What is the difference between count and noncount nouns

Test Your Knowledge ». Learn More ». The Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary. Online access to a legendary resource Log In or Sign Up ». Merriam-Webster's Visual Dictionaries. The new edition of the remarkable reference features 8, illustrations. Join Us. Learner's Dictionary on Twitter ». Learner's Dictionary on Facebook ». Bookstore: Digital and Print. Such nouns can take either singular or plural form.

There are many Greeks living in New York. The Vanderbilts would throw lavish parties at their Newport summer mansion. Uncountable nouns refer to things that we cannot count. Such nouns take only singular form. The price of freedom is constant vigilance. Her writing shows maturity and intelligence. While uncountable nouns do not generally take a plural form, sometimes they may be pluralized when used in a countable sense.

The difference between the uncountable and countable meanings of nouns that are used in either sense can be seen in the following chart:. A countable noun always takes either the indefinite a, an or definite the article when it is singular. When plural, it takes the definite article if it refers to a definite, specific group and no article if it is used in a general sense. The guest of honor arrived late. You are welcome as a guest in our home.

The guests at your party yesterday made a lot of noise. Guests are welcome here anytime. Uncountable nouns never take the indefinite article a or an , but they do take singular verbs. The is sometimes used with uncountable nouns in the same way it is used with plural countable nouns, that is, to refer to a specific object, group, or idea.

Information is a precious commodity in our computerized world. The information in your files is correct. Sugar has become more expensive recently. Please pass me the sugar. There are some cookies in the jar. How much money will we need? In a sense, a non-count noun cannot be counted. Count noun meaning : Count nouns, sometimes called countable nouns, have both singular and plural forms. For example,. Non-count noun meaning: Non-count nouns, sometimes called uncountable nouns, do not have a plural form and they generally fit into particular categories.

A good example of a non-count noun is something that we pay attention to almost every day of our lives: the weather. There is no plural form of weather.