Learn English Online - free beginner's course - Unit 8

Lesson 36 - Countable Nouns vs Uncountable Nouns
How much? vs. How many?

A noun can be countable or uncountable.

How much ....? = uncountable nouns

For example: How much coffee do you drink?

How many ....? = countable nouns

For example: How many cups of coffee do you drink?

Countable nouns in the singular take the article a or an and can be plural.

For example:-

I bought an apple.

I bought 6 apples.

Countable nouns
Noun
Countable	A dog You can count dogs.	An apple You can count apples.	A car You can count cars.	An umbrella You can count umbrellas.	A glass You can count glasses.	A candle You can count candles.
Question	How many dogs are there?	How many apples are there?	How many cars are there?	How many umbrellas are there?	How many glasses are there?	How many candles are there?
Answer	There's one dog.	There are two apples.	There are three cars.	There are four umbrellas.	There are five glasses.	There are six candles.

Uncountable nouns do not take an article and do not have a plural form.

For example:-

I bought sugar.

I bought some sugar.

Uncountable nouns
Noun
Uncountable	Sugar You can't count sugar.	Jewellery You can't count jewellery.	Cheese You can't count cheese.	Wine You can't count wine.	Furniture You can't count furniture.	Money You can't count money.
Question	How much sugar is in the bowl?	How much jewellery is there?	How much cheese is there?	How much wine is there in the bottle?	How much furniture is there?	How much money is in the bag?
Answer	There is some sugar in the bowl.	There is some jewellery.	There is some cheese.	There is some wine in the bottle.	There is some furniture.	There is some money in the bag.