Uncountable nouns and their countable equivalents (general/particular pairs)

Uncountable nouns and their countable equivalents (general/particular pairs)

Uncountable Countable

1. accommodation a place to live (not an accommodation)

2. baggage a piece/item of baggage; a case/trunk/bag

3. bread a piece/slice/loaf of bread; a loaf; a roll

4. chess a game of chess

5. chewing gum a piece of chewing gum (not a chewing gum)

6. equipment a piece of equipment; a tool, etc.

7. furniture a piece/article of furniture; a table; a chair, etc.

8. information a piece of information

9. knowledge a fact

10. lightning a flash of lightning

11. luck a piece/bit/stroke of luck

12. luggage a piece/item of luggage; a case/trunk/bag

13. money a note; a coin; a sum

14. news a piece of news

15. permission a permit

16. poetry a poem

17. progress a step forward; an advance

18. publicity an advertisement

19. research a piece of research; an experiment

20. rubbish a piece of rubbish

21. slang a slang word/expression

22. thunder a clap of thunder

23. traffic cars, etc.

24. vocabulary a word/expression

25. work a job; a piece of work

26. clothing a garment

27. laughter a laugh

Words to express a big or small piece of the item

Bar of soap/chocolate/metal/gold sheet of paper/glass/steel

Cube of sugar/ice strip of cloth/paper

Dollop of jam/honey/mashed potatoes slip of paper/wage slip

Grain of sand/rice pane of glass

Hunk of cheese/bread/meat blade of grass

Pinch of salt flight of stairs

Rasher of bacon/ham head of hair

Slice of bread/ham/pizza set of cutlery

Speck of dust/dirt

Squeeze of lemon/lime

Wad of banknotes/cash/bubble gum/dollar bills

Chunk of plaster/bread

Lump of coal/rock

Flakes of snow/skin/dandruff

Fleck of paint/mud/dust/dirt

Crumbs of bread/cake

Bundle of banknotes/twigs

Bunch of flowers/keys/grapes

Sheaf of papers/notes

Block of ice/wood/stone

Slab of concrete/marble/stone/meat

Singularia Tantum nouns (single invariable nouns)

advice fun music violence

assistance

applause fives mumps weather

anger generosity news

gossip ninepins

behaviour harm nonsense

billiards hair photography

bowls health parking

camping homework pay

cash housework poetry

chaos housing pollution

checkers hospitability produce

conduct information progress

courage importance publicity

creeps interest refuse

cutlery jewellery resistance

dancing knowledge rickets

darts leisure safety

debris litter scenery

dirt luck shopping

dominoes machinery shingles

draughts measles sightseeing

education German measles smoking

employment money sunshine

equipment moonlight transport

evidence mud underwear

Words ending in –s which do not change in the plural

barracks species means innings gasworks

series headquarters Swiss kennels golf-links

crossroads works (=factory) bellows gallows

Pluralia Tantum nouns (plural invariable nouns)

clothes Pair objects nouns

data glasses

goods spectacles

earnings trousers

stairs pants

thanks jeans

valuables shorts

outskirts pantyhose

proceeds tights

belongings pyjamas (BE)/pajamas (AE)

congratulations braces (BE)/suspenders (AE)

troops binoculars

cattle scissors

clergy compasses

police tongs

remains tweezers

customs shears

groceries breeches

arms trunks

contents knickers

funds scales

manners pliers

The Middle Ages drawers

oats pincers

odds

premises

regards

savings

surroundings

staff

crew

media

amends

annals

archives

arrears

ashes

auspices

banns (of marriage)

bowels

credentials

dregs

lodgings = quarters

shortcomings

Nouns with different singular and plural meanings

[C] countable meaning; [U] uncountable meaning	Always plural
air	[U] воздух, настроение	airs	важничанье
arm	[C] рука	arms	оружие
ash	[C] пепел	ashes	прах, останки
accommodation	[U] соглашение, местожительство	accommodations	местожительство (AE)
brain	[C] ум, рассудок, мозг	brains	умственные способности
content	[U] суть	contents	содержание, содержимое
competition	[U] конкуренция, конкуренты	competitions	соревнования
custom	[C] обычай, привычка	customs	таможня, таможенные пошлины
damage	[U] повреждение, ущерб	damages	стоимость убытков
glass	[U] стекло, предметы из стекла [C] стакан, зеркало(old- fashioned)	glasses	очки
grammar	[U] грамматика (свод правил)	grammars	учебники по грамматике
hair	[U] волосы; [C] волосок	hairs	волоски
iron	[U] железо [C] утюг, клюшка для гольфа из металла	irons	кандалы
jam	[U]/[C] джем и его виды [C] автомобильная пробка, трудная ситуация	jams	громко играть рок музыку
lace	[U] кружево	laces	шнурки
look	[C] взгляд	looks	наружность
manner	[C] способ, манера	manners	поведение, манеры
minute	[C] минута	minutes	протокол (собрания)
pain	[C] боль, муки	pains	старания, труды, усилия
paper
premise	[C] предпосылка	premises	помещение с участком вокруг него, территория
property	[U] собственность [U]/[C] отдельное здание, участок земли	properties	качества, свойства
room	[U] пространство, место, возможность [C] комната,	rooms	апартаменты (из 2-х и более комнат)
saving	[U] спасение, экономия	savings	сбережения
sight	[U] зрение (способность видеть), взгляд [C] предметы, которые можно видеть	sights	виды, достопримечательности; прицел (у винтовки)
speech	[U] речь (способность говорить), разговорный язык, манера речи [C] речь (доклад), слова (реплики)	speeches
time	[U] время, отрезок времени, время для чего-то; [C] случай, раз, определенный период в истории, время соревнования (результат)	times	определенный период в истории
work	[U] работа; [C]произведение искусства	works	механизм часов, фабрика
acoustics	[U] названия наук	acoustics	качество звучания
economics	economics	экономические факторы
statistics	statistics	статистические данные

Collective nouns (the choice is based on a difference in attitude)

army crowd herd the elite the Vatican orchestra

clan family majority the gentry bank party

class flock minority the laity the BBC school

club gang the aristocracy the public choir staff

committee government the bourgeoisie the Congress firm team

group jury the clergy Parliament ministry union

generation university IBM department company electorate enemy community population public college

Nouns which are uncountable when talking about general ideas and countable when

1 recognized containers for things

2 a type, brand or make of thing

3. a particular example of a physical or concrete thing

4 a particular instance of a substance or an idea: stone – a stone; sport- a sport

Beer cake space dislike success

coffee chicken stone fear protest

water land abuse improvement thought

fruit noise business language war

shampoo rain conversation life

toothpaste snow difficulty pain

washing powder sound (dis)agreement pleasure

Дата добавления: 2015-11-04