English Audio Request

I love coffee/Would you like a coffee? Words that can be countable and uncountable
By Liz Walter

In my last post I talked about why it is important to know whether words in English are countable or uncountable. However, I didn’t mention the fact that many words can be both countable and uncountable. This post discusses some of the reasons for this.

Food and drink is an area where words are commonly countable or uncountable. Often, the substance is uncountable, but a single portion (especially in the context of ordering something in a café) is countable:
+ This café serves excellent coffee. (uncountable: substance)
+ They ordered three coffees. (countable: three cups of coffee)

In addition, we often make foods countable when we talk about particular types of them:
+ I don’t like too much cheese on my pizzas. (uncountable: substance)
+ They make a wide range of blue cheeses. (countable: specific types)

In fact, we make this distinction between many other uncountable substances and countable types of those substances:
+ All the furniture is made from real wood. (uncountable: substance)
+ The woods they use are oak and mahogany. (countable: specific types)

In a similar way, we sometimes use uncountable nouns to talk about processes, situations, conditions etc. and countable nouns to talk about specific instances of them:
+ The decision will require a lot of thought. (uncountable: process of thinking)
+ What are your thoughts on Max’s suggestion? (countable: specific ideas)
+ We are worried about the spread of disease. (uncountable: illness in general)
+ These diseases are spread by poor hygiene. (countable: specific illnesses)

For some words, countability is an indicator of a completely different meaning:
+ This dictionary has simplified definitions. (countable: explanations of a word)
+ The definition on these photos is very good. (uncountable: how clear the picture is)

For other words, countability can indicate a different but related meaning:
+ She was wearing a long dress. (countable: item of clothing)
+ Formal dress is expected at the event. (uncountable: style of clothing)
+ They bought some land near their home. (uncountable: area)
+ We travelled to a faraway land. (countable: a country – rather literary use)

On a more advanced note, we sometimes see differences in countability in specialised contexts. For example, the word ‘behaviour’ is typically uncountable, but it may be used as a countable noun in contexts such as psychology:
+ Their behaviour is usually good. (uncountable: general use)
+ These children often exhibit disturbing behaviours. (countable: technical use)

And finally, another rather advanced point: pretty much any classically uncountable noun (which will be marked U only in a dictionary) can be made countable if you add an adjective before it. This use usually sounds rather literary:
+ An uneasy calm descended on the room.
+ We were tormented by a gnawing hunger.