ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel TutoringHour Countable and Uncountable Nouns for Kids | It’s Shop O’Clock!
Hey there! Welcome to a fun adventure at the grocery store with Nina, Matt, and their mom. Today, we’re going to learn about countable and uncountable nouns while they shop. Let’s dive in!
When Nina, Matt, and their mom arrived at the grocery store, Nina grabbed a shopping cart. Did you know “cart” is a countable noun? Countable nouns are things we can count, like “one cart” or “three carts.” Most things we talk about every day are countable nouns.
As they walked to the fresh produce aisle, Mom picked up five apples. “Apple” is another countable noun. You can say “one apple” or “five apples.” Easy, right?
Next, they needed to get some milk. Nina asked, “How much milk do we need?” Here’s the thing: “milk” is an uncountable noun. Uncountable nouns are things we can’t count individually, like milk, water, or sugar. We can’t say “five milk,” but we can say “a glass of milk” or “three cartons of milk” to show how much we have.
When talking about uncountable nouns, we use “how much,” and for countable nouns, we use “how many.” For example, “How many carrots?” and “How much milk?”
In the baking aisle, Mom picked up a bag of flour and a pack of sugar. Both “flour” and “sugar” are uncountable nouns. But when they got to the bakery, they added six bagels to the cart. “Bagel” is countable, but “bread” is uncountable. So, we say “a loaf of bread” instead of “two breads.”
Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable, like “chocolate.” When Nina grabbed some chocolates, it was countable. But when we say “Matt loves chocolate,” it’s uncountable, like when talking about a chocolate drink.
As they headed to the checkout, Nina always looked for a lane with fewer customers. “Customer” is countable. The lady at the checkout spoke in Spanish, which is uncountable. After paying with money (also uncountable), they packed everything into three bags. “Bag” is countable.
Before leaving, Mom remembered she had homework to do. “Homework” is another uncountable noun. So, next time you go shopping, see how many countable and uncountable nouns you can spot!
If you want to learn more, visit www.tutoringhour.com. Thanks for joining us on this shopping adventure!
Count and Sort Activity: At home, gather a mix of items like fruits, toys, and kitchen ingredients. Sort them into two groups: countable and uncountable nouns. For example, you can count “apples” and “toys,” but not “flour” or “water.” Discuss with a family member why each item belongs in its group.
Grocery Store Scavenger Hunt: Next time you visit a grocery store, make a list of items you think are countable and uncountable. As you shop, check off the items and see if you were right. For example, look for “bananas” (countable) and “juice” (uncountable). Share your findings with your class or family.
Creative Storytelling: Write a short story about a day in the life of a grocery store item. Choose one countable noun and one uncountable noun from the lesson, like “bagel” and “milk.” Describe their adventures in the store and how they interact with other items. Share your story with friends or family and discuss the different types of nouns you used.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
—
[Music]
Hello and welcome to Tutoring Hour! In this video, we’ll visit the grocery store with Nina, Matt, and their mother, and watch the trip turn into a memorable learning experience about countable and uncountable nouns.
Nina, Matt, and Mom reached the grocery store. Nina got a shopping cart. The word “cart” is a countable noun. A countable noun refers to items that can be counted, often preceded by the articles “a” or “an.” For example, we can say “one cart,” “three carts,” “one car,” “five cars,” and so on. Most nouns in English are countable nouns.
Mom, Nina, and Matt walked to the fresh produce aisle. Mom took five firm red apples. The noun “apple” here is countable.
“Now let’s check out the vegetable section,” suggested Mom.
“How many carrots should I buy?” asked Matt.
“Take six,” said Mom.
Matt took six carrots, put them in a bag, and dropped it into the cart. “Carrot” is a countable noun.
“Next on our list is milk,” said Nina. Mom dragged the cart to the dairy aisle.
“How much milk do you need?” asked Nina.
“Can we count milk?”
No, nouns that exist as masses or abstract quantities and cannot be counted are called non-count or uncountable nouns. We cannot say “five milk,” can we?
Did you notice we used “how much milk” and “how many carrots”? “How much” is used with uncountable nouns, and “how many” is used with countable nouns. Uncountable nouns are always singular; they either stand alone or are seen with a quantifier.
Quantifiers such as “many,” “several,” “few,” and “fewer” can only be used with countable nouns, while “much,” “little,” “less,” and “least” can only be used with uncountable nouns. For instance, we add “a little” (not “a few”) milk to the coffee sometimes.
To count or quantify an uncountable noun, we use a unit of measurement. For example, we can say “three cartons of milk” to specify the quantity.
They headed for the baking aisle. Mom picked up a bag of flour; the noun “flour” is uncountable. Nina then took a pack of sugar, another uncountable noun.
The bakery was just next to the baking aisle. Six bagels were added to the cart; bagels are countable, but you can’t say “two breads” because “bread” is uncountable. We can say “a loaf of bread” or “two loaves of bread.”
“We have missed the spices,” said Mom. She turned the cart towards the spice aisle. Salt and pepper, both uncountable nouns, went into the cart.
The kids were excited when they saw the candy in the snack aisle. Happiness is an abstract noun, and all abstract nouns are uncountable.
Matt laid his hands on his favorite crackers; “cracker” is countable. Nina squatted and grabbed a handful of her favorite chocolates. The word “chocolate” here refers to chocolate candy, so it’s countable. However, “chocolate” can also be used as an uncountable noun, as in the sentence “Matt adores chocolate,” which means a drink made from a powder containing chocolate.
Nouns that are both countable and uncountable are called variable nouns.
They headed toward the checkout lane. Nina always rushed ahead of Mom to find a lane with fewer customers; “customer” is countable. She hated waiting.
Finally, it was their turn. The lady at the checkout greeted them in Spanish. “Spanish” is an uncountable noun. She scanned all the items one by one. The sound of the barcode reader annoyed Nina.
Mom paid the money; “money” is an uncountable noun too. They packed the items into the three reusable bags they had carried from home; “bag” is countable.
“Hurry up!” Mom cried. “I just remembered I need to do some homework.” “Homework” is an uncountable noun.
So next time you go shopping, remember you could learn so much! If you need to practice more, visit www.tutoringhour.com.
Give us a thumbs up if you liked the video, click on the subscribe button right now, and be a part of our YouTube family. Thanks for watching Tutoring Hour!
—
Let me know if you need any further modifications!
