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  • Hello, and welcome to today's Grammar Gameshow!

  • I'm your host, Will!

  • I am rubber,

  • you're glue.

  • It bounces off me and sticks to you.

  • And of course, let's not forget Leslie,

  • our all-knowing voice in the sky.

  • Hello, everyone!

  • Tonight we're going to ask you three questions about

  • Countable and uncountable nouns.

  • Those people, things, and places

  • that tell us what we're talking about!

  • OK! Now, let's meet our contestants!

  • Hello, all. My name is Bill.

  • And contestant number two?

  • It's nice to meet you. I'm Yun.

  • Nice to see you again Bill.

  • You're making quite a name for yourself in this show.

  • And welcome Yun.

  • OK, let's get going, and don't forget

  • you can play along at home too.

  • Here is our first question.

  • Nouns in English can be divided into

  • countable and uncountable.

  • But,

  • what are the basic differences between them?

  • Countable nouns can be counted.

  • Uncountable nouns can't.

  • Or not can't, they can

  • but we don't usually

  • I mean who really wants to sit there

  • and count grains of rice?

  • Leslie?

  • Correct!

  • Countable nouns can be divided into singular and plural.

  • A chair, two chairs, three chairs.

  • Uncountable nouns cannot.

  • With countable nouns we ask how many and use words

  • such as a lot, many and a few.

  • With uncountable nouns, we use how much

  • and words such as a lot, much and a little.

  • All clear on that?

  • Let's have an alphabet battle to check.

  • It's simple.

  • Challenge each other to give examples of

  • countable and uncountable nouns

  • following the order of the alphabet.

  • Yun, you can go first. Ready? Go!

  • Uncountable.

  • A for Art.

  • Correct!

  • Countable.

  • B for Beds.

  • Correct!

  • Countable.

  • C for cars.

  • Correct!

  • Uncountable.

  • D for danger.

  • Correct!

  • Countable.

  • Elephants.

  • Correct!

  • Uncountable.

  • Fish.

  • Correct!

  • But,

  • fish is countable!

  • wait... er

  • fishes?

  • Oi!

  • What was

  • sorry I was thinking about something else...

  • She's cheating!

  • Cheating!

  • Well, I didn't see anything.

  • That is a very serious accusation you're making.

  • Do you have any evidence?

  • Roll up her sleeve!

  • I can't, I'm afraid!

  • I can no longer touch the contestants after that

  • unfortunate chainsaw-related game show accident

  • in episode 37

  • ... but that was such a long time ago.

  • Leslie?

  • Fish?

  • Fish is both countable and uncountable

  • depending on whether you mean the animal

  • – I see three fish

  • or the food

  • – I eat lots of fish.

  • This is not the only noun like this, so be careful!

  • Well done! I think Yun did better,

  • so twelve points for you.

  • On to our second round,

  • and this is a double-trouble round of

  • two questions about uncountables.

  • Here we go!

  • Question one.

  • If uncountable nouns cannot be counted,

  • how then can we count them?

  • Can't we use a container to make them countable?

  • Correct!

  • She's doing it again!

  • Eh?

  • Yes, you're right!

  • Time for our second uncountable question

  • now that's a paradox of words!

  • Fruit is an uncountable noun.

  • How then is this sentence correct?

  • There were at least 12 fruits on offer.

  • It's an irregular plural

  • that refers to the different types of thing

  • in the same category.

  • Correct!

  • Will!

  • She's cheating!

  • So, you keep saying, but do you have any evidence?

  • I literally just filmed it on my phone.

  • What are you doing there?

  • You could be blog-tubing the answers!

  • Put that away!

  • Tut, tut, tut!

  • Leslie?

  • Tut, tut, tut, Bill!

  • To make an uncountable noun countable

  • we need to use a container.

  • This is an expression commonly using a and of.

  • For example,

  • a piece of cake

  • or a cup of coffee.

  • Secondly,

  • some nouns, such as fruit and fish,

  • have an irregular plural

  • fruits and fishes.

  • We use these when we are referring to a number

  • of different types of thing

  • from the same category.

  • For example,

  • the shop sells three fruits

  • apples, bananas and oranges!

  • Well done, Yun! Another fantastic round

  • and another ten points.

  • OK on to our fi

  • Look!

  • Hang on a minute! Before we go any further

  • Can you just please keep an eye on her?

  • Please?

  • Oh, very well.

  • If for no other reason than

  • it's not nice to see a grown man beg

  • ... except for Leslie, of course.

  • Round three!

  • Have a look at these sentences

  • and tell me why the noun used in each one

  • is special in some way.

  • The news was reported.

  • The species is extinct.

  • The team play well.

  • The staff are unhappy.

  • In A the noun news is uncountable.

  • However, many people may see the 's' at the end,

  • and think that it is a plural. Oh no!

  • There is no singular or plural. News is uncountable!

  • Correct!

  • I'm just guessing here, but the noun species in B

  • is unusual because it's singular and has no plural form.

  • So, just to say again,

  • the noun species

  • singular and plural forms are the same.

  • Correct!

  • In C the noun team is a collective.

  • This means it can be singular or plural.

  • It depends on the speaker.

  • Correct!

  • I'm going to go out on a limb here,

  • but the noun staff in D,

  • is singular

  • just like news.

  • So, just to repeat that.

  • Staff is a collective noun

  • that takes plural verb form.

  • Correct!

  • It's the audience!

  • They're

  • no, it's…

  • someone's coughing!

  • Bill, sometimes people cough.

  • It's not illegal.

  • Maybe the stress of four wins is beginning to show.

  • Leslie?

  • Nice!

  • English has some irregular nouns

  • which you need to be careful of!

  • Some nouns,

  • such as species, fish and sheep

  • are the same whether they are singular or plural.

  • Some nouns,

  • such as news and mathematics,

  • always take a singular verb.

  • Some nouns,

  • such as staff and police,

  • are collective,

  • and so are always plural

  • And finally,

  • there are some collective nouns,

  • such as team, government and family,

  • which can be either singular or plural

  • depending on whether you mean a single unit

  • - it -

  • or a group of individuals

  • - they.

  • Well done! Three points each!

  • And that brings us to the end of today's

  • Grammar Gameshow.

  • Let's count out the points

  • And the winner is

  • Yun!

  • Or

  • at least it would be

  • if she hadn't been blatantly cheating this whole time!

  • What!?

  • Don't you think I don't see everything that

  • goes on around here?

  • I see all and I hear all.

  • Incidentally Bill, you might want to go to the doctor.

  • Your stomach's been making some quite...

  • biological noises.

  • Why didn't you say something before?

  • Well, it's your stomach Bill

  • Oh!

  • You mean about the cheating.

  • Well,

  • I've got a time slot to fill.

  • Bye bye, Yun.

  • Release the disappointed parents.

  • And Bill?

  • No one likes a snitch.

  • It looks like we'll need two more contestants.

  • Thanks for joining us.

  • Say goodbye, Leslie

  • Sağol, Leslie.

  • See you next time.

Hello, and welcome to today's Grammar Gameshow!

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