Answers to Count and Noncount Noun Exercises

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Count and Noncount Nouns

Exercise 1

Are the following nouns count or noncount? Put an N next to the noncount nouns and a C next to the count nouns. If the noun can be either noncount or count depending on the context, put a D next to it.

world C
textbook C
acid D
smoking N
poetry N
applause N
thought D

banana C
conduct N
progress N
biology N
essay C
crystal D
shopping N		 

      
 

      
Exercise 2

      
Put an X next to the words in the following list that can be used as 
        either count or noncount nouns, depending on the context.

      
 


      

        
 
           
            
defense X

              beauty  X 

              garbage ___ 

              experience  X 

              baggage ___   

          		
          rain  X 

            rug ___ 

            nature ___ 

            bag ___ 

            emotion X 		
        

      

      
 

        Exercise 3

      
Fill in the blank with the form of the noun in parentheses that is appropriate 
        to the grammatical context of the sentence and the meaning of the passage 
        as a whole.

      
Diabetes: Beyond the Basics

      
Because diabetes can cause devastating damage to virtually all 
        body systems, people with diabetes should not underrate the seriousness 
        of their disease. Learning to live with a chronic illness such 
        as diabetes must be an ongoing process.

      
The Hospital's Center for Family Life Education is sponsoring a five-part 
        educational series on diabetes. The series will begin on April 30 and 
        continue through May 29. The program  will be held in the second 
        floor classroom of the Education Center from 7-9 p.m.

      
The diabetes series is free and open to the public and will be of specific 
        interest to people who have diabetes and their families and friends.

      
Exercise 4

      
On the basis of the rules for using articles, which combinations of words 
        below are permitted and which ones aren't? Put an X next to the incorrect 
        combinations.

      

        
 
           
            
 ____ a table  

              X  these person 

              ____ this furniture

              ____ that assignment 

              ____ a boy

            

            
  

          		
          ____ the poetry

            ____ a difficulty

             X  a research  

            X  this eggs 

             X  those argument

          		
        

      

      
 

      
Exercise 5

      
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate article if one is needed.

      
The Computer Jungle

      
Though you can make the decision on purely economic grounds, buying 
        a computer is often more like joining a religious cult. 
        Buy an Apple, for example, and almost by default you join Apple 
        chairman Steve Jobs in his crusade against IBM. Every machine has its 
        "users' groups" and a band of loyal enthusiasts who tout its merits. 
        That makes it all the more difficult for the uninitiated 
        to decide what machine to buy. Students have a huge advantage, 
        however. The computer companies are so eager for students' business (it 
        builds "brand loyalty") that many offer huge discounts.

      
In the past six months, IBM, Apple, and others have brought out new computers, 
        and the fierce competition has forced prices down. Also, time is 
        on your side: next year at this time you'll have even more choice 
        and more computing power and features for the same price. On the 
        other hand, this will probably be true for many years. So for those who 
        need or want a computer now, it's a great time to buy one.

      
 

      
Review the exercises at  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/esl/eslcountEX1.html, 
        review the handout at  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/esl/eslcount.html, 
        or go on to our second handout on count and noncount nouns at  
        http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/esl/eslcount2.html. 
      

      

      
For more information about nouns and other parts of speech, see our parts 
        of speech workshop at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/index2.html#parts. 
      

  





  
 
     
      

      
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