“Un-Countable Noun” — English Grammar
In a previous post — I explained what a “Countable” Noun is, and I also gave a brief explanation of “Un-Countable” Nouns (sometimes mistakenly referred to as “Non-Count Nouns”.) So now we’ll go more in-depth into that subject.
What Is An “Un-Countable Noun”?
“Ketchup” & “Mustard” are Un-Countable Nouns… Steven and his beard are not 😆
An “Un-Countable” Noun is a Noun that represents things which can not be counted as individual units. These are things such as: liquids, or anything which would be very difficult to count as individual units. They can also be “abstract” things like: Feelings, Thoughts, Emotions, or…
The word “Pile” is a “Countable” Noun. It is possible for there to be many “Piles”. This word “Pile” is used with the Quantifier, “One” — to describe How Many “Piles” there are.
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The word “Shit” is an Un-Countable Noun. It is not possible for there to be many “Shits” (at least it would not be grammatically correct to say that) 
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Since the word “Shit” is an “Un-Countable” Noun — the phrase: “one big pile of” — actually functions as a “Quantifying-Phrase”, which is used to refer to How Much “Shit” there is. (It should be obvious that “One Big Pile” is not a proper unit of measure.)
The Types Of Quantifiers Used With “Un-Countable” Nouns
To speak about Countable Nouns we can use Articles (a, an, & the), Numbers, and Direct or Indirect Pronouns (His, Her’s, This, That, etc.) in order to say, “how many”.
“That monkey just ran up and pulled that poor dog’s tail. And then, did a loop around that cable, before finally going back to grab one of its legs!”
However — when we are speaking about “Un-Countable” Nouns — we have to use some sort of unit of measure (a glass of…, a bottle of…, 750 ml of wine.)
Or we can use some other Determiner (a word which indicates specific information about the Noun) which MAY be much less exact and may be different for each individual. (However — you can see by the example of 750ml — it can also be very exact.)
For Example:
“Do I have any sand on my face?”
“Don’t worry, there’s plenty of room.”
“I’m experiencing a significant amount of pain.”
Since Wine, Sand, Room, & Pain are all “Un-Countable” Nouns — we use specific or general unit of measure “a glass of”, “a bottle of”, “750 ml of” — or Determiners like: “Any”, “Plenty of”, “a significant amount of” — to say, “How Much” of each thing.
For An Excellent Contrast Between “Countable” & “Un-Countable” Nouns — Watch The Video Below
“Countable” Nouns
One Man
A Big Smile
Three Hot-Dogs
A Few Hot-Dog Buns
About Four Or Five Lollipops
Only A Few Meatballs
A Million Little Sprinkles
…
…
And A Cherry
“Un-Countable” Nouns
A Bunch Of Cereal and Milk
A Huge Pile Of Ketchup & Mustard
Many Pieces Of Chopped Onion
A Bowl-Full Of Candy
A Monster Pile Of Spaghetti with Sauce
Some Big Chunks Of Parmesan Cheese
A Big Glop Of Chocolate Sauce
Some Ice-Cream
Some More Chocolate
A Bit Of Whipped Cream
And All That Means A Lot Of Awesomeness, Hilarity, And Joy!
(Three more Un-Countable Nouns)
Have An Excellent Day!
😉
If You Would Like Help Preparing For The TOEFL Exam…
