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ESL forum > Grammar and Linguistics > Countable and uncountable nouns????    

Countable and uncountable nouns????



catiahenriques
Portugal

Countable and uncountable nouns????
 
Hi everybody.
Is chocolate a countable or uncountable noun?
I�ve done some reasearch on internet and it was uncountable but I found this example on cambridge dictionary online: I took her a box of chocolates.
I�ve got confused.
So can we say chocolates and it stays an uncountable noun?
Can you help me??
Thanks
C�tia

11 Jan 2010      





suxanita
Portugal

Tornou-se Countable porque � 1 CAIXA de chocolates.
P.ex rice � uncount. mas se disseres a spoon of rice, este torna-se count.
 

11 Jan 2010     



moravc
Czech Republic

Almost all uncountable nouns (items of food, drinks) can be changed to COUNTABLE, but you have to add the "container" - a basket of..., a bag of ..., a bowl of ..., a bottle of..., a sack of ...., a loaf of...(bread), three loaves of .... white bread, a slice of ... (cheese)..., a plate of, a slice of, a carton of, a piece of, a pot of, a drop of, a can of, a  bucket of, a jug of, a drop of... water, a bar of, a jar of, a head of (lettuce), a roll of paper, a bunch of, a tube of, a crate of, a package of,  a pack of, a stick of, a sack of ....
and also quantities:
two litres of milk, five meters of cloth..., a gallon of, a dozen of, a pint of, pound of , a quart of...
see these worksheets on QUANTITIES AND CONTAINERS:
http://www.eslprintables.com/buscador/buscar.asp?nivel=any&age=0&tipo=any&contents=containers&B1=Search#thetop

BTW - the chocolate - is UNCOUNTABLE - there isn�t much chocolate .... It is the brown "staff / material / mass")
a BAR of chocolate -- Milka, Cadbury... is COUNTABLE
COUNTABLE chocolates are "bonbons", small round pieces of chocolate wrapped in paper / foil...
so you can say "a box of chocolates"... similar to "a box of cookies", "a box of muffins" .....

11 Jan 2010     



DUSIA
Poland

It depends on the meaning

chocolate (U) in general     I like chocolate!

a chocolate (C) a box of chocolates   "Please, help yourself with a chocolate."



Smile

12 Jan 2010     



libertybelle
United States

Dusia is correct except that you say:
Please help yourself to a chocolate.

12 Jan 2010     



akuzmenok
Ukraine

Chocolate can become countable if it means sweets (candies Am) coated in chocolate. Then you can say chocolates, or as Dusia said you can also say a box of chocolates.

12 Jan 2010     



RabbitWho
Czech Republic

These are chocolates:

http://i41.tinypic.com/3025pw7.jpg

Each of them is a chocolate. Countable noun.

But they are made out of chocolate - the material. Uncountable noun.

12 Jan 2010     



catiahenriques
Portugal

Thank you all for your help.
Hugs
C�tia

12 Jan 2010