Nouns after the, a/an and numbers

  • There are some words that go with both countable and uncountable nouns. One of these is « the ».

    We can say the ship (singular), the ships (plural) or the water (uncountable).

    But other words go with one kind of noun but not with the other.

    COUNTABLE

    A/an or one goes only with a singular noun.

    I need a spoon. Numbers above one go only with plural nouns. We eat three meals a dav.

    UNCOUNTABLE

    We do not use a/an with an uncountable noun.

    NOT A WATER and NOT A-music. We do not use numbers with an uncountable noun. NOT three feeds

    Uncountable nouns are always singular and are not used with a/an:

    I don't want (any) advice or help. I want (some) information.

    He has had no experience in this sort of work.

  • These nouns are often preceded by some, any, no, a little etc. or by nouns such as bit. piece, slice etc. + of:

    a bit of news, a grain of sand, a pot of jam

    a cake of soap, a pane of glass, a sheet of paper

    a drop of oil, a piece of advice