How to make uncountable nouns countable.
When making an uncountable noun countable, we often use a unit of measurement – a cup of, a bottle of, a piece of, a kilo of, a lump of. Here are the most common units of measurement (note that these units can be used with countable nouns too!).
Useless fact: It’s not important to know, but these units of measurement are called ‘partitives’.
- a bag of sugar
- a bar of chocolate
- a bottle of milk
- a bottle of wine
- a box of cereal
- a box of matches
- a bunch of grapes
- a carton of milk
- a clap of thunder
- a cube of ice
- a drop of rain
- a flake of snow
- a glass of milk
- a glass of wine
- a gram of sugar
- a head of lettuce
- a jar of jam
- a layer of dust
- a loaf of bread
- a lump of coal
- a packet of biscuits
- a patch of oil
- a piece of bread
- a piece of cheese
- a pinch of salt
- a pint of beer
- a pot of tea
- a ream of paper
- a roll of tape
- a sack of rice
- a shot of whisky
- a shower of rain
- a slice of bread
- a spark of electricity
- a spoonful of sugar
- a squirt of cream
- a stick of butter
- a sum of money
- a tube of toothpaste
In addition to using a unit of measurement, a lot of uncountable nouns also have countable equivalents. Here’s another list you need to try and remember!
| Uncountable noun | Countable equivalent |
| Knowledge | A fact |
| money | A pound / a dollar / a Euro |
| Furniture | A table |
| Advice | A tip / A suggestion |
| Travel | A trip / A journey |
| Work | A job |
| Scenery | A view |