Countable and Uncountable Nouns
B1 English Grammar
Food and Drinks Vocabulary
Quantifiers: much, many, little, few
Countable and Uncountable Nouns
B1 English Grammar
Food and Drinks Vocabulary
Quantifiers: much, many, little, few
What Are Countable Nouns?
Countable nouns can be counted.
They have singular and plural forms.
We can use numbers before them.
Examples: an apple, two bananas, three sandwiches
Food Examples of Countable Nouns
a tomato / two tomatoes
an egg / six eggs
a cookie / some cookies
a bottle of juice / three bottles of juice
What Are Uncountable Nouns?
Uncountable nouns cannot usually be counted individually.
They do not normally have a plural form.
We use them for liquids, powders, and general food.
Examples: milk, rice, sugar, water
Food Examples of Uncountable Nouns
some cheese
a little butter
much water
some rice
a lot of coffee
Rules: Countable vs Uncountable
Use MANY with countable nouns: many apples
Use MUCH with uncountable nouns: much milk
Use FEW with countable nouns: few cookies
Use LITTLE with uncountable nouns: little juice
Quantifier: MANY
Used with countable nouns.
Mostly in questions and negatives.
Examples:
How many oranges do we need?
There are not many carrots left.
Quantifier: MUCH
Used with uncountable nouns.
Common in questions and negatives.
Examples:
How much water do you drink?
There isn't much sugar in the tea.
Quantifier: FEW and A FEW
FEW = not enough (negative idea).
A FEW = some, enough (positive idea).
Examples:
Few students ordered salad.
A few people want dessert.
Quantifier: LITTLE and A LITTLE
LITTLE = almost not enough.
A LITTLE = some, enough.
Examples:
There is little milk left.
We still have a little juice.
Common Exceptions
Some nouns can be countable and uncountable.
Chicken = animal or meat
Cake = whole cake or piece of cake
Coffee = drink in general or a cup of coffee
Example: We bought a cake. / I ate some cake.
Containers and Portions
Use containers to count uncountable nouns.
a bottle of water
a cup of tea
a slice of pizza
a bowl of soup
two bars of chocolate
Useful Expressions
a lot of apples
lots of juice
some bread
any milk
plenty of vegetables
Practice
Choose the correct word:
1. How much / many bananas do we need?
2. There is little / few coffee left.
3. We bought a few / a little sandwiches.
4. I don't eat much / many rice.
Answers
1. many
2. little
3. a few
4. much
Summary
Countable nouns → many, few
Uncountable nouns → much, little
Use containers for uncountable food and drinks.
Practice with real-life food vocabulary!
Thank You!
Practice using quantifiers with food and drinks every day!