Nouns that can be Countable and Uncountable
Sometimes, the same noun can be countable and uncountable, often with a change of meaning.
| Countable | Uncountable | |
|---|---|---|
| There are two hairs in my coffee! | hair | I don't have much hair. |
| There are two lights in our bedroom. | light | Close the curtain. There's too much light! |
| Shhhhh! I thought I heard a noise. | noise | It's difficult to work when there is too much noise. |
| Have you got a paper to read? (= newspaper) | paper | I want to draw a picture. Have you got some paper? |
| Our house has seven rooms. | room | Is there room for me to sit here? |
| We had a great time at the party. | time | Have you got time for a coffee? |
| Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's greatest works. | work | I have no money. I need work! |
Drinks (coffee, water, orange juice) are usually uncountable. But if we are thinking of a cup or a glass, we can say (in a restaurant, for example):
- Two teas and one coffee please.
