Use of Adjectives with Countable and Uncountable Nouns

The main purpose of adjectives in the sentence is to define and characterize nouns so that they can be distinguished from one another. Adjectives are words that characterize the type of noun, its state, quality, quantity, and amount.

They do not provide an exact number of nouns but rather an estimate. When we do not need to specify the exact number of a noun, we use quantity adjectives.

What are Countable and Uncountable nouns?

In the English language, nouns can be either countable or uncountable. However, there are exceptions when a noun can be both, depending on the context. For example, ‘I want to apply for five colleges (countable)’ and ‘College (uncountable) is an important part of professional training.’

Countable nouns name things that can be easily counted. They take either a singular or a plural form. The latter is formed by adding an ‘-s’ to the singular form of a noun. For example, candle(s), toy(s), table(s), bed(s), etc.

Uncountable nouns name things that cannot be counted and are usually used to describe abstract notions, such as feelings, qualities, emotions, states, etc. For example, anxiety, pride, cheese, water, sorrow, milk. Uncountable nouns can only take the singular form, as they do not have a plural form.

Quantity Adjectives

The majority of adjectives can be used to modify both countable and non-countable nouns. For instance, you may say, ‘My friend is strong’ and ‘My love for her is strong.’

With some adjectives, however, the distinction between countable and uncountable nouns plays a bigger part. These are: much/many, a lot of/lots of, little/few, a little bit of, some/any, plenty of, enough, and no.

Much or Many?

‘Much’ can only be used to modify uncountable nouns.

• ✔️ My parents have so much work to do.
• ✔️ He has not so much trust for me.

‘Many’ can only be used to modify countable nouns.

• ✔️ Many readers did not enjoy this book.
• ✔️ I have made some mistakes in the past, but I promise to do better.

A Lot of or Lots of?

Consider these two quantity adjectives as informal variants of the words much and many. These words can be used both with uncountable nouns when in the meaning of ‘much’ and with countable nouns when in the meaning of ‘many.’

• ✔️ They haven’t got lots of cash, just 10 dollars.
• ✔️ A lot of students often study at the library.
• ✔️ There aren’t lots of malls in my town.
• ✔️ Her parents have a lot of concern for her future.

Little or Few?

‘Little’ can only be used to modify uncountable nouns.

• ✔️ He had little food in the house.
• ✔️ When I was in college, there was little money to spare.

‘Few’ can only be used to modify uncountable nouns.

• ✔️ There are a few doctors in town.
• ✔️ He had few reasons for his opinion.

A Little Bit of

‘A little bit of’ is an informal determiner and can only modify uncountable nouns.

• ✔️ There is a little bit of turmeric in the stew.
• ✔️ There is a little bit of spilled milk on the floor.

However, the next example doesn’t work because ‘book’ is a countable noun.

• ❌ There is a little bit of books on the shelf.
• ✔️ There are a few books on the shelf.

Some or Any?

‘Some’ and ‘any’ can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.

• ✔️ I have seen some cool tricks in the movies.
• ✔️ He is tired and definitely needs some coffee.
• ✔️ Does he even have any confidence?
• ✔️ Did you get any of my messages?

Make sure to use ‘some’ and ‘any’ with the plural form if such exists. Consider the following examples:

• ❌ We have some carrot in our fridge.
• ✔️ We have some carrots in our fridge.

Plenty of

Quantity adjective ‘plenty of’ can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.

• ✔️ You’ll need plenty of help with this project.
• ✔️ My grandma has plenty of flowers in her garden.

Enough

Quantity adjective ‘enough’ can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.

• ✔️ Linda has enough money to pay for college.
• ✔️ I have enough tasks to keep myself busy.

No

Quantity adjective ‘no’ can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.

• ✔️ We have no sugar at home.
• ✔️ There are no paintings at my house.

Check out the table below to have a clear understanding of which adjectives can modify countable and uncountable nouns.

Countable Noun Modifiers	Uncountable Noun Modifiers	Both Countable and Uncountable Noun Modifiers
Many	Little	Some/Any
Few	Much	Plenty of
	A little bit of	Enough
		No
		A lot of/Lots of