Making Uncountable Nouns Countable

Making uncountable nouns countable dictation

Without looking at the examples below, listen to your teacher read out countable nouns related to a single uncountable noun. When you work out what the uncountable noun is, put up your hand and guess. Each person can only guess once. You must get exactly the category that the teacher has written on their worksheet.

Label the blanked worksheet with possible uncountable nouns.

Use these mixed answers to help

• alcohol
• chess
• clothes/ clothing
• crockery
• dust
• electricity
• fruit
• ice
• ice cream
• laughter
• milk
• oil
• paper
• rain
• research
• rice
• rubbish/ junk
• salt
• snow
• soap
• soup
• sugar
• tea
• thunder

Check with the first worksheet.

Test each other on the nouns in groups of three or four:

• play the same reading out a list and guessing game
• say any one of the nouns (without “a/ an”) and see if your partner can remember if it is countable or uncountable
• choose one of the uncountable nouns and help your partner say suitable related countable nouns

Without looking below, work together to write as many suitable countable nouns as you can after each uncountable noun above.

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Countable nouns to read out and guess the related uncountable noun for

• alcohol – a measure of _____, a shot of ______, a glass of____, a tumbler of____, a jug of______, a pint of____, a quart of _______, a double, a triple, a swig of____, a sip of____, a slug of_____
• chess – a _______ piece, a ______ match, a game of ______, a ______board, a _______ championship, a _______ champion, a ______ player
• clothes/ clothing – a piece of______, an item of ____, a wardrobe of ___, a shopping bag of ____, a range of ____
• crockery – a piece of _______, a cupboard full of ______, a stack of_____, a pile of _____, a dishwasher full of______, a washing up bowl full of_____, a sink full of _____
• dust – a ______particle, a _____ mite, a layer of ____, a ____ball, an inch of _______,
• electricity – a shock, a spark, a kilowatt-hour of_______
• fruit – a piece of______, a slice of ________, a bowl of_____, a ______ basket, a pound of_____, a kilo of ________, a _______display, a ________ tree, an orchard
• ice – an ______ cube, an icicle, a layer of____, a crust of______, a rink, an _____berg
• ice cream – an ________cone, a scoop of _________, a tub of____, a bowl of _________, a lick of your ________, a drip of _________, an _______ bar
• laughter – a gale of _______, a snigger, a giggle, a titter, a guffaw
• milk – a bottle of____, a carton of____, a pint of____, a litre of ___, a glass of_____, a cup of (hot)___, a drop of______, a splash of ___
• oil – an ____ patch, a tank full of______, half a tank full of _____, a bottle of____, a can of _____, a splash of _____, a thin coating of____, a layer of ____, a tanker full of ______, an ______slick, an _______ spill
• paper – a piece of_____, a sheet of ____, a ream of_____, a packet of ____, a scrap of____, a slip, of ____, a ton of ____, a roll of ____, a ____ pad, a folder full of ____, a filing cabinet full of _________, a recycling bin full of _____
• rain – a shower, a ____ drop, a (____) puddle, a ___cloud, a (_____)storm
• research – a ___paper, a piece of ____, a ____ publication, a summary of _________
• rice – a ___ball, a handful of_____, a cup of____, a bag of____, a sack of ___, a grain of ___, a ____ paddy, a serving of______
• rubbish/ junk – a bin full of ________, a lorry full of _________, a pile of _________, a _________ dump, a bag of ____________
• salt – a grain of ___, a ___shaker, a pinch of ___, a teaspoon of ___, a bag of _____
• snow – a ___flake, a ____storm, a ___drift, a flurry of____, an inch of_____, a foot of______, a metre of ____
• soap – a bar of_____, a bottle of ____, a ___ refill, a ___bubble, a squirt of ______
• soup – a tin of____/ a ______ can / a packet of ____, a bowl of____, a mug of _____, a spoon of ___, a sip of ____
• sugar – a spoon of____, a sachet of ___, a ___ cube, a grain of ___, a sprinkling of____, a dusting of ____
• tea – a cup of_____, a mug of ___, a pot of ___, a flask of ___, a sip of____, a mouthful of ____
• thunder – a __________clap, a rumble of _________, a __________storm

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Mixed countable nouns 

• a _______ piece, a ______ match, a game of ______, a ______board, a _______ championship, a _______ champion, a ______ player
• a __________clap, a rumble of _________, a __________storm
• a ______particle, a _____ mite, a layer of ____, a ____ball, an inch of _______,
• a ___ball, a handful of_____, a cup of____, a bag of____, a sack of ___, a grain of ___, a ____ paddy, a serving of______
• a ___flake, a ____storm, a ___drift, a flurry of____, an inch of_____, a foot of______, a metre of ____
• a ___paper, a piece of ____, a ____ publication, a summary of _________
• a bar of_____, a bottle of ____, a ___ refill, a ___bubble, a squirt of ______
• a bin full of ________, a lorry full of _________, a pile of _________, a _________ dump, a bag of ____________
• a bottle of____, a carton of____, a pint of____, a litre of ___, a glass of_____, a cup of (hot)___, a drop of______, a splash of ___
• a cup of_____, a mug of ___, a pot of ___, a flask of ___, a sip of____, a mouthful of ____
• a gale of _______, a snigger, a giggle, a titter, a guffaw
• a grain of ___, a ___shaker, a pinch of ___, a teaspoon of ___, a bag of _____
• a measure of _____, a shot of ______, a glass of____, a tumbler of____, a jug of______, a pint of____, a quart of _______, a double, a triple, a swig of____, a sip of____, a slug of_____
• a piece of _______, a cupboard full of ______, a stack of_____, a pile of _____, a dishwasher full of______, a washing up bowl full of_____, a sink full of _____
• a piece of_____, a sheet of ____, a ream of_____, a packet of ____, a scrap of____, a slip, of ____, a ton of ____, a roll of ____, a ____ pad, a folder full of ____, a filing cabinet full of _________, a recycling bin full of _____
• a piece of______, a slice of ________, a bowl of_____, a ______ basket, a pound of_____, a kilo of ________, a _______display, a ________ tree, an orchard
• a piece of______, an item of ____, a wardrobe of ___, a shopping bag of ____, a range of ____
• a shock, a spark, a kilowatt-hour of_______
• a shower, a ____ drop, a (____) puddle, a ___cloud, a (_____)storm
• a spoon of____, a sachet of ___, a ___ cube, a grain of ___, a sprinkling of____, a dusting of ____
• a tin of____/ a ______ can / a packet of ____, a bowl of____, a mug of _____, a spoon of ___, a sip of ____
• an ____ patch, a tank full of______, half a tank full of _____, a bottle of____, a can of _____, a splash of _____, a thin coating of____, a layer of ____, a tanker full of ______, an ______slick, an _______ spill
• an ______ cube, an icicle, a layer of____, a crust of______, a rink, an _____berg
• an ________cone, a scoop of _________, a tub of____, a bowl of _________, a lick of your ________, a drip of _________, an _______ bar