Countable and uncountable nouns: some, any, how much? Some and any exercises for A1 learners
About this lesson
This A1 drill lesson gives some and any exercises with countable and uncountable nouns, from an egg and some bread to How much milk? and two bottles of water.
- Grammar
- Countable nouns with a / an and -s, uncountable ones with neither and a singular verb, some in positives, offers and requests, any in negatives and questions, How much / How many and containers.
- Topic
- The Walkers' Fourth of July barbecue in Kansas City, an invented family: their group chat, Grandma Walker's potato salad recipe, Tasha's messages with Mom and Brandon's post.
- Activities
- Sorting, choices, gap-fills, tables, word order, matching, drag-and-drop texts, find-the-mistake quizzes, a chat with Uncle Ray and a final test.
What's inside
Chapter 1The rule
Chapter 2Countable or uncountable?
- Sort the words: countable or uncountable?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Choose the right words: a / an or no a / an?Choose the optionTry it
- Fill in the gaps before the nounsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: there is or there are + a lot ofFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the correct phraseQuizUnlock
- Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
Chapter 3Some or any?
- Choose some or anyChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: positive, negative or question?Fill in the gapsTry it
- Fill in the table: positive, negative, questionFill in the tableUnlock
- Read Ruby and Dad's talk and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Put the words in order: some and anyUnjumbleUnlock
- Find the mistake: some or any?QuizUnlock
- Read Mom's note and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 4How much? How many? A bottle of…
- Choose How much or How manyChoose the optionUnlock
- Write the question for the answerFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the right word: a bottle, a cup, a loaf…Choose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the table: one and more than oneFill in the tableTry it
- Put the words in order to make questionsUnjumbleUnlock
- Match the questions and the answersMatchUnlock
- Find the mistake: How much, How many and containersQuizUnlock
Chapter 5Real life: The Fourth of July barbecue
- Read the Walkers' family chatReal-life documentUnlock
- Read the chat again: true or false?True or falseUnlock
- Read Grandma Walker's recipe and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read Tasha's messages with Mom and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read Brandon's post and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the right replies: Uncle Ray talks to youChatTry it
- Test yourself: choose the right answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 6Homework
- Mark true or false: correct or not?True or falseUnlock
- Sort the words: How much…? or How many…?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Unscramble the uncountable nounsAnagramUnlock
- Choose some or any: at the supermarketChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: negative sentences with anyFill in the gapsUnlock
- Fill in the table: have and has with some and anyFill in the tableUnlock
- Write the questions: How much …? How many …?Fill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the right words: a camping tripChoose the optionUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: one and more than oneMemory gameUnlock
- Match the questions and the answers: at a caféMatchUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: mixed sentencesUnjumbleUnlock
- Choose the correct sentenceQuizUnlock
- Read the bakery ad and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read Kate's email and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read Felix's postcard and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
Grammar: countable and uncountable nouns with some and any
English counts some things (an apple, two apples) and not others (milk, money). That one difference decides a / an, the plural, the verb and How much or How many. Some and any work with both kinds: some for positives, offers and requests, any for negatives and questions.
Countable and uncountable nouns: some, any, how much?
Some things we count (an apple, two apples). Some we don't (milk, money). This changes a / an, the plural, some / any and How much / How many.
Countable or uncountable?
Countable nouns take a / an for one and -s for more: an egg, three cookies. Uncountable nouns take neither, and their verb is singular: The milk is cold. Learn the uncountable ones as a set: water, bread, rice, cheese, money, music, homework, information.
Countable or uncountable?
Countable: we can count them
- a / an + one: an egg, a cookie
- plural with -s: two eggs, three cookies
- apple, banana, sandwich, plate, song, dollar
Uncountable: we can't count them
- no a / an: milk, bread (not: a bread)
- no plural: money (not: moneys)
- the verb in the singular: The milk is cold.
Uncountable nouns to remember
- water · milk · juice · coffee · tea
- bread · rice · cheese · butter
- sugar · ketchup · ice · fruit
- money · music · homework · information
- food · help · paper · lemonade
Some in positives, offers and requests
Some goes in positive sentences (I have some money.), in offers (Would you like some juice?) and in requests (Can I have some milk?). Any goes in negatives and plain questions: We don't have any milk. Are there any cookies?
some or any?
some
- positive sentences: I have some money.
- offers: Would you like some juice?
- requests: Can I have some milk?
any
- negative sentences: We don't have any milk.
- questions: Is there any soup? Are there any cookies?
Examples
- There are some eggs, but there isn't any milk.positive and negative
- Would you like some lemonade? Yes, please!an offer
- Can I have some ice, please?a request
- Do we have any ketchup? No, we don't.a question
- How many sandwiches do we need? Ten.countable: How many
- How much rice do we have? A big bag.uncountable: How much
How much, how many and a lot of
How many takes a plural (How many apples?), and How much takes an uncountable noun: How much milk? A lot of works with both: a lot of apples, a lot of milk. So it's How much money, never How many money.
| Sentence | Countable: apples | Uncountable: milk |
|---|---|---|
| one | an apple | milk (not: a milk) |
| positive (+) | There are some apples. | There's some milk. |
| negative (−) | There aren't any apples. | There isn't any milk. |
| question (?) | Are there any apples? | Is there any milk? |
| How…? | How many apples? | How much milk? |
| a lot | a lot of apples | a lot of milk |
A bottle of, a piece of, a loaf of
To count an uncountable noun, count its container: a cup of coffee, a glass of milk, a bag of ice. Only the container takes the plural: two bottles of water, four pieces of cheese, two loaves of bread, not two bottle of waters or two loafs.
| Container | One | More than one |
|---|---|---|
| bottle | a bottle of water | two bottles of water |
| cup | a cup of coffee | three cups of tea |
| glass | a glass of milk | two glasses of juice |
| piece | a piece of cake | four pieces of cheese |
| loaf | a loaf of bread | two loaves of bread |
| bag | a bag of ice | five bags of ice |
Common mistakes
The scheme lists four slips: a bread, some informations, I don't have some milk and How many money? Advice is uncountable too: some advice, not an advice. The same goes for homework and music, never homeworks or musics.
Common mistakes
I'd like a bread, please.
I'd like some bread, please.
no a / an with uncountable nouns
I need some informations.
I need some information.
no plural: information, homework, music, money
I don't have some milk.
I don't have any milk.
any in negative sentences and questions
How many money do you have?
How much money do you have?
How much + uncountable · How many + plural
More traps
No plural and no a / an with uncountable nouns: some advice (not: an advice), homework (not: homeworks), music (not: musics), money (not: monies), a lot of bread (not: a lot of breads). Plurals take How many: How many apples? (not: How much apples?). Count the container: two bottles of water (not: two bottle of waters).
More lessons on this grammar: Countable and uncountable nouns lessons and exercises · Quantifiers lessons and exercises
Try the some and any exercises
Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.
What's in the lesson
- 39 auto-checked exercises
- 6 games
- 1 real-life document
- 1 grammar scheme
- 1 picture
The main objectives of this lesson are to:
- tell countable from uncountable nouns: a sandwich, two eggs, but bread, music and homework with no a and no -s
- use some in positive sentences, offers and requests: There's some lemonade in the fridge. Would you like some cookies?
- use any in negatives and questions: We don't have any peanut butter. Is there any rice? – No, there isn't.
- ask How many with plurals and How much with uncountable nouns: How many eggs do we need? How much milk is in the bottle?
- count with containers: a loaf of bread, two bags of ice, five pieces of cake, not two bottle of waters
Lesson 22 of English Grammar Practice · A1 sits on the countable and uncountable nouns and quantifiers pages. Before it comes lesson 21, Wh- questions: what, where, when, why?, and after it lesson 23, Was and were: where were you yesterday? It builds on the plurals of lesson 5 and the there is / there are of lesson 7. It practices grammar only, with food words students know, so any A1 class can add it.
The rule chapter opens with a picture and the scheme, then four drills: true or false, a some-or-any sort, a mixed choice and is or are in gaps. Countable or uncountable? sorts nouns, picks a / an or nothing and builds there is and there are with a lot of. Some or any? adds a table, Ruby's pancake talk with Dad and Mom's note. How much? How many? A bottle of… adds questions and containers. In the real-life chapter, students read the Walkers' family chat, fill in a potato salad recipe, Tasha's messages and Brandon's post, help Uncle Ray with a store run in the chat and take a 12-question test.
The 15 homework tasks check themselves, with new sentences: true or false, a how-much-or-how-many sort, an anagram of uncountable nouns, a supermarket, negatives with any, a have / has table, a camping trip, a memory game of containers, a café, mixed word order, a quiz, a bakery ad, Kate's email about a class picnic and Felix's postcard from a mountain cabin.
- Grammar:
- countable and uncountable nouns · some / any · How much / How many · a bottle of / a piece of
- Topic:
- grammar practice · food and drinks · shopping · Fourth of July
Teaching tips
- Empty a shopping bag before the scheme: hold up a bottle of water, a bag of rice and three apples, and ask Can we count it? Students sort the things into two groups on the board.
- Turn offers into a role play: one student is the host and offers Would you like some…?, the other answers and asks Is there any…? It shows why an offer takes some even though it's a question.
- Check the verb after uncountable nouns: The rice is ready. There's a lot of ice. When a student writes The rice are, ask them to count the rice.
- Plan a class party after the real-life chapter: groups list what they need with How much, How many and containers: How many bottles of lemonade? Two bags of ice.
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The whole course: English Grammar Practice · A1
English Grammar Practice · A1 has 24 drill lessons for adult beginners, one grammar point each, from the verb to be and the present simple to can, was and were and telling the time. Each has the rule as a scheme, 43 to 47 exercises that check themselves, 15 of them for homework, and no new words, so it works next to any course.See the course
- 1To be: I am, you are, she is
- 2To be negatives and questions: is it your bag?
- 3Subject pronouns and possessive adjectives: I, my, she, her
- 4This, that, these, those: what's this?
- 5Plural nouns: one box, two boxes
- 6A, an, the: a new apartment
- 7There is, there are: what's in the hotel?
- 8Have and has: she has a dog
- 9Present simple: she works, they work
- 10Present simple: don't, doesn't, do you…?
- 11Adverbs of frequency: always, usually, never
- 12In, on, at: times, days and months
- 13Prepositions of place: in, on, under, next to
- 14Can and can't: I can swim
- 15Imperatives: open, don't run, let's go
- 16Object pronouns: me, him, her, them
- 17Possessive 's: whose bag is this?
- 18Present continuous: what's happening now?
- 19Present simple or present continuous: every day or now?
- 20Like, love, hate + -ing: I love dancing
- 21Wh- questions: what, where, when, why?
- 22Countable and uncountable nouns: some, any, how much?
- 23Was and were: where were you yesterday?
- 24Telling the time and dates: what time is it?