Common Mistakes with Count and Noncount Nouns (English Grammar)
- Alex
- Feb 25
- 8 min read
Learning a new language takes time, practice, and mistakes—lots of mistakes. For English learners, some of the most common pre-intermediate and intermediate mistakes are made with countable and uncountable nouns. There are two main reasons for this:
When someone tries to learn a new language, they naturally try to apply the grammar rules from their first language. For example, the word furniture is countable in Italian, Russian, Spanish, and German, among other languages. So, naturally, many speakers of these languages assume that furniture is also countable in English even though it is not.
Language learners generalize rules that they learn. It is natural to think, "I can say two books or two buses, so of course I can say two advices, right?"
In both of these cases, we must have compassion for learners and remember that learning is a process. Part of that process is making mistakes, learning how to fix them, and doing our best not to make the same mistakes in the future.
The purpose of this page is to help English learners and teachers identify and correct the most common types of mistakes with count and noncount nouns. We will do this by separating the mistakes into clear, easy-to-understand categories.
Remember, noncount nouns refer to mass amounts or mass groups. Unlike count nouns, such as tables, people, houses, books, and so on, they cannot be counted. Noncount nouns can fit into many categories, including—but not limited to—liquids (juice, milk), natural phenomena (rain, lightning), food masses (bread, meat), abstract ideas (advice, knowledge), academic subjects (biology, mathematics), sports (basketball, hockey), particle substances (dust, rice), and groups made up of smaller things (furniture, jewelry).
Now, let us explore some of the most common problems that English learners encounter with these words.
Common Mistakes with Count and Noncount Nouns
Category 1: Using plurals with uncountable nouns
These are the most common uncountable nouns that English learners pluralize by mistake:
advice
"Thanks for the advice."
"He gave me good advice."
"Let me give you some advice."
If you want to count advice, you can use the phrase a piece of advice. For example, "My mom gave me two pieces of advice." Never use the word advices. Advice is an abstract concept that cannot be counted.
clothes
"I bought new clothes."
"She has a lot of clothes."
"There are a bunch of clothes on the floor."
The word clothes is a permanent plural. (More information on this category comes later.) This means it does not have a singular form or an extra plural form. You can count shirts, pants, dresses, hats, shoes, and so on, but you cannot count the word clothes, nor can you say clotheses. Also, remember that it is usually pronounced the same way as the word close, as in "Close the door, please."
furniture
"We need new furniture."
"All of their furniture is on sale this weekend."
"There's too much furniture in this room."
You can count pieces of furniture, as well as chairs, tables, and desks, but you cannot say you have two furnitures. This is because furniture is just the broad category which includes chairs, tables, desks, etc.
homework
"How much homework do you have left?"
"You should do your homework."
"We got a lot of homework this week."
You can count assignments, essays, and reports. However, never say "I got a lot of homeworks." The correct sentence is "I got a lot of homework" because homework is not countable.
information
"Thanks for the information."
"They're going to share a lot of information at the meeting."
"Could you slow down? This is too much information."
You can count pieces of information, but you cannot make the word information plural because it is a mass of documents, sentences, emails, etc.
jewelry
"Do you wear jewelry?"
"My mom likes to wear jewelry."
"He owns a lot of cheap jewelry."
You can count rings, necklaces, bracelets, and so on, but you cannot count the word jewelry. It is just the name for the category of items which includes rings, necklaces, bracelets, etc.
knowledge
"Thank you for sharing your knowledge."
"He has a lot of knowledge on this subject."
"Your knowledge is truly impressive."
Knowledge is an abstract idea, just like love, justice, or loyalty. Therefore, it cannot be counted, as it only exists as a mass amount.
"We got a lot of mail while we were on holiday."
"Do you get much mail in your neighbourhood?"
"Have you checked the mail this week?"
You can count envelopes, advertisements, and letters, but the word mail refers to the mass or category that includes all of those things. Interestingly, you can count emails (one email, two emails), but you cannot do the same thing with mail.
money
"How much money do you have on you?"
"She makes a ton of money."
"We need to save more money."
You can count dollars, peso, yen, and so on, but the word money is not plural except in some legal or formal contexts.
Category 2: Using indefinite articles before uncountable nouns
If a word is not countable, you cannot put a or an in front of it because these words signify one of something. The is possible if you are referring to a particular mass amount or group, as in, "The meat was too salty" or "The furniture was really expensive." Here are some common mistakes that learners make with uncountable nouns and articles. Many noncount nouns from Category 1 can also be included here. I have included the most common ones which are used incorrectly.
advice
Incorrect: I gave him an advice.
Correct: I gave him some advice.
Incorrect: Let me give you two advices.
Correct: Let me give you two pieces of advice.
Advice is an abstract concept. You cannot count the concept of advice.
feedback
Incorrect: The teacher gave me a feedback.
Correct: The teacher gave me feedback. / The teacher gave me some feedback.
Incorrect: Do you want a feedback?
Correct: Do you want feedback? / Do you want [any/some] feedback?
luggage
Incorrect: Do you have a luggage?
Correct: Do you have any luggage? / Do you have a [bag/suitcase]?
Incorrect: Wow! You have a big luggage!
Correct: Wow! You have a big [bag/suitcase]!
Luggage is like jewelry, furniture, or mail. It is the name of the category which includes a mass of items. You cannot use it with an indefinite article, and you cannot pluralize it. You can count bags, suitcases, or pieces of luggage.
Incorrect: I received a mail.
Correct: I received a [letter/notice/bill]. / I received some mail.
Incorrect: Did you get a mail today?
Correct: Did you get any mail today? / Did you get anything in the mail today?
As you know by now, mail is a category which includes letters, notices, advertisements, etc. It cannot be pluralized, and it cannot be preceded by the indefinite article a.
news
Incorrect: I have a good news!
Correct: I have good news!
Incorrect: Do you have a news for me?
Correct: Do you have [any/some] news for me?
News is a mass of information. You can say you have some news, two pieces of news, or two bits of news. However, you can never have a news. You can, however, say you read a news article or that you saw a news report.
weather
Incorrect: What a nice weather!
Correct: What nice weather we're having.
Incorrect: We had a nice weather yesterday.
Correct: We had nice weather yesterday. / We had some nice weather yesterday.
You can say you had a beautiful morning or a nice afternoon, but weather cannot be used with the indefinite article a.
Category 3: Using incorrect subject-verb agreement
This one is simple, but it can be a challenge to remember. Here is the rule: Use third person singular verbs with noncount nouns. This is most important when you are using the present simple, or when you are conjugating the verb to be. Here is a trick: In your mind, replace the noncount noun with it to get the right idea. Here are several examples:
The information was accurate.
The news is scary these days.
Good advice makes a big difference.
Your luggage doesn't have any stickers.
Jewelry is expensive.
Chocolate tastes good.
His feedback was very useful.
The exception to this rule? Permanent plurals. Let us look at those next.
Category 4: Misusing permanent plurals
Some nouns are always pluralized. This is common for items that have two parts linked together (scissors), certain clothing items (pants), and abstract collections (savings). Unlike noncount nouns like water, permanent plurals always use a plural verb. For example, "The scissors are sharp." Finally, do not try to make permanent plurals singular. In 99% of cases, it does not work and is not accepted by English speakers. Here are some more examples separated by categories:
Two parts linked together
binoculars - Binoculars are useful when you're traveling.
glasses - Glasses help people see.
headphones - My new headphones were expensive.
scissors - These scissors are sharp.
tweezers - The tweezers are in the bathroom.
Clothing items
clothes - My summer clothes are too small for me.
jeans - I think your jeans are too tight.
pajamas - Long pajamas are necessary in winter.
pants - These pants make my legs itchy
shorts - Those shorts look good on you.
Abstract collections
belongings - Your belongings are in that box.
earnings - Her earnings are substantial.
remains - The remains were left on the table.
savings - My savings are minimal.
valuables - His valuables were stolen.
Category 5: Using incorrect plural forms with countable nouns
This typically happens with irregular plural nouns. If you have ever made these mistakes, do not worry. You are definitely not alone! To help you, here is a list of singular nouns and their irregular plural forms. Do not add extra s's to the plural forms. They are already plural.
Singular (it/he/she) | Plural (they) | Example |
child | children | Mark and Jen have three children. |
foot | feet | My feet hurt. |
man | men | They hired three new men last week. |
person | people | How many more people do we need for this project? |
tooth | teeth | Remember to brush your teeth. |
woman | women | How many women are on the team? |
Of course, there are cases where you can use persons and peoples, but these are very specific, and you can learn more about those cases in this article. Just know that in most cases, you will use the words person and people.
And that is it! I hope you have found this information useful. If you have any questions or feedback, send an email to alex@englishalex.com.
Finally, if you think my work is valuable, please consider supporting me by purchasing one of my books. They are available in PDF, e-book, and paperback formats. I rely on support from learners and teachers just like you to continue doing what I am doing. Thank you for your support!
Until next time, keep learning, keep practicing.
