A noun can either be countable or uncountable. Uncountable nouns cannot be made plural, and they only have one form. They take a singular verb. Uncountable nouns are often the names of things or substances or abstract ideas which cannot be counted.
Examples of common uncountable nouns are:
accommodation, traffic, news, pollution, work, weather, information, advice, electricity

Singular countable nouns can use a/an and the.
A new project was started this morning.
The man next door is a government scientist.

Some nouns can be countable and uncountable and have a difference in meaning:
Her hair is very long. (uncountable noun meaning the hair on her head)
There’s a hair in this sandwich! (countable noun)

Coffee grows in Brazil. (uncountable noun for the product)
Would you like to come round for a coffee? (countable noun meaning ‘a cup of coffee’)

There is an important difference in meaning between a few / few and a little / little. For example:
There were few people at the meeting. (It was disappointing because not many people were there.)
There were a few people at the meeting. (There weren’t many people there, but there is no suggestion that more were expected.)

I’ve seen little improvement in your work recently. (negative comment)
I’ve seen a little improvement in your work recently. (positive comment)


These activities practise this Grammar: