Countable and uncountable nouns

some and any

how much how many
Countable nouns: you can count them; you can put a number, a, an, some in front of them (eg. 3 eggs, some
fruits)
Uncountable nouns: they have only one form; you cannot put a number in front of them (eg. 3 sand) or a an (a
sand)
Coffee, tea, beer, water, juice are uncountable (I usually drink coffee in the morning) but they can be countable
when you are thinking of a cup, a glass, a bottle of So, in a restaurant, you can say One coffee, please (you
are actually asking for a cup of coffee)
Some examples of uncountable nouns:
advice

baggage

bread

furniture

information

money

news

progress

traffic

weather

Asking questions
How many + countable nouns how many tomatoes are there?
How much + uncountable nouns how much sugar do you need?
_______________________________ sandwiches have you got?
_______________________________ milk is there in the fridge?
_______________________________ fruits can you see on the table?
_______________________________ friends have you got?
_______________________________ states are there in Mexico?
_______________________________ bananas do you eat a day?

Charles is making an omelet for the first time. He asks his wife Alice who is watching TV.
a) Fill in the gaps with some or any:
Charles: Alice! Have we got ____________ eggs?
Alice: Yes, there are ____________ in the cupboard.
Charles: Have we got ______________ cheese?
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luggage

Alice: Yes, theres ____________ in the fridge.

Charles: Can I use ___________ olive oil?
Alice: Yes, of course.
Charles: I need ____________ tomatoes.
Alice: We havent got _____________. Charles, would you like ___________ help?
Charles: No, thanks, Im OK.
b) Answer/complete these questions:
1. Do we use some or any in positive sentences? ______________
2. Do we use some or any in negative sentences? ______________
3. Do we usually use some or any in questions? ________________
4. But we use ______________ in questions when we expect the answer Yes or when the question is an offer.

Are you a chocolate addict?

1 Do you think about chocolate several times a day?
2 Do you usually eat some chocolate before midday?
3 In a caf, when your friends order coffee, do you usually order a hot chocolate?
4 Is chocolate your favourite ice cream flavour?
5 Do you have a favourite bar of chocolate, for example: Mars, Kit Kat, etc.
6 Can you name more than ten types of chocolate bar?
7 Do you find it painful to share your chocolate with other people?
8 Do you eat at least six pieces of chocolate per day?
If you answered yes to at least three of the questions, youre probably a chocoholic.
Nouns and quantity expressions
Countable nouns - use: none, not any, a few, several, some, many, a lot, lots, plenty
Uncountable nouns - use: none, not any, a little, a bit, some, much, a lot, lots, plenty
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not enough = less than you need

too much/many = more than you need
What uncountable nouns are best here?
a bottle of
a jar of
a packet of
a glass of
a cup of
a kilo of
a tin/can of
a piece/loaf/slice of
a bag of
type/ kind of