Miss Hanat Balimutajjo – English teacher

Countable nouns• Countable nouns are things that we can

count.

• We can put an ‘s’ on a countable noun.

a pear 2 pears

an apple 3 apples

Banana

This is a banana.

It’s a banana.

There is one banana.

Do you eat many bananas?

Yes, I eat a lot of bananas.

These are bananas.

They’re bananas.

There are three bananas.

How many bananas do you have?

I don’t have any bananas.

SofaI bought 1 sofa.

I like this sofa.

How many are there?

There’s one sofa.

I bought 3 sofas.

I like these sofas.

How many sofas are there?

There are 3 three sofas.

Uncountable nouns

• Uncountable nouns are things that we

cannot count.

• We cannot put an ‘s’ on an uncountable

noun.

saltssugars

Milk

I bought some milk.

I like milk.

How much milk is there?

There isn’t much. carton

I bought some milk.

How much milk is there?

There are 3 cartons of milk.

A carton of

milk.

One carton of

milk.

Coffee

I drank coffee today.

How much coffee?

Not much. Just one cup.

I drank coffee today.

How much coffee?

A lot. I drank two cups.

Cup is

countable.

Coffee is uncountable.

Are the things

countable or uncountable?

START

Practice 1:

Countable Uncountable

Countable

flour

Uncountable

Countable Uncountable

hamburgers

UncountableCountable

Countable Uncountable

Countable Uncountable

butter

Uncountable

Countable Uncountable

Countable Uncountable

orange juice

Uncountable

Countable Uncountable

Uncountable

an orange

CountableCountable

Countable Uncountable

grapes

UncountableCountableCountable

Now, what would you use for with

countable nouns – a, an, the?

Understand?

• apple• teacher• chair• Pasta• China• milk• bread• cup of coffee• Car• water

• salt• bag of sugar• meat• vegetable• oil• fish• bowl of cereal

Are these countable or unaccountable? Write them with the correct article (a, an).

Which of these types of food do you like?

Which don’t you like?

I likeI like

HOW MUCH / HOW MANY

We use HOW MUCH and HOW MANY to ask

about the amount (quantity).

HOW MUCH milk do you drink?

HOW MUCH chocolate did you eat?

HOW MANY sisters do you have?

HOW MANY books did you read?

HOW MUCH

We use HOW MUCH for questions with

uncountable nouns.

Example:

HOW MUCH money do you have?

HOW MUCH sugar are there in the kitchen?

HOW MANY

We use HOW MANY for questions with

countable nouns.

Example:

HOW MANY students are there in school?

HOW MANY chairs are there in the kitchen?

How much or How many?

1. ........ people live in Riyadh?

2. ….. water is in the fridge?

3. …… fruit do you eat everyday?

4. …… bread did you eat yesterday?

5. …… birds do you see?

6. …… money do you spend at the mall?

7. ……. countries are there in the world?

How much or How many?

1. How many people live in Riyadh?

2. How much water is in the fridge?

3. How much fruit do you eat everyday?

4. How much bread did you eat yesterday?

5. How many birds do you see?

6. How much money do you spend at the

mall?

7. How many countries are there in the world?

SOME / ANY

COUNTABLE NOUNS

THESE ARE NOUNS WHICH YOU CAN PLURALIZE.

For example,

egg = eggs

tomato = tomatoes

UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

THESE ARE NOUNS WHICH YOU CAN’T PLURALISE

For example,

sugar

rice

SOME

We use SOME for countable and

uncountable nouns.

You can use SOME for affirmative answers or

sentences.

EXAMPLE:

There are some chairs. (countable)

There is some sugar. (uncountable)

Is there any …?

Is there any coffee?

Yes, there’s some coffee.

Is there any bread?

No, there isn’t any more.

ANY

We use ANY for countable and uncountable

nouns.

You can use ANY for questions and negatives

answers or sentences.

EXAMPLES:

Are there any chairs in my bedroom? (countable)

There aren’t any mirrors. (countable)

There isn’t any sugar. (uncountable)

Are there any …?

grapes Peas

Exercise 1: some or any?

Choose the correct answer.

1. We need ……. bananas.

2. You can’t buy …. posters in this shop.

3. We haven’t got …. oranges at the moment.

4. Peter has brought …. new books.

5. She takes …. sugar with her coffee.

6. There aren’t …. apples on the table.

7. Amjaad doesn’t have …. pencils on her

desk.

Exercise 1: some or any?

Choose the correct answer.

1. We need some bananas.

2. You can’t buy any posters in this shop.

3. We haven’t got any oranges at the moment.

4. Peter has brought some new books.

5. She takes some sugar with her coffee.

6. There aren’t any apples on the table.

7. Amjaad doesn’t have any pencils on her

desk.

Review Game: http://www.eslgamesplus.com/countable-uncountable-a-an-rally/

Complete the following conversation using some/any, a/an.

1. Nora: What would you like?Thekra: I would like …………… ice cream, please.

Nora: Would you like to try ….. lamb?Thekra: No, thank you. I don’t want ……… lamb to eat. Just …. ice cream

please.Nora: Would you like ….. fruit with your ice cream?

Thekra: Yes, please. I’d like ….. apple, …… chocolate and ….. cherry on top.

2. Maha: Good evening, Would like something to drink?Shamoa: Oh, just ….. water and …. cup of coffee, please.

Maha: Would you like anything to eat?Shamoa: Do you have …… chocolate cookies?

Maha: Yes, we have many different kinds?

3. Sheika: Where would you like to go for dinner?Amal: I don’t know. I’d like to go somewhere close.

Sheika: Would you like to try …… Thai food?Amal: Yeah. I would like to try …. spicy noodles.

Sheika: Ok, I know a great place not far from here. You can try ..... Thai dish.

SOME / MANY• Use some in a positive context when you don’t want to

specify the number or quantity.

• Use many with countable nouns, when you want to refer to a large but indefinite number.

• For example: I bought some apples / I bought many apples.

She made some friends in NY / She made many friends in NY

• Examples for some / many The child put some sand into the bucket.

I can lend you some money if you need it.

There aren’t any pears left. Only two.

We had some cake with the tea.

Don’t eat so many sweets or you’ll get fat.

I had some beer last night at the bar.

I don’t have many friends.

He brought some food with him.

some / many

Decide whether you have to use some or many:

1. The child put _______ coffee in the bucket.

2. I can lend you _______ money if you need it.

3. There aren’t _______ pears left.

4. We had _______ cake with the tea.

5. Don’t eat so _______ sweets or you’ll get fat.

6. I had _______ coca cola last night at the bar.

7. I don’t have _______ friends.

8. He brought _______ food with him.

What makes a good restaurant?A good restaurant has a good menu. It’s not too expensive.

It’s clean.

It has a good atmosphere. A good restaurant has good food.

It’s family orientated.

It’s child friendly.

It’s not crowded. It’s comfortable.

Good customer service. You get good service.

Do you like dining out?

Which restaurant would you like to try?

I’d like to try …

• a French

restaurant.

• Mexican food.

• a Japanese one.

• an American

restaurant.

• a Saudi

restaurant.

• an Italian one.

Do you have the same tastes?

Do you like the same things?

How often do you eat in

restaurants? (How often do

you dine out?)

What kinds of restaurants do

you go to?

Do you have a favourite? Why

do you like it?

Where can you get cheap

food?

Which restaurants would you

not recommend? And why not?

Useful expressions

• I dine out once a

.../often/rarely/never/sometimes/ every …

• I eat out every …/once a…/often/on the

weekend.

• I don’t go to restaurants often/usually.

• I like it because ….

….the restaurant was/is good, excellent, friendly,

family orientated, comfortable.

….it has/had good /delicious/tasty/fresh/hot food.

…. the waitress/waiter was pleasant/friendly/fast.

…. My meal was delicious /well cooked/tasty/really

nice/cheap.

….. The restaurant was not very good menu.

Match the opposites

• good

• excellent

• pleasant

• fast

• delicious

• hot

• beautiful

• comfortable

• spacious

• clean

crowded

disgusting

ugly

cold

dirty

tasteless

uncomfortable

slow

awful

bad

terrible

How was it? It was …

Complete the conversation use

or something and or anything.

Fedha: I’m tired. Let’s take a break.

Enjood: That’s a good idea. Actually, I’d like come coffee …………………

Fedha: Me too. In fact, it’s almost noon. ………………. you …………… to go to lunch?

Enjood: Yeah. Let’s go. I don’t really want a big meal but I can eat a salad ………………………

Fedha: I’m starving. I can eat …………………..

Enjood: Ok, let’s go somewhere close.