Countable and uncountable

•    I eat a banana every day.

•    I like bananas.

•               I eat rice every day.

•               I like rice.

A countable noun can be singular (banana) or plural (bananas).
We can use numbers with countable nouns.

So we can say one banana, two bananas
etc.

An uncountable noun has only one form (rice). There is no plural.
We cannot use numbers with uncountable nouns.

We cannot say ‘one rice’, ‘two rice etc.

•     Kate was singing a song.

• Kate was listening to music.

•    There’s a nice beach near here.

• There’s sand in my shoes.

•    Do you have a ten-pound note?

• Do you have any money?

•    It wasn’t your fault. It was an accident.

• It wasn’t your fault. It was bad luck.

•   We don’t have enough cups

• There is no electricity in this house.

•     There are no batteries in the radio.

• We don’t have enough water.

You can use a/an with singular countable nouns:

      a beach          a student     an umbrella

 We do not use a/an with uncountable nouns.
 We do not say ‘a sand’, ‘a music’, ‘a rice’.

 But you can often use a … of. For example:
         a bowl  / a packet /  a grain of rice

• Do you want a banana?
  (not want banana)

• I eat rice every day.

• There’s been an accident.
   (not There’s been accident)

• There’s blood on your shirt.
• Can you hear music? 

    You can use plural countable nouns alone:

• I like bananas. (= bananas in general)

• Accidents can be prevented.

• We sang some songs.

• We listened to some music.

• Did you buy any apples?

• Did you buy any apple juice?

• We didn’t take many pictures.

• We didn’t do much shopping.

• I have a few things to do.

• I have a little work to do.