Why Can't You Say "Three Advices"? Use a Supermarket Analogy to Finally Get Your Head Around English Countable and Uncountable Nouns

When you're learning English, have you ever come across a situation that makes you scratch your head, like:

You can say “three dogs,” but you can't say “three advices”? You can say “two books,” but you can't say “two furnitures”?

These rules for "countable" and "uncountable" nouns often feel like a bunch of odd regulations you just have to rote learn, giving you a real headache.

But what if I told you there's a really simple, intuitive logic behind it all? Forget those complicated grammar terms; we just need to think like we're strolling through a supermarket.

In Your Shopping Trolley: Do You Grab Things "One by One" or "As a Whole"?

Imagine you're wandering around a supermarket. The items on the shelves can basically be picked up in two ways:

1. Items You Can Count Individually (Countable Nouns)

On the shelf, some things you can just pick up, count one, two, three, and then pop into your shopping trolley.

Apple: You can grab an apple, or three apples.
House: You can own a house.
Friend: You can ask “How many friends do you have?”

These are countable nouns. They have singular and plural forms, and you can count them directly with numbers. Just like items in a supermarket that are sold individually – simple and clear.

2. Items You Can Only Count in Portions or as a Mass (Uncountable Nouns)

Now, you've moved to another section. Here, you can't just grab individual pieces of these items.

Water: You wouldn't say "give me three waters," but rather "give me a bottle of water" or "some water."
Rice: You don't count grains of rice individually; you'd say "a bag of rice."
Sugar: You'd use "a spoonful of sugar."

These are uncountable nouns. They're usually seen as a whole, a mass, or a substance, like liquids, powders, gases, or abstract concepts (such as knowledge or love).

Because they can't be counted individually, they usually don't have plural forms (you wouldn't say waters or rices), and when you ask about the quantity, we use “How much...?”

How much water do you need?
He gave me a lot of advice.

The "Special Items" in the English Supermarket

Alright, here's the tricky bit. Some things that we're used to counting individually in a "Chinese supermarket" are categorised as being "sold as a whole" in the "English supermarket."

This is where we really get confused. Remember these common "special items":

advice
information
furniture
bread
news
traffic
work

In English logic, advice and information are like water – they're flowing, a continuous mass. So you can't say "an advice"; you'd say "a piece of advice." Furniture is a collective concept, including tables, chairs, and beds, which is why it's uncountable itself.

Another classic example: hair. When hair refers to all the hair on your head, it's like rice – a whole, and thus uncountable.

She has beautiful long hair.

But if you find a single strand of hair in your soup, it then becomes something you can pick out individually, making it countable.

I found a hair in my soup!

Don't Let Grammar Rules Block Your Desire to Communicate

After understanding this "supermarket" logic, don't countable and uncountable nouns suddenly make a lot more sense?

This logic will help you understand 80% of situations. But at the end of the day, language is for communication, not for passing grammar tests. In real conversations, our biggest fear isn't making a small mistake, but being too scared to speak up because we're afraid of making mistakes.

Wouldn't it be great if there was a tool that let you chat without overthinking these little details, allowing you to focus on expressing yourself?

That's exactly what the Intent chat app aims to solve. It has powerful AI translation built-in, so when you chat with friends around the world, it instantly corrects your language to be more natural and idiomatic. You can type freely, and Intent will act like a clever assistant, ensuring your meaning is accurately conveyed.

Instead of struggling with grammar rules, just start a conversation.

So, next time you come across a noun, ask yourself: In the English supermarket, is this item sold 'by the piece' or 'by the mass/portion'? This small shift in thinking will open up your English learning journey.

And when you're ready to chat with the world, Intent will be your best mate for breaking down barriers and expressing yourself confidently.