Countable and Uncountable- compare your days and weeks

Countable and uncountable compare your days and weeks

Work in pairs or threes. Ask about and tell each other about your days/ weekends/ weeks and do the thing or things here that your teacher tells you to:

• Find whose day, weekend or week was healthier.
• Find things where your amount/ number is higher than your partner (e.g. “a lot of sugar” vs “quite a lot of sugar”)
• Find things below which have been exactly the same for you and your partner today/ this weekend/ this week.

Useful questions to ask each other “I… How about you/ And you/ What about you?” “How many…?”/ “How much…?” Useful phrases to comment on what your partner says “Me too”/ “That’s (more or less) the same for me” “(Really?) I…” “That sounds…” “I think yours is more… than mine”/ “I think yours is …er than mine”

Suggested countable and uncountable things to talk about

• alcohol
• arguments
• biscuits/ cookies
• bread
• butter
• calories
• cakes
• cigarettes
• coffee
• deadlines
• emails
• excitement
• (physical) exercise
• fast food/ junk food
• fatty food
• fibre
• free time
• fried food
• fruit
• fruit juice
• fun/ enjoyment
• healthy food
• meals
• red meat (e.g. beef)
• overtime
• relaxation
• sleep
• soda (coca cola, etc)
• stress
• study
• sugar
• sweet food
• tea
• telephone calls
• time with family
• time with friends
• vegetables
• vitamins
• wine
• work

Suggested amounts to talk about

• a couple (of)
• a few…s
• a little
• a lot (of)… (s)
• a/ an/ one
• about ten
• almost no… (s)
• bag(s)
• bottle(s)
• box(es)/ packet(s)
• can(s)/ tin(s)
• carton(s)
• cup(s)/ mug(s)
• glass(es)
• jar(s)
• (kilo)gram(s)
• litre(s)/ pint(s)
• loaf/ loaves (of…)
• many…s
• not any… (s)
• not many…s
• not much
• one or two…s
• quite a lot (of) (…s)
• slice(s)
• so many…s
• so much
• some… (s)
• teaspoon(s)
• very few…s
• very little

Tell the class one thing you learnt about your partner and see if anyone else shares that.

Ask about anything above you couldn’t understand or couldn’t use, working together to make a true statement and/ or question that you could ask each time.

 

Countable uncountable grammar presentation

Without looking above, add “-s” to all the (countable) nouns below which can take a plural -s. Write a crossed off “-s” next to the other (uncountable)) ones. If you aren’t sure, think about if they take “How many…?” or “How much…?” in questions, and/ or think about if they need “-s” or not with “some…” 

alcohol                                           argument

biscuit/ cookie                               bread

butter                                                            cigarette

deadline                                                       excitement

(physical) exercise                                     fibre

free time                                                       fruit

fruit juice                                                      fun/ enjoyment                             

meal                                                             red meat

beef                                                             overtime

relaxation                                                     sleep

soda (coca cola, etc)                   stress

sugar                                                            tea

telephone call                               time (with family/ with friends)

vegetable                                                     wine

work

Check your answers with the previous worksheets. Countable nouns already have “-s” on those worksheets. 

Put words which can go before countable and uncountable nouns like “many” into the two columns below. Some words can go with both. Write a noun with each one, with the correct use of “-s” or no “-s”. 

… + countable noun(s)	… + uncountable noun
How many potatoes?	How much cheese?

Hint: Five can go with both countable and uncountable.

Put these words into the two columns above:

• a couple (of)
• a few
• a little
• a lot (of)
• a/ an/ one
• about ten
• almost no
• many
• not any
• not many
• not much
• one or two
• quite a lot (of)
• so many
• so much
• some
• very few
• very little

Look at the use of “-s” or no “-s” on the second page to help with the task above.

Check your answers as a class or under the fold below.

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Suggested answers

… + countable noun(s)	… + uncountable noun
a couple (of) a few a lot (of) a/ an/ one about ten almost no many not any not many one or two quite a lot (of) so many some very few	a little a lot (of) almost no not any not much quite a lot (of) so much some very little

Use the amounts above to make more comparisons with your partner, e.g. to find who is busier.