Countable and Uncountable Nouns Work…: English ESL worksheets pdf ... - Free Printable

Let’s go step by step to solve both parts of the worksheet.

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Part 1: Say if the nouns are countable (C), uncountable (U) or both (B).

We need to think about each word:

- beef → You don’t say “one beef, two beefs” — it’s a type of meat. So → U
- coffee → Usually uncountable (“I drink coffee”), but you can say “a coffee” meaning a cup → B
- peach → You can count peaches → C
- onion → You can count onions → C
- sugar → Uncountable (you don’t say “two sugars” unless you mean spoonfuls or packets — but generally U) → U
- strawberry → Countable → C
- tea → Like coffee — usually uncountable, but “a tea” = a cup → B
- pork → Meat, not counted → U
- pear → Fruit you can count → C
- jam → Spread, not counted → U
- a cup of tea → This is already a counted phrase → C
- a glass of milk → Also a counted phrase → C
- melon → Can be counted (one melon, two melons) → C
- bread → Usually uncountable (“some bread”) → U
- milk → Liquid, not counted → U
- butter → Also a substance, not counted → U

Wait — let’s double-check tricky ones:

- coffee, tea: In everyday use, we often treat them as uncountable, but in restaurants, people say “I’ll have a coffee” — so they’re BOTH.
- a cup of tea, a glass of milk: These are phrases that include a container, so they’re treated as countable units → C

So final answers for Part 1:

a. beef → U
b. coffee → B
c. peach → C
d. onion → C
e. sugar → U
f. strawberry → C
g. tea → B
h. pork → U
i. pear → C
j. jam → U
k. a cup of tea → C
l. a glass of milk → C
m. melon → C
n. bread → U
o. milk → U
p. butter → U

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Part 2: Fill in the gaps with a, an or some.

Rules:
- Use a before consonant sounds.
- Use an before vowel sounds.
- Use some for plural countable nouns or uncountable nouns (when offering or requesting).

Let’s go sentence by sentence:

a. Can I have ___ biscuits and ___ glass of milk, please?
→ “biscuits” = plural → some
→ “glass” = singular, starts with consonant → a
✔ some, a

b. I’d like ___ sausages and ___ eggs, please.
→ both plural → some, some

c. I want ___ cheese and ham sandwich today.
→ “sandwich” is singular, starts with consonant → a

d. Would you like ___ apple or ___ pear?
→ “apple” starts with vowel sound → an
→ “pear” starts with consonant → a

e. I want ___ chocolate ice cream with my fruit salad.
→ “ice cream” is uncountable here → some

f. I’d like ___ steak, ___ rice and ___ green salad.
→ “steak” = uncountable (as food) → some
→ “rice” = uncountable → some
→ “green salad” = uncountable (unless specified as “a bowl of”) → some

g. Do you want ___ chips with your chicken?
→ “chips” = plural → some

h. Would you like ___ strawberries or ___ grapes?
→ both plural → some, some

i. I’d like ___ egg and ___ cereals for breakfast.
→ “egg” = singular, consonant → an? Wait — “egg” starts with vowel SOUND → an
→ “cereals” = plural → some

j. Can I have ___ milk or ___ juice, please?
→ both uncountable → some, some

k. Would you like ___ beer or would you prefer ___ glass of wine?
→ “beer” = uncountable → some
→ “glass” = singular, consonant → a

l. Would you like ___ wine? And ___ cheese, too?
→ both uncountable → some, some

m. I want ___ jam and ___ butter for my toast, please.
→ both uncountable → some, some

n. Do you want ___ sausages, or would you prefer ___ steak?
→ “sausages” = plural → some
→ “steak” = uncountable → some

Wait — let’s check i again:
“I’d like ___ egg and ___ cereals”
→ “egg” → starts with vowel sound → an
→ “cereals” → plural → some

Also f: “green salad” — sometimes people say “a green salad” meaning one portion. But since no article is given and it’s general, “some” is safer. However, in many contexts, “a green salad” is common. Let’s see the pattern — other items are uncountable. But actually, “salad” can be countable when referring to a serving. Since the question doesn’t specify, and to match typical usage in such exercises, “a green salad” might be expected. Hmm.

Looking back at similar sentences — e.g., “a glass of milk”, “a cup of tea” — those are specific portions. Here, “green salad” without specification — probably “some”. But let’s check standard textbook usage.

Actually, in many ESL worksheets, “salad” is treated as uncountable unless specified. So “some green salad” is correct.

But wait — sentence c says “cheese and ham sandwich” — which is singular, so “a”. Similarly, “green salad” could be considered a dish, so “a green salad” is also acceptable. To avoid confusion, let’s stick with what’s most consistent.

In sentence f: “I’d like ___ steak, ___ rice and ___ green salad.”
All three are typically served as portions. “Steak” can be “a steak”, “rice” is usually “some rice”, “salad” can be “a salad”.

This is ambiguous. But looking at the level of the worksheet, and since “steak” and “salad” can be countable when referring to servings, while “rice” is almost always uncountable...

Actually, let’s look for clues in other sentences. Sentence k has “a glass of wine” — so they do use articles for portions.

Perhaps for f:
- steak → can be “a steak” (if thinking of one piece)
- rice → “some rice”
- green salad → “a green salad” (one serving)

But the exercise may expect consistency. Given that, and to keep it simple, many textbooks would accept:

f. some, some, some — because all are foods being requested generally.

However, I recall that in British English especially, “I’d like a steak” is very common. Same with “a salad”.

To resolve this, let’s assume the worksheet expects:

For f:
- steak → a (if counting pieces)
But “steak” as food is often uncountable. Actually, no — you can say “I ate two steaks”.

Given the context of ordering food, it’s likely:

f. a steak, some rice, a green salad

But the blank is just before “steak”, not “a steak” — wait, the gap is before the noun, so we choose a/an/some.

Standard answer in such cases:

Actually, let me check online or recall — in most beginner worksheets:

- “steak” → some (uncountable)
- “rice” → some
- “salad” → some

But I’ve seen variations.

To be safe, and since the student is learning basics, let’s go with:

f. some, some, some

Similarly, for n: “sausages” → some, “steak” → some

Final decision for Part 2:

a. some, a
b. some, some
c. a
d. an, a
e. some
f. some, some, some
g. some
h. some, some
i. an, some
j. some, some
k. some, a
l. some, some
m. some, some
n. some, some

Wait — in i: “egg” — should it be “an egg”? Yes, because “egg” starts with a vowel sound.

And “cereals” — plural, so “some cereals”

Yes.

Now, compiling all answers.

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Final Answer:

Part 1:

a. U
b. B
c. C
d. C
e. U
f. C
g. B
h. U
i. C
j. U
k. C
l. C
m. C
n. U
o. U
p. U

Part 2:

a. some, a
b. some, some
c. a
d. an, a
e. some
f. some, some, some
g. some
h. some, some
i. an, some
j. some, some
k. some, a
l. some, some
m. some, some
n. some, some