Count nouns, also called countable nouns, are nouns that can be counted in increments of one, two, three and so on. Countable nouns are concrete and specific and have both singular and plural forms.
The singular form is used when thinking of a noun as a single item or unit:
dog car girl airplane pill rock
The plural form is used when considering the noun as more than one item or unit:
dogs cars girls airplanes pills rocks
Singular nouns generally require the indefinite article a, an or some.
Plural nouns require the article some, or no article at all.
a hat -- some hats an answer - answers
Once a noun is identified in a paragraph, the next time the noun is used you can use the definite article the to refer to it.
We went to a movie last night. We enjoyed the movie.
The concept of count nouns is not difficult for students to understand, although Asian language speakers often forget to use the plural. Their languages do not have plurals, so the habit of using the plural is new to them.
Also called non-countable nouns, these nouns have one form; non-count nouns do not have a plural form. They are considered as singular objects that cannot be divided into distinct units so cannot be made plural. Noun-count nouns are sometimes called mass nouns, as their use is generally about amount.
Non-count nouns require the indefinite article some, a quantifier (a lot of, much, a slice of), or no article at all.
water -- a lot of water coffee -- some coffee rain -- much rain
Non-count nouns also include abstract, mass, and intangible nouns.
love knowledge information furniture equipment energy advice
Non-count nouns are often difficult for students to grasp at first. Asian language speakers in particular may have difficultly identifying non-count nouns initially, but with a teacher's encouragement and focused exercises, it becomes easier to understand and use them correctly.
Articles are very important in English; in order to use them correctly it is necessary to first classify nouns. Singular countable nouns require an article; plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns do not use articles. Classifying nouns as countable or non-countable is the foundation for using singular and plurals, and knowing how to use the articles.