Nouns used in a particular sense

  • Many of the nouns in the above groups can be used in a particular sense and are then countable and can take a/an in the singular.

    Some examples are given below:

    hair(all the hair on one's head) is considered uncountable, but if we consider each hair separately we say one hair, two hairs etc.:

    Her hair is black (uncountable noun).

    Whenever she finds a grey hair she pulls it out (countable noun)

    We drink beer, coffee, gin, but we can ask for a (cup of) coffee, a gin, two gins etc. We drink out of glasses. We can walk in woods.

    These, with hair, information, knowledge, news, rubbish, are sometimes countable in other languages.