Common problems with Count ◦ Uncount Nouns

Substances as count or uncount nouns
Substances are usually uncount nouns:

⁕ Would you like some cheese?
⁕ Coffee keeps me awake at night.

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but they can also be used as count nouns:

⁕ I'd like a coffee, please.
⁕ I'd like a cup of coffee.

⁕ They sell a lot of coffees.
⁕ They sell a lot of different kinds of coffee.

⁕ They had over five cheeses.
⁕ They had over five types of cheese.

⁕ This is an excellent soft cheese.
⁕ This kind of soft cheese is excellent.

Some nouns have both a count and an uncount form. Their meanings are closely related:

⁕ George had hopes of promotion.
⁕ We should always have hope.

⁕ There's a danger of avalanches on the mountain.
⁕ Some people enjoy danger.

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Some nouns have two meanings, one count and the other uncount:

⁕ Can I have a glass of water?
⁕ I cut myself on some glass.

⁕ Is English a difficult language?
⁕ Linguistics is the study of language.

⁕ The Times is an excellent paper.
⁕ It's made of paper.

Other nouns like this are:

Some uncount nouns end in -s.
They look like plural count nouns, but they are not.

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Nouns like this generally refer to

Subjects of study:
mathematics, physics, economics, etc.

Activities:
gymnastics, athletics, etc.

Games:
cards, darts, billiards, etc.

Diseases:
mumps, measles, rabies, etc.

Economics is a very difficult subject.
Billiards is easier than pool or snooker.

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