LONGMAN ENGLISH GRAMMAR PRACTICE

2.3 Countable and uncountable nouns (1)

2.3C

Study:

та

Write:

2.3D

Study:

Normally uncountable nouns used as countables (1): 'a coffee/(some)

COffee' [> LEG 2.16.3]

1 Words for drinks like coffee are normally uncountable. This means:

• we use no article: Coffee is important to the economy of Brazil.


• or we use some/any. Is there any coffee? I'd like some coffee, please.

2 However, when we are ordering coffee, etc., we normally treat it as countable:

I'd like a coffee, please. Two coffees, please. One coffee and a glass of milk, please.

Use I'd like..., please to ask for drinks in each situation.

1 You have come down to breakfast. There is a choice between tea and coffee.

....I'd?.(кШ^.-...I'd Ш&.Сwfñf&i.:

2 You are ordering drinks. You want coffee for yourself. Your two friends want tea.

3 You are ordering drinks for three people: beer, lemonade, tomato juice.

4 You are ordering drinks. Two want coffee. Three want tea. One wants milk.

Normally uncountable nouns used as countables (2): 'oil/a light oil'

[> LEG 2.16.3]

Words like oil and plastic for substances and materials are normally uncountable [> 3.5A]:

OH is produced in the North Sea.

We often use a/an with nouns like this when we are describing them with an adjective:

The North Sea'produces a light oil which is highly prized in the oil industry.

Write: Rewrite these sentences using the nouns as countables.

1 The North Sea produces oil. (light)

2 This region produces wine, (excellent)

3 This factory produces cloth, (traditional)

4 This box is made of wood, (rare)

2.3E Context

Write: Put in a, some, or '-'.

A terrible tragedy!

OOOPSI

(^1) — wine is not cheap and (^2) good wine can cost a lot of money
these days. So spare^3 thought for Mr Sokolin,^4 New York
wine merchant, who recently lost^5 bottle of wine worth £305,000 (or
about £50,000^6 glass!). It was^7 1784 Chateau Margaux
which had once belonged to Thomas Jefferson, the third president of America. Mr
Sokolin took the bottle to^8 wine tasting and put it on^9 table.
The bottle was made of^10 dark glass and a waiter didn't notice it. He hit
it with^11 tray, making^12 large hole in it. Most of the wine was
lost, but Mr Sokolin was able to taste^13 of it. He said it was 'not veiy
good', but the loss of the bottle was described as^114 terrible tragedy'.