Boxi Learn › English › Stage 2 · Models and Patterns
Can you count it in English?
EN-3 Word order is informationX-3 Look from another side
What many people think
If you can count the things in real life, the English noun is countable, so “furnitures” and “advices” are fine.
The idea
English sorts nouns into countable and uncountable as a grammar label, not by whether the thing can really be counted: chairs but furniture, suggestions but advice; uncountable nouns take no a or -s and use much, some or a container word (a piece of advice).
Explain it
A friend writes “I need some advices and two furnitures.” Explain why it is wrong — real advice can be counted, so what decides it? — and fix both.
Try at home
Pick six things at home (spoons, rice, books, water, shoes, sugar). Guess countable or not, then check a learner's dictionary for [C] or [U]. Which guesses were wrong?