Nouns: Countable, Uncountable, and Agreement
Practice the noun quirks that trip up B1–B2 learners: uncountable nouns like advice and equipment, always-plural nouns like jeans, police, and scissors, and the singular 'news'.
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She gave me some good ___ about my CV.
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advice
'Advice' is uncountable — never 'advices' or 'an advice'. Say: some advice, a piece of advice.
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The news ___ shocking.
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is
'News' looks plural but is singular: 'The news is good.' Never 'the news are'.
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I like your new jeans. ___ expensive?
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Were they
'Jeans' is always plural. Use 'they/were': 'Were they expensive?' Same for trousers, glasses, scissors.
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The police ___ searching for the suspect.
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are
'Police' is always plural: 'The police are...' For one officer, say 'a police officer'.
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We need to buy new ___ for the office.
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equipment
'Equipment' is uncountable — never 'equipments'. Say: some equipment, a piece of equipment.
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Do you have ___ scissors in the kitchen?
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a pair of
'Scissors' is always plural. You can't say 'a scissors'. Use 'a pair of scissors'.
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I had some interesting ___ on holiday.
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experiences
'Experiences' (countable) = specific events. 'Experience' (uncountable) = general knowledge. Specific events → 'experiences'.
Nouns: Countability and Agreement in This Test
This section of the test focuses on the noun patterns that break the 'obvious' rules of English grammar. Some nouns that end in -s are grammatically singular ('the news'), while some nouns with no plural ending are always grammatically plural ('the police'). Uncountable nouns like 'advice' and 'equipment' never take 'a/an' or a plural '-s', even though their equivalents are countable in many other languages.
Uncountable Nouns
We need to buy new equipment for the office. (never 'equipments')
Singular-Looking Plurals and Plural-Looking Singulars
The police are searching for the suspect. (always plural, no singular form)
I like your new jeans. Were they expensive? ('jeans' is always plural)
Do you have a pair of scissors in the kitchen? (can't say 'a scissors')
Countable and Uncountable Meanings of the Same Noun
'Experience' is uncountable when it means general knowledge but countable when it means specific events: 'I had some interesting experiences on holiday' refers to distinct events, not general know-how.
Common Mistakes
✗ The news are shocking. → ✓ The news is shocking.
✗ The police is searching for the suspect. → ✓ The police are searching for the suspect.
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