Exercises

1. Look at the italicized nouns in the sentences. Write “C” above the count noun and “NC” above the noncount noun.

1. I bought some chairs, tables, and desks. In other words, I bought some furniture.

2. Ann likes to wear jewellery. Today she is wearing four rings, six bracelets, and a necklace.

3. We saw beautiful mountains, fields, and lakes on our trip. In other words, we saw beautiful scenery.

4. Gold and iron are metals.

5. In the United States, baseball is called the national pastime. To play it you need a baseball and a bat.

2. A. Complete the sentences with the given nouns, adding final –s/-es if necessary. Use each noun only once.

advice homework music stuff change information progress thunder garbage junk river traffic hardware luggage screwdriver

1. I have some coins in my pocket. In other words, I have some ______ in my pocket.

2. The Mississippi, the Amazon and the Nile are well-known _______.

3. I like to listen to operas, symphonies, and folk songs. I enjoy_______.

4. The street is full of cars, trucks, and busses. It is full of ________.

5. I put some banana peels, empty juice cartons, and broken bottles in the waste can. The can is full of _______.

6. They have a rusty car with an engine, broken chairs, and an old refrigerator in their front yard. Their yard is full of _______.

7. Paul has books, pens, papers, notebooks, a clock, scissors, a tape recorder, and some other things on his desk. He has a lot of ________ on his desk.***

8. The children got scared when they heard _______ during the storm.

9. Tools that are used for turning screws are called ________.

10. I went to the store to get some nails, hammers and screws. In other words, I bought some _______.

11. Tonight I have to read 20 pages in my history book, do 30 algebra problems, and write a composition. In other words, I have a lot of _______ to do tonight.

12. Ann took three suitcases, a shoulder bag, and a cosmetics case. In other words, she took a lot of ______ on her trip.

13. Toronto is 365 ft./109 m. above sea level. The average annual precipitation in Toronto is 32 in./81 cm. The population of the metropolitan area is over 3,000,000. I found (this/these) _______ in the encyclopedia.

14. I didn’t feel good. Ann said, “You should see a doctor.” Nick said, “You should go home and go to bed.” Martha said, “You should drink fruit juice and rest.”I got _______ from three people.

15. My English is slowly getting better. My vocabulary is increasing. It’s getting easier for me to write, and I make fewer mistakes. I can often understand people even when they talk fast. I’m satisfied with the _______ I’ve made in learning English.

2. Look at the italicized nouns in the sentences. Write “C” above the count noun and “NC” above the noncount noun.

*** As a noncount noun, stuff means “a group of various things.” It is an inexact term used primarily in very informal spoken English. (Junk sometimes has the same meaning)

Examples: I keep a lot of stuff in my desk drawers.

Look at all the stuff in this room!

3. Add final –s/-es to the nouns in italics if necessary. Do not add or change any other words.

1. Isabel always has fresh egg available because she raises chicken in the yard.

2. I had chicken and rice for dinner last night.

3. Outside my window, I can see a lot of tree, bush, grass, dirt, and flower.

4. Abdullah gave me some good advice. Nadia also gave me some good suggestion.

5. Yoko learned several new word today. She increased her vocabulary today.

6. I drank two glass of water.

7. Window are made of glass.

8. Mr.Chu wears glass because he has poor eyesight.

9. It took me a lot of time to finish my homework. I had a lot of assignments.

10. I have been in Mexico three time. I’ve spent a lot of time there.

11. There are typewriter, copier, telephone, and stapler in a typical business office. A business office needs a lot of equipment.

12. The air is full of smoke, dust, carbon monoxide, and many other harmful substance. We must seek to reduce air pollution.

13. I like to read good literature. I especially like to read novel, poetry, and essay. My favourite poet are Longfellow and Wordsworth. I have always liked their poem.

14. I like to experience different season. I like both hot and cold weather.

15. Being a parent has brought me a lot of happiness. Parenting requires a lot of patience, but it provides many reward.

16. You can find a lot of time-saving machine in a modern factory. Modern factory need modern machinery.

17. Experienced traveler learn to travel with minimal luggage. My globe-trotting aunt can pack everything she needs into two small suitcase, whether her trip will last for three day or three month. I’m not an experienced traveler. When I travel, I invariably take along too much stuff. Last month I took a three-day trip to Chicago with twice as many clothes as I need.

18. Recycling is important. Regular garbage will typically contain many things that can be recycled: magazine, envelope, cardboard box, old phone book, glass bottle, jar, copper, brass, tin can, etc.

19. There are more star in the universe than there are grain of sand on all the beaches on earth.