English Language Learners Stack Exchange
English Language Learners Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [countability]

"Countability" is a property of English nouns, which reflects whether or not they have a plural form.

Countability is a property of English nouns, which reflects whether or not they have a plural form.

Some key terms involved in this concept:

  • countable
  • count noun
  • mass noun
  • non-count noun
  • uncountable
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What's wrong with saying "Can I have a ketchup?"

My friend corrected me that asking "Can I have a ketchup?" instead of "Can I get some ketchup?" It sounds wrong and not native. I understand that ketchup is not countable, but since it's a fixed size, I thought it'll be okay to say it like…
Maimai123
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Superman & superwoman: countable or uncountable?

I suppose you know you can turn into superwoman or superman in an emergency. Mrs Pam Weldon reported that her baby nearly slipped under the wheels of a car. Mrs Weldon weighs only 50 kilos, but she said she lifted the car to save her baby. Dr…
Mori
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A piece of paper and not 'a paper'

I have already searched this but couldn't find anything helpful. So finally, I need to ask it here. Recently, I have come across the following sentence: I want a paper. And it should be: I want a piece of paper. Why do we use "a piece"?
Vibhu
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Is "intelligence" a countable noun?

All my "learner's dictionaries" - Oxford, Cambridge, and Longman- say that "intelligence" is an uncountable noun which means " the ability to learn, understand, and think in a logical way about something" (and I should say that I have no access to…
M.N
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"A paper", is this usage correct? Or should I say "a sheet of paper"?

I have a question: "A paper", is this usage correct? Or should I say "a sheet of paper"?
user11743
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"no such thing" or "no such a thing"?

"thing" is a countable word. (source). But I can find both no such a thing ... and no such thing ... Which one is correct?
Sasan
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How to decide the countability of 'performance'

Performance [uncountable, countable] how well or badly you do something; how well or badly something works the country’s economic performance He criticized the recent poor performance of the company. Profits continue to grow, with strong…
Kinzle B
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Which one to use, Much or Many?

Are both these statements correct? How many onions do you want? How much onion do you want? I feel as if the latter is wrong but I know not why.
Lordbalmon
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>too many efforts - is this correct gramatically?

Is saying too much effort the same as too many efforts ? Is effort countable or not, or does it depend on the context in which it is used? And if so, how?
sabera kapasi
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1) "My weight is 150 pounds"; 2) "The runner's speed was 6 kilometers per hour" — Are "weight" and "speed" countable or not?

britannica.com says "weight" is uncountable here: (1) My weight is 150 pounds. But a user on ell.stackexchange.com says "speed" is countable here: (2) The runner's speed was 6 kilometers per hour. To me, the structure of sentences (1) and (2) is the…
Loviii
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Which one is correct for general ideas?

Which one is correct? When I was a kid or when I was kid Kid is a general idea there. So should it be without the identifier? And also I sleep during a day or I sleep during day Isn't day a general idea? So why should it be a day?
Nik
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Does decline have plural form?

Does decline have plural form? Is it correct to say there were declines in the amount of fish and beef consumed in the UK? One of my students asked me this question in an IELTS Writing class, but I was not uncertain about it.
Yumeng Nie
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How should I consider the word "scenery"

I think "scenery" is uncountable and the dictionary says it is. Nevertheless the sentence "What a beautiful scenery!" sounds correct to me. Should I rather say: "What some beautiful scenery!" Which one is correct?
Jessica Reichenbach Debons
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More than one baggage is allowed or more than one baggages are allowed?

which is correct? More than one baggage is allowed or More than one baggages are allowed
padman
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homework vs. a homework

When is it acceptable to use "a homework?". As an ESL practitioner, I had to look it up, and found a source which says "a homework" is only acceptable among native speakers. So, should non-native speakers just stick to "homework" as uncountable?
meez54
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