Leaderboard Banner

< Nouns

Nouns: Nouns #8: Uncountable Nouns (Quantifiers #1)

Dennis Oliver

Nouns #8:
Uncountable Nouns (Quantifiers #1)

	Because uncountable nouns in English do not have plurals and cannot be counted in the normal way, quantifiers are often used as a way of "measuring" them. The basic quantifiers are some, any, a little, and a lot of, but there are many more. One group of quantifiers is common with food and items found at home: the names of the containers in which the items are sold:

	quantifier (container)		uncountable nouns
	a bag of _____		candy, flour, sugar, rice
	a bottle of _____		water, wine, beer, ketchup (catsup), vinegar, juice, soy sauce, cooking oil, olive oil, salad dressing, soda, aspirin (or other medicine)
	a box of _____		detergent, salt, candy, cereal, chalk, baking soda, pasta, jello, sugar
	a can of _____		fruit, motor oil, beer, soda, baking powder, paint
	a carton of _____		soda, ice cream, milk, creamer, juice
	a jar of _____		jam, jelly, mustard, relish, fruit, mayonnaise
	a pack of _____		gum
	a package of _____		meat
	a six-pack of _____		beer, soda
	a tin of _____		aspirin
	a tub of _____		margarine
	a tube of _____		toothpaste, lipstick, shampoo

	___________________________________________ Special Note: These containers can also be used for countable nouns: a bag of potato chips / potatoes / apples / onions / groceries; a box of paper clips / cigars / envelopes / kleenex / crackers / chocolates; a can of beans (and other fruits and vegetables); a carton of cigarettes / eggs; a jar of olives / pickles; a pack of cigarettes / razor blades; a tin of sardines

Leaderboard Banner