

Quiz — Dénombrables & Indénombrables 2

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Countable and Uncountable Nouns 2
Dual-use nouns · Always-uncountable · travel vs trip — Complete Guide Noms Dénombrables et Indénombrables 2
Noms à double emploi · Toujours indénombrables · travel vs trip — Guide Complet

Nouns That Can Be Both — Meaning Changes Everything

Noms à Double Emploi — Le Sens Change Tout

Countable meaning

Sens dénombrable

Uncountable meaning

Sens indénombrable

Always-Uncountable Nouns — No a/an, No Plural

Noms Toujours Indénombrables — Pas d’a/an, Pas de Pluriel

Countable & Uncountable 2 — ExercisesDénombrables & Indénombrables 2 — Exercices

Which is correct — a/an or no article?

Lequel est correct — a/an ou pas d’article ?

Choose the correct option for each sentence.

Choisissez la bonne option pour chaque phrase.

Complete with the correct word. Add plural (-s) where necessary.

Complétez avec le bon mot. Ajoutez le pluriel (-s) si nécessaire.

What would you say? Use the word in brackets.

Que diriez-vous ? Utilisez le mot entre parenthèses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions fréquentes

Countable & Uncountable 2 — Quiz

Dénombrables & Indénombrables 2 — Quiz

⚙️ Quiz SettingsParamètres

Countable & Uncountable 2 — Quiz

Quiz — Dénombrables & Indénombrables 2

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Evènements

Countable and Uncountable Nouns 2Dual-use nouns · Always-uncountable · travel vs trip — Complete Guide Noms Dénombrables et Indénombrables 2Noms à double emploi · Toujours indénombrables · travel vs trip — Guide Complet

Nouns That Can Be Both — Meaning Changes Everything

Noms à Double Emploi — Le Sens Change Tout

Countable meaning

Sens dénombrable

Uncountable meaning

Sens indénombrable

Always-Uncountable Nouns — No a/an, No Plural

Noms Toujours Indénombrables — Pas d’a/an, Pas de Pluriel

Countable & Uncountable 2 — ExercisesDénombrables & Indénombrables 2 — Exercices

Which is correct — a/an or no article?

Lequel est correct — a/an ou pas d’article ?

Choose the correct option for each sentence.

Choisissez la bonne option pour chaque phrase.

Complete with the correct word. Add plural (-s) where necessary.

Complétez avec le bon mot. Ajoutez le pluriel (-s) si nécessaire.

What would you say? Use the word in brackets.

Que diriez-vous ? Utilisez le mot entre parenthèses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions fréquentes

Countable & Uncountable 2 — Quiz

Dénombrables & Indénombrables 2 — Quiz

⚙️ Quiz SettingsParamètres

Countable & Uncountable 2 — Quiz

Quiz — Dénombrables & Indénombrables 2

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Exam Preparation Courses

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Countable and Uncountable Nouns 2
Dual-use nouns · Always-uncountable · travel vs trip — Complete Guide Noms Dénombrables et Indénombrables 2
Noms à double emploi · Toujours indénombrables · travel vs trip — Guide Complet