To go out in all weathers

 

A. Uncountable have only one form. They cannot be used in plural. Some nouns which are uncountable in English have plurals in Russian language:

 

advice совет / советы

news новость / новости

progress успех / успехи

research исследование / исследования

knowledge знание / знания

B. When an uncountable noun is the subject of a verb, it takes a singular verb:

e.g. Electricity is dangerous.

Food was very expensive in those days.

The news from Michigan was sad.

C. Uncountable nouns are not used with indefinite article (a/an) and numbers. But we can use the pronouns some and any.

e.g. My father started work when he was ten.

You don’t have to pay extra money.

Is there any news?

Will you have some tea?

D. Uncountable nouns are often used with expressions such as ‘ a piece of’, ‘a loaf of’, ‘packets of’ to talk about a quantity or an item. ‘ A bit of ’is very common in spoken English.

Here are some other examples to show a quantity or an item:

a slice of bacon a piece of coal

a slice of cake a lump of coal

a piece of bread a piece of sugar

a loaf of bread a lump of sugar

a piece of chalk a piece of ice

a stick of chalk a block of ice

a piece of chocolate a piece pf land

a bar of chocolate a strip of land

a piece of paper a blade of grass

a sheet of paper a grain of rice

a pile of rubbish a piece of advice

a heap of rubbish a word of advice

a piece of information a fit of passion

an item of information a piece of research

a piece of furniture

an article of furniture

E. Some nouns are uncountable nouns when they refer to something in general and count nouns when they refer to a particular instance of something:

e.g. Victory was now assured. (uncountable)

In 1960, the party won a convincing victory. (countable)

Basic knowledge

Knowledge is very important in our life. (uncountable)

You have a fairly good knowledge of the subject. (count)

 

 

Exercises

Ex.1. If possible give the plural of:

accommodation brief scarf

baby chill sheaf

wife rubbish donkey

piano knife fly

glass brash permission

 

Ex.2. If possible give the plural of:

information foot hobby

calf photo luck

ghetto brother sheep

volcano kilo kiss

ox kangaroo wharf

 

Ex.3. Form sentences with the following nouns. Where possible use the plural forms of the nouns:

proof breath die

lily elk oath

echo dynamo progress

leisure despair mouse

goose Roman hoof

folio carp mud

tomato woman valley

German boy chief

salmon child handkerchief

veto youth

 

Ex.4. Form sentences with the following nouns. Where possible use the plural forms of the nouns:

lady day mouth

wolf zoo thief

loaf man desk

country Eskimo life

china tooth equipment

Ex.5. Form negative sentences with the following nouns. Where possible use the plural form of the nouns:

self behaviour radio

cargo leaf potato

deer Englishman casino

courage Chinese louse

path Negro studio

John armchair police

sister-in-law solo embargo

folk pullover snowman

Governor General schoolmaster looker-on

armful going-on boy-friend

area circus arena

stand-by assistant director

 

Ex.6. If possible give the plural of the following nouns:

maid-servant fountain-pen step-mother

Lieutenant-governor fellow traveler man-of-war

literature woman hater buffalo

pick-me-up sit-in forget-me-not

 

Ex.7. Form interrogative sentences with the following nouns. Where possible use the plural forms of the nouns:

runner-up elephant

still-life take-off

good-for- nothing Major General

Japanese music

 

Ex.8. Form interrogative sentences with the following nouns. Where possible use the plural forms of the nouns:

grant-in-aid poetry weather

mouthful virtuoso occasion

Sergeant-Major archipelago gentry