Question

grammar: count and noncount nouns
count nouns
count nouns are nouns we can count with numbers. (one eye, two eyes)

• a singular count noun uses a singular verb. (an eye opens and closes.)
• most plural count nouns end with -s. (eyes)
• a plural count noun uses a plural verb. (our eyes see.)
• some count nouns are spelled the same when singular and plural. (one fish, two fish)

noncount nouns
noncount nouns are nouns we cannot count with numbers. (air, fruit)

• use a singular verb with a noncount noun subject. (fruit tastes good.)
• noncount nouns can be organized into the following categories:

liquids and gases
air, water, coffee, tea, milk, smoke
food
fruit, cheese, bread, rice
feelings and knowledge
intelligence, love, hate, information, news
nature
land, lightning, rain, wind, fog
practice 1 write c for each count noun and nc for each noncount noun.

1. ___ advice
2. ___ lake
3. ___ oil
4. ___ idea
5. ___ advisor
6. ___ sugar
7. ___ fish
8. ___ rain
9. ___ kilogram
10. ___ feet

practice 2 circle the correct verb form that completes each sentence.

1. food give / gives us energy.
2. the banana taste / tastes good.
3. his party is / are a surprise.
4. air take / takes up space.
5. the juice was / were delicious.
6. boats sink / sinks if water gets in.
7. the guests look / looks important.
8. the elephant weigh / weighs a lot.

Explanation:

• For Practice 1:
• advice: Non - count noun (NC) as it's an abstract concept that can't be counted.
• lake: Count noun (C) as we can count lakes (one lake, two lakes).
• oil: Non - count noun (NC) as it's a liquid that can't be counted in the same way as discrete objects.
• idea: Count noun (C) as we can have one idea, two ideas.
• advisor: Count noun (C) as we can count advisors (one advisor, two advisors).
• sugar: Non - count noun (NC) as it's a substance that can't be counted directly.
• fish: Can be both. If referring to the species in a general sense (like in the non - count examples given earlier), but here, if we assume it's in the context of count (e.g., one fish, two fish as a count noun example in the text), we need to check. But usually, when not specified, if it's like "a fish" (count) or "fish" (non - count as a food). But based on the text's example (one fish, two fish as a count noun case), if we assume it's a count noun here (C).
• rain: Non - count noun (NC) as it's a natural phenomenon that can't be counted.
• kilogram: Count noun (C) as we can count kilograms (one kilogram, two kilograms).
• feet: Count noun (C) as it's the plural form of "foot" and we can count feet (two feet, three feet).
• For Practice 2:
• Food give / gives: "Food" is a non - count noun. Non - count nouns take a singular verb. So "gives".
• The banana taste / tastes: "The banana" is a singular count noun. Singular count nouns take a singular verb. So "tastes".
• His party is / are: "Party" (referring to a social event) is a singular noun. So "is".
• Air take / takes: "Air" is a non - count noun. Non - count nouns take a singular verb. So "takes".
• The juice was / were: "Juice" is a non - count noun. Non - count nouns take a singular verb. So "was".
• Boats sink / sinks: "Boats" is a plural count noun. Plural count nouns take a plural verb. So "sink".
• The guests look / looks: "Guests" is a plural count noun. Plural count nouns take a plural verb. So "look".
• The elephant weigh / weighs: "The elephant" is a singular count noun. Singular count nouns take a singular verb. So "weighs".

Answer:

Practice 1

1. NC
2. C
3. NC
4. C
5. C
6. NC
7. C
8. NC
9. C
10. C

Practice 2

1. gives
2. tastes
3. is
4. takes
5. was
6. sink
7. look
8. weighs