Count and Noncount

Nouns

D Grammar i n the Real World

ACADEMIC A Do you t hi nk your diet is heal thy? Read the article from a health
WRITING ma gazi ne. What ki nds of food are par t of a healt hy diet?
Descriptive B Com p rehens i on Check Answer the q ues tions. Use t he
paragraphs
a rti cle to help you.

1 How do color ful fruit and ve getables help y our health?

2 Why is a little dark chocola te good for you?

3 What type of oi l i s good fo r you?
4 How much wa ter i s g ood to dr i nk each da y?

Cl矶｀阿根同 F ind t he sentences i n t he article, and com plete them with

a or an or 0 fo r no arti cle.
1 When you turn on telev i s i on or read
newspa per, you often find _ informati on about healthy
eatin g.
2

fo od and heal th get a lot of a tten ti on

in the news these days

3 Maybe you th i nk fat is bad fo r you, but people need a

little fat i n thei r diet.

4 I t i s _ challen ge to chan ge your di et, but even small

chan ges can help you s tay heal thy and ha ppy

Look at t he noun after each s pace. Whi ch of the nouns are t hi n g s you
can count? Whi ch are t hin g s you cannot count?

194
 When you turn on a television or read a newspaper , you often find information
about healthy eating. Food and health get a lot of attention in the news these days .
Researchers seem to find new things about how our diet affects us every day.
Everyone knows it is important to eat fruit and vegetables. Did you know that
eating fruit and vegetables with different colors is especially good for your health?
Green, red, blue, and orange fruit and vegetables all have different vitamins 1 to help
hydrate you, and they help prevent different diseases.
Did you know that dark chocolate is good for you, too? Research shows that a little
chocolate helps your heart and your mood .2
How about fat ?3 Maybe you think fat is bad for you, but people need a little fat in
their diet. One type of healthy fat is omega -3 oil.4 It comes from fish and helps your
heart , skin , and brain stay healthy. For vegetarians or non-fish eaters, many seeds5
and nuts also contain omega-3 oil . Omega -3 oil comes in pills, too.
Finally, water is an important part of a healthy diet . Try to drink at least six glasses
of water a day, and you don't need to buy it . In most places, tap water from the
kitchen faucet is just fine and tastes great !
It is a challenge to change your diet, but even small changes can help you stay
healthy and happy.

1
vitamin: a natural substance in food that is important for good health
2
mood: the way someone feels at a particular time
3
fat: a substance in plants and animals, often used for cooking
4
omega - 3 oil: a kind of healthy fat
5
seed: a small hard part of a plant from which new plants can grow

Eating Habits 195

 Count and Noncount Nouns
Grammar Presentation
Nouns are words for people, places, Count nouns name things you can count,
and things. peas, vegetables, eggs, cookies
There are two types of nouns : count Noncount nouns name things you cannot count.
nouns and noncount nouns. spinach, water, cheese, sugar

2.1 Count Nouns

A / An Singular Count Noun Singular Verb

A vegetarian has a meatless diet.

An apple is a healthy snack.

Plural Count Noun Plural Verb

Vegetables have different vitamins.
Nuts contain healthy substances.

2.2 Noncount Nouns

Noncount Noun Singular Verb

Health gets a lot of attention in the news .

Water is an important part of a healthy diet.

> Noncount Nouns and Containers: See page A17.

2.3 Using Count Nouns

D Count nouns are things that you one egg, six eggs
can count. You can use numbers one banana, two bananas
with count nouns.

B You can use a/ an with singular Did you have a banana ora cookie ?
count nouns.

Remember: Use an with words that I eat an apple and an orange every day .
start with a vowel sound.

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 Count and Noncount Nouns

2.3 Using Count Nouns (continued )

[ I Count nouns can be plural. They Vegetables are good for you .
can end in -s. Vitamins keep you healthy .

Remember: Some plural nouns are People need good food .

irregular. Some children don' t like vegetables .

A singular count noun takes a A banana is good on cereal .

singular verb. My diet isn' t very healthy .

Nuts contain oil .

I A plural count noun takes a
plural verb. Vegetarians don' t eat meat .

2.4 Using Noncount Nouns

Noncount nouns are things you milk, rice, sugar , cheese, spinach , tea, coffee
cannot count. Don't use numbers NOT one-miikrone-rice
with count nouns.

You can use numbers with drinks in Can we have three coffees, please?
a restaurant when you mean a cup
of the drink.

B Don 't use a / an with noncount Eat spinach. Drink water . Cook shrimp.
nouns. NOT a -sptnach -a -water - a shrimp
^
E I Noncount nouns don't have a Spinach is good for you.
plural form. Don 't add -s. NOT Spineches are good for you .

ID A noncount noun takes a singular Fish is good for you .

verb . Fish oil improves your memory.

f n Grammar Application
~

Exercise 2.1 Count and Noncount Nouns

/« »
IMH DATA FROM THE REAL WORLD
Research shows that noncount nouns are often the names of food and drink.
The charts below show some of the most common food words in English.

Eating Habits 197

 A Which words are count nouns ? Which are noncount nouns? Check (/ ) the correct column.

COUNT NONCOUNT COUNT NONCOUNT

apples / milk
beans potatoes
beef rice

bread sandwiches
butter salt
cheese seafood
cookies shrimp
fish sugar
garlic tomatoes
ice cream vegetables
meat water

B Over to You Complete the lists with words from the chart. Write count after count nouns
and noncount after noncount nouns.

I never eat / drink . . . I often eat / drink . . .

apples — count

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 Count and Noncount Nouns

Exercise 2.2 A and An

A Complete the survey questions. Write a or an before the count nouns.

Write 0 before noncount nouns.

Do you usually have Cl sandwich for lunch ?

2 Do you often have snack at bedtime ?

3 Do you put salt on your food?

4 Do you eat garlic before a class ?

5 How do you drink your tea or coffee ? With milk and sugar ?

6 Do you usually have cookie with your tea or coffee ?

Do you like butter on your potatoes ?

8 How often do you eat pasta ?

9 Which do you prefer: apple or banana ?

10 Do you prefer cereal or bread for breakfast ?

B Pair Work Ask a partner the survey questions in A .

A Do you usually have a sandwich for lunch?
B No, I usually have an omelet or a Caesar salad .

Eating Habits 199

 Exercise 2.3 Count and Noncount Nouns

Read about the eating habits of these people. Change the singular count nouns in bold to
plural nouns. Write 0 next to the noncount nouns.

I'm a vegetarian.

I don't eat meat 0

I eat eggs , but not every day.
I also eat nut , and I love fresh vegetable
I also like apple and cheese a lot.

I don't like dairy food.

I don't eat cheese or butter

6 I don't drink milk

7 I love seafood , but I' m allergic to shrimp

8 My favorite food is bean

I eat a lot of pasta

Isabel
I love fast food.

10 I love potato chip and cookie

I don 't eat vegetable very often.

12 I love desserts with ice cream

I' m allergic to chocolate l

Lin

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 Count and Noncount Nouns

Exercise 2.4 Singular and Plural Verbs with Nouns

A Complete the sentences from a magazine article about food. Use the correct form of the
verbs in parentheses.
W £3

FOOD FACTS
Food satisfies hunger, but it does other things , too. Food can have good and bad effects on your
body and sometimes your mind. Did you know these facts about these common foods?

• Carrots are (be) good for your eyes .

(D

Pasta (make) some people sleepy.

(2)

Bananas (give) you energy.

(3)

Garlic (be) good for your heart.

( 4)

Ice (give) some people a headache.

(5)

Ice cream ( make) some people thirsty.

(6)

Spinach (contain) vitamin C.

(7)

Fish (be) good for your brain.

(8)

Some people say green tea ( keep) you thin .

(9)

Some people say cheese (give) them nightmares.

(10)

Some people say milk (help) them sleep.

(11 )

Eating Habits 201

 B Z) v6 T tO YOU Write four sentences about how different kinds of foods affect you.
Ice cream makes me thirsty.
Soda gives me a headache .

( |Units of Measure; How Many .

How Much . . . ?
Grammar Presentation
Units of measure help us to tell how I bought a cup of coffee in the cafeteria .
much or how many of a noun. We had a bowl of soup with lunch.
Questions with How much . . . ? and How many vegetables did you use?
How many . . . ? ask about quantities. How much rice do you eat each week ?

3.1 Units of Measure

Noncount or Plural
Unit of Measure Count Noun
a cup of coffee
a bag of rice
a piece of cheese
a bottle of water
a bowl of soup
two bags of potato chips
a carton of eggs
a bunch of bananas
a pound of apples
three boxes of cookies
a loaf of bread

M Noncount Nouns and Containers: See page A17 .

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 Count and Noncount Nouns

3.2 Using Units of Measure with Count and Noncount Nouns

Q You can use units of measure to My mother gave me a bottle of water .

count some noncount nouns. She drinks a cup of coffee every day .
Did you eat a piece of cheese?
You can make these expressions She took two bottles of water .
plural. I drank three cups of coffee today .
We served some pieces of cheese .

B You can use units of measure with I bought a bag of apples .

count nouns. David ate a box of cookies !

You can make these We collected some bags of apples .

expressions plural. Lisa sold six boxes of cookies .

3.3 How Many . . . ? and How Much . . .

Count Noncount
How Many Noun How Much Noun
apples did you eat ? coffee do you drink every day?
How many people want food? How much sugar do you put in your coffee?
bags do you have? money do we need?

3.4 Using How Many . . . ? and How Much . . .

Use How many . . . ? to ask about How many eggs do you eat every week ?
count nouns. How many apples do you bring to school every day ?

B Use How much . . . ? to ask about How much milk do you drink a day ?
noncount nouns . How much meat do you eat in a week ?

Eating Habits 203

 ~
I n Grammar Application
Exercise 3.1 Units of Measure

Complete the menu with the units of measure from the box. You can use some units of
measure more than once. Sometimes there is more than one correct answer.

a bag of a bowl of a glass of a plate of

a bottle of a cup of a piece of

204 Unit 16 Count and Noncount Nouns

 Count and Noncount Nouns

Exercise 3.2 How Much . . . ? and How Many . . . ?

A Complete each question about the class picnic with How much or How many.
Then listen to the conversation about the picnic and answer the questions.
1 How many students are there in the class? 18
2 money do they have ?

3 people want water ?

4 juice do they need?

5 people want sandwiches ?
6 bags of potato chips do they need?
7 salad do they need?
8 cheese do people want ?
9 people want an orange?

10 watermelon do they need?

B Pair Work Plan a class picnic. Use the menu in Exercise 3.1 and the questions in A
to help you.
A How many students are there in our group ?
B There are eight . How many people want water ?

DATA FROM THE REAL WORLD

Research shows that these are some of the most common noncount nouns:

equipment homework love music traffic

fun information mail peace weather
furniture insurance money software work
Noncount nouns are the names of:
materials: oil, plastic, wood Oil costs a lot these days .
groups of things: money , cash, furniture, jewelry The jewelry in this store is expensive .
subjects: chemistry, geography, psychology Chemistry doesn' t interest me at all.
weather: snow , ice, fog There' s always snow in the winter here.
Some noncount nouns end in - s, but they take a singular verb:

subjects: economics , physics , politics Economics was my best subject in high school .
activities: aerobics , gymnastics Gymnastics is my favorite sport .
other: news The news is really good .
Students often make mistakes with noncount nouns, especially these:

information equipment advice research knowledge furniture

behavior work homework software damage training

Eating Habits 205

 Exercise 3.3 Categories and Items

A Complete the chart. Use the words in the box.

a check furniture keyboard

a music a-nng
a couch homework knowledge pop traffic
equipment information money rain weather
an exercise motorcycles

Category: jewelry Category: Category:

(D 0) (5 )

earrings a table a computer

a necklace / a chair a printer

4

a ring
( 2) ( 4) ( 6)

Category: Category: Category:

( 7) OD

names cars an essay

dates trucks a reading

( 8) ( 12)
(10)

Category: Category : Category:

(13 ) ( 15 ) (17)

classical bills snow

hip -hop coins ice

jazz
(16)
(14) ( 18)

B G rOUp Work Complete the chart with the words in the box. Then add as many words in
each category as you can.

206 Unit 16 Count and Noncount Nouns

 Count and Noncount Nouns

0 Avoid Common Mistakes 4 \

1 Do not use a / an with noncount nouns.

I ' m doing -a research on eating habits .

2 Do not make noncount nouns plural or use them with a plural verb.
advice
My teacher gave me some useful advices .

3 Do not use these or those with noncount nouns.

this information is
I hope these informations are useful .

4 Use how much with noncount nouns, and use how many with count nouns.
much many
How many money do you have ? How much classes did you take?

Editing Task
Find and correct the mistakes on this school's website.

E3 ml

LaMoor College Student Advice Center

Hotel and Restaurant Program Frequently Asked Questions
Where con I get cm informotion about the study program?
Look on the department website for these informations. You can also find
an important news on the website and lots of helpful information.

How much classes con I take each semester?

Students can take four to six classes each semester.
Is there modern equipments at the college?
Yes, our kitchens have brand- new equipment and furnitures.
4 How many homework do professors assign?
Every class is different, but professors will always help you if you have a problem
with your homeworks.
Does the school give an advice about employment and works?
Yes! Our career counselor has knowledges about local employers.

Eating Habits 207