Unlike countable nouns, uncountable nouns are for abstract ideas and concepts or physical objects that cannot be counted. It may be helpful to know that uncountable nouns are also known as mass nouns.
Here are some common examples of uncountable nouns:
| water, milk , rain |
| information, news, knowledge |
| rice, sugar, bread |
| luggage, furniture, cotton |
In most cases, they do not have a plural form and a singular verb is always used with uncountable nouns.
Examples:
| This furniture looks heavy. |
| That information is useful. |
| The news is disturbing. |
Note: We cannot use the indefinite articles a/an alone with uncountable nouns. We can only use them when paired with other words to indicate the quantity or measurement of this noun such as a lot of, a bottle of, a piece of, a bag of, etc.
Examples:
| A carton of milk. | Five cartons of milk. |
| A bottle of wine. | Three bottles of wine. |
| A loaf of bread. | Two loaves of bread. |
Other expressions of quantity includes, some, much, any, etc.
| She has some money. |
| Do you have any food left?/Have you got any food left? |
| I don’t have much time to do my homework. |