Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Countable nouns adalah kata benda yang dapat dihitung, yang dapat menunjukkan kuantitas atau jumlah, contohnya kata benda pen dapat dihitung one, two, atau three pens.
Contoh kata benda yang dapat dihitung: cat, dog, man, baby, person, animal, bottle, box, coin, cup, plate, table, chair, bag, glass, book, house, etc. Benda-benda yang ada di sekitar kita umumnya adalah benda yang dapat dihitung.
Contoh countable nouns dalam kalimat:
- We could see a ship in the distance.
- I have to brothers, John and Mark.
- I've got a problem with the car.
- Do you like these photos?
- I'm going out for five minutes.
Uncountable nouns (disebut juga mass nouns) adalah kebalikan dari countable nouns, yaitu kata benda yang tidak dapat dihitung, contohnya kata benda water. Kata benda tersebut tidak bisa dikatakan a water atau two water, tetapi lebih tepat digunakan bersama dengan kata benda lainnya yang dapat dihitung, misalnya a glass of water atau two glass of water.
Contoh kata benda yang tidak dapat dihitung: sand, air, rice, sugar, cheese, tea, coffee, advice, assistance, fun, money, music, art, love, etc.
Contoh uncountable nouns dalam kalimat:
- Can I have some water?
- Shall we sit on the grass?
- The money is much better in my new job.
- I love music.
- Would you like some coffee?
Perhatikan beberapa catatan mengenai countable dan uncountable nouns di bawah ini.
Much dan many yang sama-sama berarti banyak, biasa digunakan untuk menyatakan jumlah pada countable dan uncountable nouns. Many digunakan untuk countable nouns dan terletak mendahuluinya, sedangkan much digunakan untuk uncountable nouns.
Contoh:
- How many years have you lived in Surabaya?
- She didn’t have much fun at the Tunjungan Plaza.
- I haven't got many pens.
- I haven't got much rice.
Number dan amount mempunyai arti yang sama yaitu jumlah atau sejumlah. Number digunakan untuk countable nouns, sedangkan amount untuk uncountable nouns.
Contoh:
- My teacher gives me a large number of assignments.
- My teacher gives me a large amount of homework.
- We have been friends for a number of years.
-They give us an amount of money.
Few dan little mempunyai arti yang sama yaitu sedikit. Few digunakan untuk countable nouns, sedangkan little digunakan untuk uncountable nouns.
Contoh:
- The party has attended by a few men.
- There is only a little milk on the table.
- I've got a few dollars.
- I've got a little money.
- Few people understand the difference.
Fewer dan less mempunyai arti yang sama yaitu sedikit. Fewer digunakan untuk countable nouns, sedangkan less digunakan untuk uncountable nouns.
Contoh:
- This kind of job will give you fewer dollars.
- He pays me less money than I thought.
- Fewer birds came this year.
- Doctors recommend eating less salt.
Some dan any mempunyai arti yang sama yaitu beberapa, biasa digunakan untuk menyatakan jumlah tak tentu pada countable nouns (plural) atau uncountable nouns.
Contoh:
- I've got some money.
- Have you got any rice?
- I've got some dollars.
- Have you got any pens?
Countable nouns dapat berbentuk singular maupun plural.
- My cat is playing.
- My cats are hungry.
Countable nouns yang singular dapat didahului dengan kata this, that, every, each, either, dan neither, sedangkan yang plural biasanya didahului kata these, those, some, any, enough, dan zero article. Lihat juga catatan dan contoh di atas.
Umumnya, uncountable nouns tidak dapat dibuat menjadi plural, kecuali jika disertai oleh jenis kata lainnya.
- There are new wines being introduced every day.
- The waters of the Atlantic are much warmer this time of year.
- The Dutch are famous for their cheeses.
Countable nouns dapat diawali oleh a, an (indefinite article) untuk singular dan the (definite article) untuk singular maupun plural.
Jika countable nouns berbentuk singular, maka penggunaan kata seperti a, an, the, my, this, dsb. harus digunakan.
- I want an orange. (tidak bisa dikatakan I want orange.)
- Where is my bottle? (tidak bisa dikatakan Where is bottle?)
Tetapi, jika countable nouns berbentuk plural, maka kata benda itu dapat berdiri sendiri:
- I like oranges.
- Bottles can break.
Terkadang uncountable nouns diperlakukan singular yang akhirnya juga menggunakan verba singular.
- This news is very important.
- Your luggage looks heavy.
Indefinite article a, an tidak umum dipakai pada uncountable nouns.
- a piece of news (bukan a news)
- a bottle of water (bukan a water)
- a grain of rice (bukan a rice)
Jadi, harus diberi kata keterangan di depannya. Perhatikan contoh lainnya berikut ini.
- There has been a lot of research into the causes of this disease.
- He gave me a great deal of advice before my interview.
- They've got a lot of furniture.
- Can you give me some information about uncountable nouns?
Uncountable nouns juga sering digunakan tanpa article (zero article)
- Poetry is beautiful.
- Sugar is sweet.
- Experience is the best teacher.
Uncountable nouns dapat didahului dengan kata some, any, enough, this, that, dan much. Dan karena bukan countable nouns maka tidak dapat didahului dengan kata these, those, every, each, either, and neither. Lihat lagi catatan dan contoh di atas.
Merupakan hal yang penting untuk mengetahui apakah suatu kata benda itu termasuk dalam countable nouns atau uncountable nouns. Hal ini akan memudahkan kita untuk mengenali jenis kata apa saja yang dapat diletakkan di sekitarnya.
Contoh kata benda yang dapat dihitung: cat, dog, man, baby, person, animal, bottle, box, coin, cup, plate, table, chair, bag, glass, book, house, etc. Benda-benda yang ada di sekitar kita umumnya adalah benda yang dapat dihitung.
Contoh countable nouns dalam kalimat:
- We could see a ship in the distance.
- I have to brothers, John and Mark.
- I've got a problem with the car.
- Do you like these photos?
- I'm going out for five minutes.
Uncountable nouns (disebut juga mass nouns) adalah kebalikan dari countable nouns, yaitu kata benda yang tidak dapat dihitung, contohnya kata benda water. Kata benda tersebut tidak bisa dikatakan a water atau two water, tetapi lebih tepat digunakan bersama dengan kata benda lainnya yang dapat dihitung, misalnya a glass of water atau two glass of water.
Contoh kata benda yang tidak dapat dihitung: sand, air, rice, sugar, cheese, tea, coffee, advice, assistance, fun, money, music, art, love, etc.
Contoh uncountable nouns dalam kalimat:
- Can I have some water?
- Shall we sit on the grass?
- The money is much better in my new job.
- I love music.
- Would you like some coffee?
Perhatikan beberapa catatan mengenai countable dan uncountable nouns di bawah ini.
Much dan many yang sama-sama berarti banyak, biasa digunakan untuk menyatakan jumlah pada countable dan uncountable nouns. Many digunakan untuk countable nouns dan terletak mendahuluinya, sedangkan much digunakan untuk uncountable nouns.
Contoh:
- How many years have you lived in Surabaya?
- She didn’t have much fun at the Tunjungan Plaza.
- I haven't got many pens.
- I haven't got much rice.
Number dan amount mempunyai arti yang sama yaitu jumlah atau sejumlah. Number digunakan untuk countable nouns, sedangkan amount untuk uncountable nouns.
Contoh:
- My teacher gives me a large number of assignments.
- My teacher gives me a large amount of homework.
- We have been friends for a number of years.
-They give us an amount of money.
Few dan little mempunyai arti yang sama yaitu sedikit. Few digunakan untuk countable nouns, sedangkan little digunakan untuk uncountable nouns.
Contoh:
- The party has attended by a few men.
- There is only a little milk on the table.
- I've got a few dollars.
- I've got a little money.
- Few people understand the difference.
Fewer dan less mempunyai arti yang sama yaitu sedikit. Fewer digunakan untuk countable nouns, sedangkan less digunakan untuk uncountable nouns.
Contoh:
- This kind of job will give you fewer dollars.
- He pays me less money than I thought.
- Fewer birds came this year.
- Doctors recommend eating less salt.
Some dan any mempunyai arti yang sama yaitu beberapa, biasa digunakan untuk menyatakan jumlah tak tentu pada countable nouns (plural) atau uncountable nouns.
Contoh:
- I've got some money.
- Have you got any rice?
- I've got some dollars.
- Have you got any pens?
Countable nouns dapat berbentuk singular maupun plural.
- My cat is playing.
- My cats are hungry.
Countable nouns yang singular dapat didahului dengan kata this, that, every, each, either, dan neither, sedangkan yang plural biasanya didahului kata these, those, some, any, enough, dan zero article. Lihat juga catatan dan contoh di atas.
Umumnya, uncountable nouns tidak dapat dibuat menjadi plural, kecuali jika disertai oleh jenis kata lainnya.
- There are new wines being introduced every day.
- The waters of the Atlantic are much warmer this time of year.
- The Dutch are famous for their cheeses.
Countable nouns dapat diawali oleh a, an (indefinite article) untuk singular dan the (definite article) untuk singular maupun plural.
Jika countable nouns berbentuk singular, maka penggunaan kata seperti a, an, the, my, this, dsb. harus digunakan.
- I want an orange. (tidak bisa dikatakan I want orange.)
- Where is my bottle? (tidak bisa dikatakan Where is bottle?)
Tetapi, jika countable nouns berbentuk plural, maka kata benda itu dapat berdiri sendiri:
- I like oranges.
- Bottles can break.
Terkadang uncountable nouns diperlakukan singular yang akhirnya juga menggunakan verba singular.
- This news is very important.
- Your luggage looks heavy.
Indefinite article a, an tidak umum dipakai pada uncountable nouns.
- a piece of news (bukan a news)
- a bottle of water (bukan a water)
- a grain of rice (bukan a rice)
Jadi, harus diberi kata keterangan di depannya. Perhatikan contoh lainnya berikut ini.
- There has been a lot of research into the causes of this disease.
- He gave me a great deal of advice before my interview.
- They've got a lot of furniture.
- Can you give me some information about uncountable nouns?
Uncountable nouns juga sering digunakan tanpa article (zero article)
- Poetry is beautiful.
- Sugar is sweet.
- Experience is the best teacher.
Uncountable nouns dapat didahului dengan kata some, any, enough, this, that, dan much. Dan karena bukan countable nouns maka tidak dapat didahului dengan kata these, those, every, each, either, and neither. Lihat lagi catatan dan contoh di atas.
Merupakan hal yang penting untuk mengetahui apakah suatu kata benda itu termasuk dalam countable nouns atau uncountable nouns. Hal ini akan memudahkan kita untuk mengenali jenis kata apa saja yang dapat diletakkan di sekitarnya.
NOUNS
COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
Countable nouns are for things we can count
Example: dog, horse, man, shop, idea.
They usually have a singular and plural form.
Example: two dogs, ten horses, a man, six men, the shops, a few ideas.
Uncountable nouns are for the things that we cannot count
Example: tea, sugar, water, air, rice.
They are often the names for abstract ideas or qualities.
Example: knowledge, beauty, anger, fear, love.
They are used with a singular verb. They usually do not have a plural form. We cannot say sugars, angers, knowledges.
Examples of common uncountable nouns:
money, furniture, happiness, sadness, research, evidence, safety, beauty, knowledge.
money, furniture, happiness, sadness, research, evidence, safety, beauty, knowledge.
We cannot use a/an with these nouns. To express a quantity of one of these nouns, use a word or expression like:
some, a lot of, a piece of, a bit of, a great deal of...
some, a lot of, a piece of, a bit of, a great deal of...
Examples:
· There has been a lot of research into the causes of this disease.
· He gave me a great deal of advice before my interview.
· They've got a lot of furniture.
· Can you give me some information about uncountable nouns?
Some nouns are countable in other languages but uncountable in English. Some of the most common of these are:
accommodation advice baggage behaviour bread furniture information luggage | news progress traffic travel trouble weather work |
BE CAREFUL with the noun 'hair' which is normally uncountable in English:
She has long blonde hair
It can also be countable when referring to individual hairs:
My father's getting a few grey hairs now
Reference:
1. Rogers, Toni. 2007. Informational English. Jakarta: Widya Utama
2. Sudarwati, Th. M.; Grace, Eudia. 2007. Look Ahead Book 2. Jakarta: Penerbit Erlangga
3. Soeprapto, F.A.; Darwis, Mariana. 2006. Linked to the World 1. Jakarta: Yudhistira
4. Azar, Betty Schrampfer. 1989. Understanding and Using English Grammar (2nd edition). New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
5. Azar, Betty Schrampfer. 1993. Fundamentals of English Grammar (2nd edition). Jakarta: Binarupa Aksara
6. Drs. Rudi Hariyono; Andrew McCarthy. 2008. ABC Plus English Grammar.
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