assignment countable or not

In more general, commonly used, contexts, the plural form will also be .

However, in more specific contexts, the plural form can also be e.g. in reference to various types of or a collection of .

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Is "homework" countable?

I was wondering if "homework" is countable? I remember it is an uncountable noun when I learned English in middle school.

Suppose now I would like to ask my teacher to hand back my graded "homeworks" of last three times. How shall I ask him?

• uncountable-nouns
• countable-nouns

4 Answers 4

"Homework" is uncountable since it is treated as a general meaning not a particular item, like "work", "money" etc.

In your case, use "assignment" instead.

May I have my last three graded assignments back please?

• Both 'work' and 'money' are countified and have well-documented plural forms. 'Homeworks' has not got the same pedigree, though some dictionaries license it with caveats. –  Edwin Ashworth Commented Jun 22, 2019 at 18:44

While I've seen the word homeworks used, I've never seen anything legitimate to indicate that it's correct. In any case, you can use the term homework assignments to refer to multiple homework items. That's a fairly common term, at least in American English.

• Thanks! But I don't ask my teacher for assignments, but my homework that I have worked out and handed to my teacher, and the homework is from last three times. How shall I ask him? –  Tim Commented May 22, 2011 at 1:39
• 1 @Tim: In American English, assignments is used for what you describe. In British English, homeworks is at least marginally acceptable — we used it at at least one school I went to, although I do remember it feeling awkward/slangy to me at first. –  PLL Commented May 22, 2011 at 8:10
• What I’ve seen to indicate it is correct is its frequent use by native speakers –  Casey Commented Nov 20, 2021 at 22:37

Traditionally, it is not countable, and most dictionaries list it as such.

However, the Merriam-Webster thesaurus (although not the Merriam-Webster dictionary) does have an entry for homeworks . Moreover, the plural form is used by at least some groups of educated native speakers.

One's best bet is to try to find out if one's audience belongs to a group that tends to use homeworks . If yes, then go ahead and use that word yourself. If not, rephrase as homework assignments or something similar.

Merriam-Webster Thesaurus

Notice that the Merriam-Webster thesaurus has the following entry :

homeworks noun plural of homework Synonyms of homeworks as in schoolwork Synonyms & Near Synonyms for homeworks schoolwork assignments, lessons, reading lectures drills, exercises, practices (also practises ) études, studies

(Interestingly, the Merriam-Webster dictionary entry does not give a plural form for homework .)

Examples of usage by educated native speakers

Such examples are not hard to find at all. For instance, American professors of linguistics, physics, and mathematics, at least, use the word homeworks quite frequently.

All of the examples below are from native speakers, as best as I can tell.

Here are five examples from linguistics professors:

Final grades will be calculated as follows: 30% for homeworks, 20% for the midterm, … Penny Eckert and Ivan A. Sag , Linguistics 1: Introduction to Linguistics (Syllabus), 2011, here . Late assignments are not accepted, but your two lowest-scoring homeworks will be dropped. Adam Jardine , Introduction to Linguistic Theory (Honors) (Syllabus), 2018, here . Homeworks are due at the beginning of class on the days indicated. Emily M. Bender, Linguistics 461: Introduction to Syntax (Syllabus), here . If turned in ​complete​, the homeworks will be graded 8 (well below average), 9 (average), or 10 (well above average​); but 0 if not done. Anthony C. Woodbury, Linguistics 306: Introduction to the study of language (Syllabus), here . Homeworks: 25% (lowest score dropped) Dani Byrd and Toby Mintz , Ling 275: Language & Mind (Syllabus), 2006, here .

Here are five examples from physics professors:

Some homeworks are 'secret' assessment exercises: General GRE, Praxis and Major Field Tests Richard Robinett, Penn State Physics Undergraduate Program Better Practices, 2010, p. 12 here . Homeworks are like sports practice Tom Moore , Teaching General Relativity with Tensors, 2006, here . These concepts can be introduced to students through labs, homeworks, and discussion questions. Brianna Billingsley and Cory Christenson, Incorporating Non-Western Contributions Into the Intro Physics Curriculum, 2019, here . With their flexible design, PhET sims are used in many ways—as demos, homeworks, or inexpensive, accessible lab alternatives—and getting started is easy with our database of over 500 activities. Katherine K. Perkins, Teaching Physics with PhET Simulations: Engaging Students and Increasing Learning (Abstract) 2012, p. 58 here . In this talk, we will outline the reforms—including consensus learning goals, “clicker” questions, tutorials, modified homeworks, and more—and present evidence of the effectiveness of these reforms relative to traditional courses. Katherine K. Perkins, Steven Pollock, Stephanie Chasteen, Steve Goldhaber, Rachel Pepper, Michael Dubson, and Paul Beale, Colorado's Transformed Upper-Division E&M and QM courses: Description and Results (Abstract) 2010, p. 119 here .

And here are five examples from mathematics professors:

Homeworks 1-3 David Blecher, here . There will be two midterm exams, weekly homeworks, and a final exam. Scott Sutherland, MAT 141: Honors Calculus 1 (syllabus), 2012, here . MIT 3.016 Homeworks W. Craig Carter, Mathematics for Materials Science and Engineers, MIT 3.016 (syllabus), 2011, (here) . Click on the link 'Problem Sets and Solutions'; you will reach this page , which is where the word homeworks appears (in the page heading). Homeworks (41/42 Track); Homeworks (51 Track) Andrew Schultz, SSEA 2006: Mathematics Track, 2006, here . All homeworks, except the first one, are due on Thursday at 3:30pm Mike Clancy and David Wagner, CS 70, Spring 2005: Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science, 2005, here .

In searching for examples, I also saw examples of similar usage by professors of comparative literature , philosophy, computer science, chemistry, and sociology.

• Even Wiktionary fails to concede the plural form as a possibility, but this is doubtless an ongoing countification (and 10 years is a substantial time for the evolution to progress). –  Edwin Ashworth Commented Nov 20, 2021 at 16:42
• American professors of physics and mathematics, at least, use the word homeworks... I wonder if I should take seriously pronouncements on quantum physics by English professors... –  Greybeard Commented Nov 20, 2021 at 18:18
• @EdwinAshworth I just looked at Wiktionary , and it says 'usually uncountable, plural homeworks '. The edit that added that note was on 5 October 2015‎. So indeed, things change in ten years! –  linguisticturn Commented Nov 21, 2021 at 17:18
• Whoops, I had SimpleWiktionary , which I didn't know existed. Obviously homeworks is harder. –  Edwin Ashworth Commented Nov 21, 2021 at 17:53
• @Greybeard Apologies if your comment was meant as a joke, but if it wasn't (and for the benefit of those who don't take it as a joke), the answer is, no you shouldn't. And indeed, conversely, if physics or math professors were to start making 'pronouncements' about whether a particular word is acceptable English, you shouldn't take that seriously, either. But that's not what's going on in my answer. My answer simply points out that there is a U.S.-wide, loosely connected group of educated native speakers who rather frequently and unselfconsciously use homeworks in day-to-day life. –  linguisticturn Commented Nov 21, 2021 at 18:38

Ask for "items" or "pieces" of homework.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged nouns uncountable-nouns countable-nouns or ask your own question .

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Grammar: Count and Noncount Nouns

Introduction to count and noncount nouns.

Count and noncount nouns vary from language to language. In some languages, there are no count nouns (e.g., Japanese). In addition, some nouns that are noncount in English may be countable in other languages (e.g., hair or information).

Errors with count and noncount nouns can result in errors with article usage and with subject verb agreement .

Count Nouns

What is a count noun.

Count nouns can be separated into individual units and counted. They usually have both a singular and a plural form. Most English nouns are count nouns.

• one phone, two phones
• one dog, two dogs
• one shirt, two shirts

However, a few countable nouns only have a plural form in English. Here are a few examples:

These are often used with some sort of quantifier, or quantity word , to show how they are counted (e.g., "a pair of" pants, "two pairs of" pants, "some " pants).

How are count nouns made plural?

Count nouns are usually made plural by adding an "-s" or an "-es."

• one boy, two boy s
• one folder, two folder s
• one box, two box es
• one church, two church es

If the noun ends in "-y," change the "-y" to "-ies" to make it plural.

• one family, two famil ies
• one party, two part ies

However, if a vowel precedes the "-y," add just an "-s" to make it plural.

• one toy, two toy s
• one donkey, two donkey s

If the noun ends in "-o," add "-es" to make it plural.

• one potato, two potato es
• one tomato, two tomato es

If the noun ends in "-f" or "-fe," change the "-f" to a "-v" and add "-es."

• one thief, two thiev es
• one hoof, two hoov es

Some count nouns have irregular plural forms. Many of these forms come from earlier forms of English.

• one foot, two feet
• one person, two people
• one tooth, two teeth
• one criterion, two criteria

When unsure of the plural form, please consult the dictionary. An English learner’s dictionary (such as Merriam-Webster, Cambridge, Oxford, or Longman) may be the most useful.

Important: Singular count nouns must have a word in the determiner slot. This could be an article, a pronoun, or a possessive noun (i.e., "a," "an," "the," "this," or a possessive noun). Please see our page on article usage for more information.

Noncount Nouns

What is a noncount noun.

Noncount (or uncountable) nouns exist as masses or abstract quantities that cannot be counted. They have no plural form. Although most English nouns are count nouns, noncount nouns frequently occur in academic writing.

Here are some common categories of noncount nouns. Like all things in English (and language in general), there may be exceptions.

A mass: work, equipment, homework, money, transportation, clothing, luggage, jewelry, traffic

A natural substance: air, ice, water, fire, wood, blood, hair, gold, silver

Food: milk, rice, coffee, bread, sugar, meat, water

An abstract concept: advice, happiness, health, education, research, knowledge, information, time

A game: soccer, tennis, basketball, hockey, football, chess, checkers

A disease: diabetes, measles, polio, influenza, malaria, hypothyroidism, arthritis

A subject of study: economics, physics, astronomy, biology, history, statistics

A language : Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, English

An activity (in the "-ing" form): swimming, dancing, reading, smoking, drinking, studying

Important: Noncount nouns do not use the indefinite articles "a" or "an." They can, however, use the definite article "the" if what is being referred to is specific. They can also use no article if what is being referred to is general (generic) or nonspecific. Please see our page on article usage for more information.

Double Nouns

Some nouns can be both count and noncount. When they change from a count to a noncount noun, the meaning changes slightly. In the noncount form, the noun refers to the whole idea or quantity. In the count form, the noun refers to a specific example or type. When the noun is countable, it can be used with the indefinite article "a" or "an" or it can be made plural.

Check the published literature in your field of study to determine whether specific nouns are used in a countable or an uncountable way. Sometimes, a noun that is generally countable becomes uncountable when used in a technical way.

Here are a few examples:

• Life is a gift. (noncount)
• She leads a very fulfilling life . (count = This specifies the type of life. It could be a boring life, a dangerous life, and so on.)
• I like cheese . (noncount)
• The cheeses of France are my favorite. (count = This specifies the type of cheese.)
• The study of language is called linguistics. (noncount)
• English is often considered an international language . (count)

Quantity Words

Quantity words are used to add information about the number or amount of the noun. Some quantity words can only be used with countable singular nouns (e.g., computer, pen, and crayon), some can only be used with countable plural nouns (e.g., printers, flashdrives, and keyboards), some can only be used with uncountable nouns (i.e., paper, ink), and some can be used with both plural countable nouns and with uncountable nouns.

With countable singular nouns (e.g., computer, pen, crayon):

• each computer
• every computer
• another computer

With countable plural nouns (e.g., printers, flashdrives, and keyboards):

• several printers
• a large number of printers
• a small number of printers
• not many printers
• too many printers
• many printers
• a few printers
• very few printers
• few printers
• fewer printers

With uncountable nouns (e.g., paper or ink):

• a great deal of paper
• a large amount of paper
• a small amount of paper
• not much paper
• too much paper
• a little paper
• very little paper
• little paper

With countable plural nouns and with uncountable nouns (e.g., printers, flashdrives, keyboards; paper, or ink):

• some printers
• any printers
• a lot of printers
• a lot of ink
• hardly any printers
• hardly any ink
• (almost) all printers
• (almost) all ink
• no printers
• none of the printers
• none of the ink
• not any printers
• not any ink
• other printers

Note the difference between "few/little" (almost none) and "a few/a little " (some, but not many/much). "Few/little" tend to have a negative connotation. "A few/a little" tend to be more positive.

• There are few solutions. (There are not many solutions.)
• There are a few solutions. (There are some solutions.)  
• He received little education. (He did not receive much education.)
• He received a little education. (He received some education.)

Nouns Video Playlist

Note that these videos were created while APA 6 was the style guide edition in use. There may be some examples of writing that have not been updated to APA 7 guidelines.

Writing Tools: Using a Dictionary for Grammatical Accuracy Video

Note that this video was created while APA 6 was the style guide edition in use. There may be some examples of writing that have not been updated to APA 7 guidelines.

• Writing Tools: Using a Dictionary for Grammatical Accuracy (video transcript)

Related Resources

Knowledge Check: Count and Noncount Nouns

Didn't find what you need? Email us at [email protected] .

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Nouns: countable and uncountable

Countable nouns.

Some nouns refer to things which, in English, are treated as separate items which can be counted. These are called countable nouns. Here are some examples:

a car , three cars

my cousin , my two cousins

a book , a box full of books

a city , several big cities

Singular and plural

Countable nouns can be singular or plural. They can be used with a/an and with numbers and many other determiners (e.g. these, a few ):

She’s got two sisters and a younger brother .

Most people buy things like cameras and MP3-players online these days .

These shoes look old now.

I’ll take a few magazines with me for the flight .

Determiners ( the, my , some , this )

Singular and plural nouns

Uncountable nouns

In English grammar, some things are seen as a whole or mass. These are called uncountable nouns, because they cannot be separated or counted.

Some examples of uncountable nouns are:

Ideas and experiences: advice, information, progress, news, luck, fun, work

Materials and substances: water, rice, cement, gold, milk

Weather words: weather, thunder, lightning, rain, snow

Names for groups or collections of things: furniture, equipment, rubbish, luggage

Other common uncountable nouns include: accommodation, baggage, homework, knowledge, money, permission, research, traffic, travel .

These nouns are not used with a/an or numbers and are not used in the plural.

We’re going to get new furniture for the living room.

Not: We’re going to get a new furniture for the living room . or We’re going to get new furnitures for the living room .

We had terrible weather last week.

Not: We had a terrible weather last week .

We need rice next time we go shopping.

Some nouns always have plural form but they are uncountable because we cannot use numbers with them.

I bought two pairs of trousers .

Not: I bought two trousers .

Other nouns of this type are: shorts, pants, pyjamas, glasses (for the eyes), binoculars, scissors .

Some nouns which are uncountable in English are countable in other languages (e.g. accommodation, advice, furniture, information ):

They can give you some information about accommodation at the tourist office.

Not: They can give you some informations about accommodations at the tourist office .

Can you give me some advice about buying a second-hand car?

Not: Can you give me some advices about buying a second-hand car?

A good learner’s dictionary will tell you whether a noun is countable or uncountable.

Quantity expressions ( a bit/piece )

To refer to one or more quantities of an uncountable noun , expressions such as a bit of, a piece of , an item of or words for containers and measures must be used:

He bought a very expensive piece of furniture for his new apartment.

Maggie always has some exciting bits of news when she comes to see us.

I think we’ll need five bags of cement for the patio.

There’s a litre of milk in the fridge for you. And I bought you a bar of chocolate .

Determiners ( my, some, the )

Uncountable nouns can be used with certain determiners (e.g. my, her , some, any , no , the, this, that ) and expressions of quantity (e.g. a lot of, (a) little ):

They gave me some information about courses and scholarships and things.

Have you heard the news ? Fran’s getting engaged.

She’s been studying hard and has made a lot of progress .

There’s no work to do here, so you can go home if you like.

This milk ’s a bit old, I’m afraid.

Countable phrases for uncountable nouns

We can sometimes use countable noun phrases to talk about an individual example of the thing an uncountable noun refers to.

Finding a place to live is difficult if you’re a student and you’ve got no money. (or Finding accommodation … )

Not: Finding an accommodation …

She brought two big suitcases and a rucksack with her.

Not: She brought two big luggages …

I read a poem once about someone riding a horse at night.

Not: I read a poetry …

We went on a trip to the Amazon when we were in Brazil.

Not: We went on a travel …

Countable and uncountable nouns with different meanings

Some nouns can be used either countably or uncountably, but with different meanings.

Uncountable nouns used countably

Measures and examples.

Sometimes uncountable nouns are used countably, to mean ‘a measure of something’ or ‘a type or example of something’:

Can I have two teas and one coffee , please? (two cups of tea and one cup of coffee …?)

A: How many sugars do you want in your tea? (How many spoonfuls/lumps of sugar?) B: Just one, please .

To some degree we tend to eat the foods that we ate as children. (i.e. types of food)

Abstract nouns

Some abstract nouns can be used uncountably or countably. The uncountable use has a more general meaning. The countable use has a more particular meaning.

Nouns of this type include: education, experience, hatred, help, knowledge, life, love, sleep, time, understanding .

Word of the Day

dry as a bone

extremely dry

Fakes and forgeries (Things that are not what they seem to be)

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• 1.1 Etymology
• 1.2 Pronunciation
• 1.3.1 Hyponyms
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From Middle English assignement , from Old French assignement .

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -aɪnmənt

assignment ( countable and uncountable , plural assignments )

• The act of assigning ; the allocation of a job or a set of tasks . This flow chart represents the assignment of tasks in our committee.
• ( LGBT ) The categorization of persons as belonging to the male or female sex .
• An assigned task . The assignment the department gave him proved to be quite challenging.
• A position to which someone is assigned. Unbeknownst to Mr Smith, his new assignment was in fact a demotion.
• ( education ) A task given to students, such as homework or coursework . Mrs Smith gave out our assignments , and said we had to finish them by Monday.
• ( law ) A transfer of a right or benefit from one person to another. The assignment of the lease has not been finalised yet.
• ( law ) A document that effects this transfer. Once you receive the assignment in the post, be sure to sign it and send it back as soon as possible.
• ( programming ) An operation that assigns a value to a variable .
• ( programming ) : augmented assignment

Derived terms

• antiassignment
• assignment operator
• frequency assignment
• misassignment
• nonassignment
• Procrustean assignment
• reassignment
• time-assignment speech interpolation
• unassignment
• understand the assignment

Alternative forms

• asm ( pseudo-acronym )

From English assignment .

• Cantonese ( Jyutping ) : aa 6 saai 1 man 4
• Jyutping : aa 6 saai 1 man 4
• Yale : ah s ā ai màhn
• Cantonese Pinyin : aa 6 saai 1 man 4
• Guangdong Romanization : a 6 sai 1 men 4
• Sinological IPA ( key ) : /aː²² saːi̯ ⁵⁵ mɐn ²¹ /
• ( Hong Kong Cantonese ) assignment ; homework ; coursework ( Classifier : 份 c )

• Bauer, Robert S. ( 2021 ) ABC Cantonese-English Comprehensive Dictionary , Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, →ISBN , page 10
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Count and Noncount Nouns: Basic Rules

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Adjectives with Countable and Uncountable Nouns

The basic rules: count and noncount nouns.

A count noun is one that can be expressed in plural form, usually with an "s." For example, "cat—cats," "season—seasons," "student—students."

A noncount noun is one that usually cannot be expressed in a plural form. For example, "milk," "water," "air," "money," "food." Usually, you cannot say, "He had many moneys."

Count and Noncount Nouns with Adjectives

Most of the time, this does not matter with adjectives. For example, you can say, "The cat was gray" or "The air was gray." However, the difference between a countable and uncountable noun does matter with certain adjectives, such as "some/any," "much/many," and "little/few."

Some/Any : Some and any countable and uncountable nouns.

• "There is some water on the floor."
• "There are some students here."
• "Do you have any food?"
• "Do you have any apples?"

Much/Many : Much modifies only uncountable nouns. Many modifies only countable nouns.

• "We don't have much time to get this done."
• " Many Americans travel to Europe."

Little/Few : Little modifies only uncountable nouns.

• "He had little food in the house."
• "The doctor had little time to think in the emergency room."

Few modifies only countable nouns.

• "There are few doctors in town."
• " Few students like exams."

Other basic rules

A lot of/lots of : A lot of/lots of are informal substitutes for much and many . They are used with uncountable nouns when they mean much and with countable nouns when they mean many .

• "They have lots of (much) money in the bank."
• "A lot of (many) Americans travel to Europe."
• "We got lots of (many) mosquitoes last summer."
• "We got lots of (much) rain last summer."

A little bit of : A little bit of is informal and always precedes an uncountable noun.

• "There is a little bit of pepper in the soup."
• "There is a little bit of snow on the ground."

Enough : Enough modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.

• "There is enough money to buy a car."
• "I have enough books to read."

Plenty of : Plenty of modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.

• "They have plenty of money in the bank."
• "There are plenty of millionaires in Switzerland."

No : No modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.

• "There is no time to finish now."
• "There are no squirrels in the park."

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Definition of assignment noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

Join our community to access the latest language learning and assessment tips from Oxford University Press!

• 2 [ uncountable ] the act of giving something to someone; the act of giving someone a particular task his assignment to other duties in the same company

Nearby words

English EFL

Countable and uncountable nouns.

It's important to distinguish between countable and uncountable nouns in English because their usage is different in regards to both determiners and verbs.

COUNTABLE NOUNS

Countable nouns are for things we can count using numbers. They have a singular and a plural form. The singular form can use the determiner "a" or "an". If you want to ask about the quantity of a countable noun, you ask "How many?" combined with the plural countable noun.

• She has  three dogs .
• I own  a house .
• I would like  two books  please.
• How many friends  do you have?

UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

Uncountable nouns are for the things that we cannot count with numbers. They may be the names for abstract ideas or qualities or for physical objects that are too small or too amorphous to be counted (liquids, powders, gases, etc.). Uncountable nouns are used with a singular verb. They usually do not have a plural form.

We cannot use  a/an  with these nouns. To express a quantity of an uncountable noun, use a word or expression like  some, a lot of, much, a bit of, a great deal of  , or else use an exact measurement like  a cup of, a bag of, 1kg of, 1L of, a handful of, a pinch of, an hour of, a day of . If you want to ask about the quantity of an uncountable noun, you ask "How much?"

• There has been  a lot of research  into the causes of this disease.
• He gave me  a great deal of advice  before my interview.
• Can you give me  some information  about uncountable nouns?
• He did not have  much sugar  left.
• Measure  1 cup of water, 300g of flour, and 1 teaspoon of salt .
• How much rice do you want?

TRICKY SPOTS

Some nouns are countable in other languages but uncountable in English. They must follow the rules for uncountable nouns. The most common ones are: accommodation, advice, baggage, behavior, bread, furniture, information, luggage, news, progress, traffic, travel, trouble, weather, work

• I would like to give you  some advice .
• How much bread  should I bring?
• I didn't make  much progress  today.
• This looks like  a lot of trouble  to me.
• We did  an hour of work  yesterday.

Be careful with the noun  hair  which is normally uncountable in English, so it is not used in the plural. It can be countable only when referring to individual hairs.

• She has long blond hair.
• The child's hair was curly.
• I washed my hair yesterday.
• My father is getting a few grey hairs now. (refers to individual hairs)
• I found a hair in my soup! (refers to a single strand of hair)

Course Curriculum

• NOUN GENDER 15 mins
• Singular and Plural Nouns 25 mins
• Countable and Uncountable nouns 30 mins
• Compound Nouns 25 mins
• Capitalisation Rules 25 mins
• Nationalities 30 mins

All you need to know about countable and uncountable nouns

What’s the difference between countable and uncountable nouns , and what grammar rules do you need to know to use them correctly?

Also known as  count and noncount nouns , this vocabulary point can trip you up when you’re learning English as a second language. It’s especially tricky because:

• There are no concrete rules for classifying nouns as countable or uncountable (although there are some general guidelines that we will explain later).
• Certain nouns that are countable in other languages may be uncountable in English, so you’ll have to un-learn what you know from your native language and learn a different set of rules for English words.

So, let’s take a detailed look at countable vs uncountable nouns, with plenty of examples showing how to use them with the correct articles, quantifiers, and other determiners.

The basics of countable and uncountable nouns

What is a countable noun.

A  countable noun (also called a count noun) is a noun naming something that can be counted using standard numbers. Countable nouns usually have singular and plural forms. 

Examples of countable nouns include chair, table, rabbit, page, part, and lemon .

So, we can have one chair, five tables, ten rabbits, twenty-three lemons, and three hundred pages .

You are probably already familiar with this pattern of counting things in English.

What is an uncountable noun?

An uncountable noun (also called a mass noun or a non-count noun) is a noun naming something that cannot be counted in English using standard numbers. These nouns cannot be made plural.

Examples of uncountable nouns include rice, money, advice, news, and happiness .

We cannot have one rice, five monies, two advices, or a happiness .

Instead, we must use different determiners to quantify these particular things: a cup of rice , a bag of money , and a piece of advice .

Now you know these basics, it’s time to take a deeper look at what this means in practice. You need to know whether you’re dealing with a countable or uncountable noun so you can select the correct determiners and plural forms in your writing and speech.

Rules for using countable nouns

We’ll begin by going over the rules for using countable nouns, since these are most straightforward.

Countable nouns:

• Can be separated into whole, individual, countable units
• Broadly refer to people, places, and things
• Have a singular and a plural form (with a few exceptions like sheep, deer, fish) – see this site for more about how to form plurals
• May take indefinite articles (a/an) as well as the definite article (the)
• May take other determiners such as this/that/these/those, some/any/few/many/several, my/your/his/her/our/their
• To form a question about a countable noun, we say ‘How many…’

Countable noun example sentences

Most of the nouns we use in English are countable. Here are some example sentences showing correct usage:

• I have two cats as pets .
• She bought a few books from the store .
• We went to the zoo and saw several giraffes .
• The school has six classrooms for different subjects .
• He has a collection of ten stamps .
• My father owns a few bikes .
• The store has a variety of balloons in different colors.
• He has five siblings : three brothers  and two sisters .
• There are many oranges in the fruit basket .
• The bakery doesn’t have any bread left.
• I would like to buy that handbag .
• How many meals should I order at  the restaurant ?

Read about the difference between few vs a few here.

Rules for using uncountable nouns

Uncountable nouns are used less often in English, and they:

• Are abstract ideas, qualities, or masses that can’t be separated and counted individually
• Do not have a plural form and are treated as singular nouns (and therefore take the singular form of the verb)
• May take the definite article (the) but do not take the indefinite articles (a/an)
• May take other determiners such as much/little/less/any/some and my/your/his/her/our/their
• Can be quantified with phrases that contain countable nouns (e.g. a bag of rice)
• To form a question about an uncountable noun, we say ‘How much…’

See also: What’s the difference between less and fewer?

Uncountable noun examples

We can group uncountable nouns into some broad categories. Although we cannot list them all here, the following groups are a general guide that may make it easier for you to identify others in the future:

This may seem like a long list of uncountable nouns; however, there are hundreds more. 

Quantifying an uncountable noun

Although we can’t quantify uncountable nouns using numbers, we can add a countable unit of measurement to refer to one or more quantities of these things. Below are some of the most common quantifiers we can use to refer to things that are uncountable.

• A piece of… advice, art, cheese, equipment, evidence, furniture, homework, information, luck, luggage, music, news, paper, poetry, publicity, rubbish, software
• A bottle of… beer, water, wine, sauce, salad dressing
• A carton of… juice, milk, cream
• A packet of… ketchup, rice, gum
• A plate/bowl of… cereal, pasta, rice
• A drop of… blood, oil, rain, water
• A game of… badminton, chess, football, soccer, tennis
• A ray of… hope, light, sun
• A grain of… sand, rice, sugar, dignity
• A cube of… ice, sugar
• A blob of… toothpaste, mayonnaise, glue
• A pane of glass
• A round of applause
• A bar of soap
• A mode of transport
• A bolt of lightning
• A blade of grass
• A rasher of bacon
• A sheet of paper

Determiners for count and noncount nouns

You’ll have seen from the examples above that certain determiners can only be used for one type of noun, whereas others can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns. Here’s a handy reference table for these, although this is not an exhaustive list.

Most other adjectives can modify both countable and uncountable nouns.

See also:  What’s the difference between advice vs advise?

Some nouns can be countable and uncountable

You might often hear people say something like “I take two sugars in my tea”. What they really mean is “two teaspoons of sugar”, but the noun “sugar” has taken on that meaning and become countable.

In this way, uncountable nouns can sometimes be used as countable when referring to a complete unit or measurement of something, normally in relation to food and beverages. Here are some more examples:

• I’ll have three coffees , please. (three cups of coffee)
• I’ve had too many beers tonight! (glasses/cans/bottles of beer)
• Could I get two more ketchups ? (two sachets of ketchup)

Uncountable nouns may also be used as countable when they refer to a specific type, example, or category of something . For example:

• You should have at least five different cheeses on your cheese board.
• The best wines in the world are produced in France.
• We used three woods to make this beautiful box.
• They encountered a lot of difficulties while completing the project.
• These juices are all freshly squeezed.

These plural countable nouns are exceptions to the rule given earlier.

Nouns with different countable and uncountable meanings

To make things even more confusing, certain nouns in English have two or more meanings. When a noun refers to different things, one countable and one uncountable, you must remember which is which in order to form a correct sentence. Here are some common examples of words with dual meanings:

As you can see,  English can be hard to learn . Fortunately, you can always check in a dictionary to see whether a noun is countable or uncountable. Some dictionaries, such as  Oxford Dictionaries , specify this in the definition.

We hope this information about countable vs uncountable nouns has been helpful. It can be quite a tricky English grammar topic to get right because, even once you have mastered the rules of count and noncount nouns, there is still no hard-and-fast way to know which words are which, unless you look them up.

Leave a comment below if you have any more questions about this topic or want to check your understanding of a particular point we’ve mentioned.

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How to distinguish countable and uncountable senses?

The general rule is to use an article for countable nouns (i.e. nouns permitting a plural) and no article for uncountable nouns. However, some nouns may be countable in one sense and uncountable in another sense, cf. the discussion of "truth" in http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/countable-nouns

Sometimes it seems hard for me to distinguish countable and uncountable senses, as the transitions between the meanings can be very subtle.

I recently stumbled upon the following:

This book is an essential reading. An extensive use is made of illustrations.

I found this incorrect and cut the articles:

This book is essential reading. Extensive use is made of illustrations.

However, the author objected and I was a bit troubled to explain, as both reading and use appear to appear in countable and uncountable senses.

Are both variants perhaps justifiable, or if the second is wrong, why exactly?

Or put differently, how can one distinguish the countable vs. uncountable meanings of "reading" and "use"?

• zero-article
• uncountable-nouns
• countability
• countable-nouns

• 1 Are you sure whoever wrote the first example above is actually a native speaker? It seems unlikely to me. There's only one legible instance of is an essential reading it in Google Books ( it included to screen out irrelevant collocations such as an essential reading skill ). But there are thousands of hits for the same with an essential read . –  FumbleFingers Commented Mar 14, 2016 at 18:17
• What is the source? AmE or BrE? –  user3169 Commented Mar 14, 2016 at 18:30

3 Answers 3

In my (American) experience, the noun reading is only countable in three senses I can think of:

interpretation

Smith says that the book is a metaphor for American involvement in World War II, but this is an incorrect reading of the text.

an event where stories or poems are read aloud to a crowd

I am bringing two of my new poems to a reading tonight. The reading will be in Joe's Coffee House at 8 o'clock tonight.

a passage of text assigned by an authority to be read

Students are expected to complete all readings on the day they are assigned. If you fail to finish a day's reading , you should do it the next day to catch up. The Gospel reading for Easter Sunday is a very long reading . [ i.e. , the passage of the Bible assigned to be read at the church service on Easter is long]

Otherwise, the noun reading is uncountable.

The only countable sense that is remotely possible is the third one here. The countable sense is likely not appropriate, unless the speaker is talking about the book as "a reading [assignment]" assigned by a teacher. Otherwise, the uncountable sense of "material that can be read" is much more appropriate. As FumbleFingers points out , if the speaker wanted to use a countable word, "an essential read " is more natural.

For use , it's a bit trickier. I associate a countable use with a single action or purpose, like

Sneaking up to that guard and tying his shoelaces together was an excellent use of your invisibility cloak.

In this case, a countable use suggests to me that the selection and position of images for the entire book was a single action, which doesn't feel natural to me. It's not quite incorrect (unlike the countable reading above, which does feel incorrect), but an uncountable use seems much more natural here, since it covers multiple decisions about which images to include (and where and how to include them in the book).

The meanings 'reading' and 'use' really depend on the context. In the example

'reading' is in its noun form meaning "something to be read". An example would be how lectures might assign you "reading s ". Clearly, in this case, "reading" is countable, which makes the use of the article acceptable.

The same case applies with 'use'. 'Use' is also used in its noun form in the sense of "application", which warrants the use of the article.

The only problem I see is in the second sentence, which can be better phrased as

An extensive use of illustrations is made.

The two writing samples do not mean the same thing. In the first sample

"reading" refers to a one-time event. It may refer to a moment when a person read something out loud to an audience. It may refer to the first time I read a particular book. This is very similar to what apsillers describes in his answer. In the second sample,

"reading" refers to something that a person should read sometime. For example you could say "Uncle Tom's Cabin" is essential reading if you want to understand slavery and the American Civil War.

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• Transcription

Countability and uncountability

If you have followed the guide to word class (new tab), you'll know that nouns can be countable ( table, dog etc .) or uncountable ( water, love, sugar, anger etc.).  You'll also know that some can be both (the seven seas, the sea is rough, sugar is bad for you, two sugars, love is admirable, the loves of her life ) .

Here we look a bit harder at this very important distinction.  In the picture above, therefore, we can talk about an uncountable noun ( weight ) and a countable one ( kilo[s] ).  Note, too, that we can have weights but in a different meaning. This is not only a very important distinction, it is one that not all languages share and which causes really serious problems for learners at all levels. In English, it is almost impossible to use a noun correctly unless one first decides whether the noun is to be used as a count noun or as a mass noun.

The usual distinction made in classrooms is between countability and uncountability and that's probably enough for most learners.  However, we teachers need to know a bit more about the area so a better categorisation is between mass nouns and count nouns.  Often, the term uncountable noun is wrongly used for count nouns which are only plural but obviously countable.  We can say three people or six cattle and this means that the nouns are count nouns but plurals (albeit slightly odd plurals).  Both people and cattle are count nouns but they only occur in the plural.

While the terms countable and uncountable nouns are helpful for some purposes, they are misleading.

For example, money is a mass noun we can count.  We cannot say     *How many money? but have to choose     How much money?

Almost all mass nouns can be made count nouns by the use of another noun so we can have     some cake → a slice of cake     some cheese → a bit of cheese     lots of a information → two pieces of information     too much sugar → three kilos of sugar etc.  What we do here is add a measure ( pint, yard, kilo etc.) or a partitive ( bit, piece, lump, slice, rasher, pane, chunk etc.)

By the same token, it is arguably advisable to tell our learners about count and mass uses rather than count and mass nouns because that's nearer the truth of the matter.  For example, we can have:     How much cheese is in the fridge? and     How many cheeses are in the fridge?     The rough sea is coming over the harbour. and     The rough seas are coming over the harbour.

There are two simple enough differences.  Here they are:

• Count nouns form plurals, mass nouns do not.  We allow, therefore:     table-tables     desk-desks     house-houses etc. but do not allow:     petrol-*petrols     information-*informations     help-*helps
• Mass nouns can occur without a determiner or plural form as the subject and object of verbs.  We can have:     I got advice     Money helped     I have furniture     Information was provided     Rain fell but not     *I got suggestion     *Window broke     *She has pen     *Chair was comfortable although making the count nouns plural or adding a determiner such as an article allows:     I got suggestions     She has her pen     I have the chair     The drops fell

This is the simplest category but it's not always obvious from the form whether a noun is a count noun or not.  The usual defining characteristic of a count noun is its ability to form a plural (usually with -s ) when it demands a plural verb form.  Secondarily, is the fact that one can use the indefinite article ( a[n] ) before it.  There are some important exceptions and irregular forms to consider.

Count nouns which only appear in the plural

• cattle, people, police, vermin etc. But there are corresponding nouns which can be used in the ordinary, count way: cow, person, police officer, rat .
• objects containing two equal parts, e.g.: trousers, tongs, scissors, glasses etc. are either never found in the singular or have a different meaning in that form.  For example:     A: Where's my glass?     B: It's in front of you.  Put your glasses on!
• Some count nouns have no singular form.  For example: annals, arrears, earnings, outskirts, valuables, savings etc. You can put a determiner such as few, many etc. before these but not a number ( many valuables, *six valuables )
• Count nouns may have a plural-only form but a singular or mass form which has a different meaning.  For example: arms (weaponry, countable only plural) vs. arm (limb, countable) grounds (reason, countable only plural) vs. ground (surface of the earth, mass noun) damages (money awarded for by a court, countable only plural) vs. damage (harm, mass noun)

Irregular plurals

There are quite a number of common irregular plurals (mostly the result of retaining older forms) and some other oddities to know about:

• old plural forms : louse / lice, mouse / mice, ox / oxen, man / men, foot / feet, tooth / teeth etc.  These are well known and can be taught as they occur.  There's no rule.
• zero plurals : sheep, deer, grouse, dozen (when it's exact, dozens when it means lots ).  The names of many different animals (especially fish) work this way.  We can have:     five dozen people came vs. dozens arrived     one sheep vs . sixteen sheep     some fish for tea vs . three fish in the pond [but fishes is also possible in this sense]
• the f vs. v problem : plurals such as     roofs, dwarfs, handkerchiefs are common but the regular form (and increasingly the regular pronunciation) is to change the f to a v in the plural and add -es :     wolves, halves, ?rooves
• the -os vs. -oes problem : the regular plural of nouns ending in -o is to add -s ( radios, kilos etc.) but there are a number which add -es ( potato, tomato ) and some which can do both ( mosquito ).
• foreign plurals : sometimes English retains the plural form of the language from which the noun has come:     phenomenon / phenomena, antenna / antennae, larva / larvae, crisis / crises sometimes we can choose either the foreign or English plural ( syllabuses or syllabi ) and sometimes the word is pluralised in one use ( index / indices in scientific writing but indexes in non-scientific use)
• plurals made singular : graffiti, data and media are all plurals often treated as singular in English.  The use of criteria instead of criterion as a singular is just wrong.

Nouns modifying other nouns

Many count nouns can work to modify other nouns, by a process called compounding or by classifying the noun in some way, e.g.:     a book sale, a pencil case, a saloon car, a windmill In this use the singular is used for the first noun unless there's a possibility of ambiguity.  So we get     a book shop, a two-hour shift, a four-year-old child, boy scouts, child actor etc. but not:     *three bookshops, *a four-years-old child etc. There are some exceptions: men friends, women doctors and some avoiding ambiguity such as arms race . Notice here, too, that some nouns which are nearly always plural only appear in the singular when modifying other nouns:     spectacle case, binocular case, trouser pocket .

There are times when the amount of a count noun really doesn't matter – it's the concept we want to express so we treat the nouns as mass nouns and leave out the article.  We get, therefore, example such as:

go to / be in bed, church, school, hospital etc. travel by / go by car, bicycle, plane, rail ferry etc. at / before / after / by / in dawn, sunset, sunrise, autumn, day, night etc.

Many reference books treat these kinds of thing as idioms to be learned separately but it is conceptually easier to see them as unmarked forms (Chalker 1987: 29).

There are a number of other expressions in which the noun is not marked for plural or singular forms.  Here's a list (also based on Chalker, op cit.):

• Other prepositional phrases: by chance, on call, by hand, in mind, at heart etc.
• Parallel structures: arm in arm, eye to eye, year after year etc.
• Double structures: hand over fist, life after death, hand on heart etc.

It's easy enough to spot normal mass nouns because

• you can't put the indefinite article in front of them ( *a milk, *a money, *a bread etc.)
• they normally have no plural form ( *milks, *furnitures, *informations etc.)

So we get the common list of mass nouns:

advice, anger, assistance, bread, chaos, courage, dirt, education, information, leisure, luck, machinery, milk, news, permission, poetry, rubbish, shopping, transport, weather etc.

These are mass nouns in English but not in many languages.

Many abstract nouns in English are mass nouns so we can include in the list, e.g.:     advice, anger, happiness, information, knowledge, news etc. but that is not an entirely reliable rule because:     belief, joy, pleasure, prejudice, suggestion, theory and virtue can all be used as count nouns.

Nouns with both mass and count uses

• These sometimes have subtle distinctions but the meaning is close.  Examples are:     Unemployment is affecting business vs. Businesses are closing     Noise is a problem here vs. The noises can be disturbing     Chocolate is addictive vs . These chocolates are delicious
• Sometimes the distinctions are much greater in meaning.  For example:     Dress is formal vs. She's wearing a formal dress     It's made of iron vs. Most people have electric irons     The works of Shakespeare vs. Finding work is difficult ( Sex is another of these nouns, by the way.)
• Occasionally, English users like to omit what are often called unit nouns.  Unit nouns (better known as partitives) are the items we use to express a quantity of a mass noun.  So we have, e.g.:     a blade of grass     a pint of beer     a bit of cotton     a piece of furniture     a teaspoon of sugar     a cup of coffee etc. Sometimes, the unit noun is omitted to allow two sugars, three beers, a few coffees etc.  This is not particularly common and can't occur with most mass nouns.  It's also informal.
• Almost all mass nouns can be used as count nouns when we are classifying: Spanish wines, Greek cheeses, spicy foods etc. but some remain resiliently mass nouns ( furniture, information, music , for example).

In English, but not in all languages, whether a noun is mass or count controls how it is determined.  Quantifiers are, for obvious reasons, the most affected.  For example:

• A count noun in the plural can appear with the zero article:     Parrots are interesting birds
• A count noun in the singular cannot appear with the zero article:     *Parrot is interesting bird
• A mass noun can stand with the zero article:     Food for parrots must be carefully selected
• A mass noun cannot appear with the indefinite article:     *A food for parrots must be chosen carefully

Some common quantifiers and determiners are unaffected and insensitive to the distinction, including a lot of, any, the, some and more . There is a list of quantifiers which notes which are restricted and which not on this site, linked in the list of related guides at the end.

English is slightly unusual in have a range of pairs of nouns which mean more or less the same thing but one is count and the other mass. Here's a short list:

Often, what is called a superordinate is a mass noun and the hyponyms which lie below it (and are included in the superordinate) are count nouns.  So for example, we get:

Take the test .

References: Chalker, S, 1987, Current English Grammar , London: Macmillan

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Homework: Countable vs Uncountable Nouns

job/work, suitcase/luggage...

Intermediate

Furniture or furnitures? Advice or advices? It’s not always easy to know whether a word is countable or not, especially when it’s relatively new to you. Being able to do so is, nevertheless essential, so it’s important that students come to recognise the words that cannot be pluralised and therefore always appear in the same form. This handy homework sheet helps students practise Countable and Uncountable Nouns in three different ways.

After downloading your PDF: print it immediately or save and print later. Answers are provided for teachers on the second page.

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• Nouns and pronouns
• How to Tell If a Noun Is Countable or Uncountable | Examples

How to Tell if a Noun is Countable or Uncountable | Examples

Published on June 21, 2019 by Fiona Middleton . Revised on April 18, 2023.

Uncountable nouns , also known as mass nouns or noncount nouns, refer to a mass of something or an abstract concept that can’t be counted (except with a unit of measurement). In contrast, countable nouns can be counted as individual items.

The main rules to remember for uncountable nouns are that they cannot be pluralized , and that they never take indefinite articles (“a” or “an”).

Table of contents

Countable noun or uncountable noun, are uncountable nouns singular or plural, using articles with uncountable nouns, numbers and amounts, “research” and “data”, other interesting language articles.

Some nouns in English, like those in the table above, are always (or nearly always) uncountable. Many other nouns, however, can be countable or uncountable depending on the context.

To identify whether a noun is countable or uncountable in a particular context, consider whether you are referring to a single tangible item, entity or type of something, or if you are describing a general mass or idea of something.

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Uncountable nouns should be treated as singular, and thus should always be used with singular verbs to ensure correct subject-verb agreement .

• Knowledges are power.
• Knowledge are power.
• Knowledge is power.

Singular countable nouns generally require an article or other determiner (e.g., “the interview ,” “a participant,” “my hypothesis “). Uncountable nouns, in contrast, can usually stand alone without an article.

Because uncountable nouns can’t be counted as a single item,  indefinite articles (“a” or “an”) should never be used with them.

• The admissions office can provide an advice about arranging accommodation.
• The admissions office can provide advice about arranging accommodation.

The definite article “the” can be used when you are referring to a particular instance or specific mass of an uncountable noun.

• All living things require water to survive.
• We wanted to swim but the water was too cold.

Many uncountable nouns are associated with words that break them up into countable units. This is helpful when you want to refer to a single or numbered instance or unit.

• A piece of advice .
• A head of broccoli.
• A bolt of lightning.
• Ten items of feedback.

Finding the correct term to describe amounts can be tricky. Many terms that describe amount (e.g., “some,” “ a lot of” and “most”) can be used with both uncountable and countable nouns (although note that these terms are often  too vague to use in academic writing).

• Uncountable: Some vegetation has started to grow over the study site.
• Countable: Some desserts can be very healthy.
• Uncountable: After 5 minutes most of the calcium carbonate should be dissolved.
• Countable: Most of the chemicals are not easy to obtain.

However, there are certain terms that can only be used with either uncountable or countable nouns. Make sure to choose correctly between “less vs. fewer,” “much vs. many,” and “amount vs. number.”

In academic writing , “research” and “data” are two uncountable nouns that are notoriously difficult to use correctly.

Never add “s” to pluralize “research” or “data”. (Note that the word “researches” is only correct when used as the third-person singular of the verb “to research.” )

• We review researches about the financial crisis of 2007.
• We review research about the financial crisis of 2007.
• The experiments produced a large amount of datas .
• The experiments produced a large amount of data .

Always use “research” as a singular noun.

• Research are lacking in this area.
• Research is lacking in this area.

Data, however, can be used as a singular or plural noun.

• Data was collected through semi-structured interviews .
• Data were collected through semi-structured interviews.

If you want to know more about nouns , pronouns , verbs , and other parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations and examples.

Nouns & pronouns

• Common nouns
• Types of nouns
• Collective nouns
• Personal pronouns
• Proper nouns
• Verb tenses
• Phrasal verbs
• Types of verbs
• Active vs passive voice
• Subject-verb agreement
• Interjections
• Determiners
• Prepositions

Sources in this article

We strongly encourage students to use sources in their work. You can cite our article (APA Style) or take a deep dive into the articles below.

Middleton, F. (2023, April 18). How to Tell if a Noun is Countable or Uncountable | Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved June 18, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/nouns-and-pronouns/uncountable-nouns/

Aarts, B. (2011).  Oxford modern English grammar . Oxford University Press.

Butterfield, J. (Ed.). (2015).  Fowler’s dictionary of modern English usage  (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Garner, B. A. (2016).  Garner’s modern English usage (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

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Marlins designate Bethancourt for assignment

Christina De Nicola

MIAMI -- The Marlins designated catcher Christian Bethancourt for assignment on Friday, recalling backstop Ali Sánchez from Triple-A Jacksonville.

Over the offseason, catcher and shortstop were positions Miami hoped to upgrade. When the Marlins acquired Bethancourt in a trade with Cleveland for cash on Dec. 10, it was to replace Jacob Stallings, who had been non-tendered after two seasons with the club. President of baseball operations Peter Bendix and Bethancourt overlapped in Tampa Bay from 2022-23.

After no other major moves were made on that front, the organization hoped one of Bethancourt or Nick Fortes would command the role during Spring Training.

But the 32-year-old Bethancourt couldn't get going with his new club, opening the season hitless in his first 29 at-bats. He compiled a .159/.198/.268 slash line with five extra-base hits and a 29 OPS+ in 38 games.

Behind the dish, Bethancourt ranked in the 14th percentile in framing (-2), 34th percentile in blocks above average (-1) and 80th percentile in caught stealing above average (2). Fortes had been garnering the majority of the catching duties -- 10 of 14 games this month -- in large part as the de facto personal backstop for left-handers Jesús Luzardo and Braxton Garrett.

"Christian is a really good dude," manager Skip Schumaker said. "He was a good fit here as far as talking to the guys. In those pitchers' meetings, he was fantastic. It just sometimes doesn't work out in different organizations. It wasn't lack of effort. He's been trying. He was doing everything he could to figure out the offensive stuff. He was doing better on the catching side as well. We all know that he had an unbelievable arm. But as far as a person, man, that's the kind of guy you want around all the time. He's a fantastic teammate. It's just too bad it didn't work out here."

The Marlins acquired Sánchez in a trade with the Cubs for cash on Wednesday. He played in seven big league games from 2020-21 with the Mets and Cardinals, collecting three hits in 13 at-bats. Sánchez has spent the past three seasons bouncing around at the Triple-A affiliates for the Cardinals, Tigers, D-backs and Cubs.

The 27-year-old Sánchez hit 10 doubles and three homers with a .725 OPS in 41 games at Triple-A Iowa this season after collecting 10 doubles and 11 homers with an .866 OPS in 67 games for Triple-A Reno last season.

"We'll see at the big league level," Schumaker said. "Big league level is different. He has some big league time. I knew him a little bit in St. Louis. There's guys that knew him around the league that have either coached with him or against him that have really good reviews. He's smart, very capable of catching up here, and our guys like the offensive profile. So we're excited to see what he can do."

Fortes got the start on Friday to catch left-hander Trevor Rogers in the series opener against the Mariners at loanDepot park. Sánchez replacing Bethancourt is unlikely to change the playing time.

"He's going to be a lot of like we used Beth," Schumaker said. "He'll catch a couple of times a week and make his own opportunity, whatever he does with that opportunity. Nick's going to probably get the same amount of or more [of the reps]. Not sure. Just depends on what it all looks like."

Universities, schools react to student use of generative AI programs including ChatGPT

Uni student Daniel hesitates when asked if he has used ChatGPT to cheat on assignments before.

His answer is "no", but the 22-year-old feels the need to explain it further.

"I don't think it's cheating," he said.

"As long as you accredit it and use it for like a foundation for your assignment I think it's fine."

Schools and universities have been scrambling to keep up since ChatGPT and other generative AI language programs were released in late 2022.

University student Lan Lang, 18, said quite a few people used generative AI for assessments such as English assignments.

"I do get Chat to like explain stuff to me if teachers don't really explain it that well," Lan Lang said.

She said she used AI detection software on her work.

"We put it through Turnitin, which just basically detects if you've used AI, or if you've copied off anyone else's work," she said.

Caught out in schools

High school teacher Ryan Miller said he wasn't seeing a lot of generative AI used in the Year 12 and Year 8 classes he taught but understood from colleagues other age groups were using it.

"What I hear, when I'm in the staff room, is that a lot of Year 9s, 10s, [and] 11s are pushing the boundaries," Mr Miller said.

He said Year 12 students tended to be more careful after being warned at the start of the year and constantly reminded of consequences.

"Basically, they're told if their work is seen to be made ... predominantly with AI, that it won't be assessed," he said.

Mr Miller said Year 8s, being a little newer to the school, hadn't used it as much.

He said teachers tended to give students a warning if they were detected using generative AI.

"And nine times out of 10 they'll probably own up to it and say, 'Yeah, look, it wasn't ... 100 per cent my own work'," he said. 

He said students would rewrite the work so it could be assessed again.

"But it's sort of a one warning per kid, per year for most teachers, I think," he said.

Fellow teacher Hugh Kinnane said generative AI was probably "pretty rife" in assignment work.

He said he most regularly saw it cropping up with students who were trying to avoid doing any work.

"And then it's a last-minute job," he said.

Drawing the line

University of Adelaide Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic Jennie Shaw said while her university embraced the use of AI, it could still be used to cheat.

"So we're saying, of course, that is not allowed," Dr Shaw said.

She said generative AI was included in academic integrity modules for first-year students.

"We make it really clear to students what is OK and what is not OK," she said.

Dr Shaw said there were instances when students were encouraged to use generative AI and then critique the quality of its answer.

"What we are asking our students and our staff to do is to reference when they do use it," she said.

She said it was a requirement that as much content as possible was checked by similarity detection software.

According to Turnitin's website — which is used by the University of Adelaide as well as many other universities across Australia to detect AI-generated content— the company is committed to a false positive rate of less than 1 per cent to ensure not students are falsely accused of misconduct.

AI arms race

The software has put students at the centre of a battle for superiority between programs generating answers for their assignments and those designed to catch them out.

And according to Australian Institute for Machine Learning senior lecturer Feras Dayoub, some are getting caught in the crossfire.

He said companies that created AI chatbots were trying to be undetectable while companies that created AI detection software wanted to detect everything.

"There will be a lot of false positives," Dr Dayoub said.

He said it could be an unpleasant experience for the student if the detector was wrong.

University student Ethan, 19, said single words were sometimes highlighted in his Turnitin submissions.

"It can be a bit inaccurate," Ethan said.

Dr Shaw said she understood the detection software had its faults.

"We would find probably two thirds of anything they pick up saying there's some unacceptably high levels of similarity here is often just picking up patterns in language," she said.

"I know some universities have chosen to turn it off because it does turn up lots of false positives.

"We're choosing to use it at this point."

Changing education

The Department of Education released a nationwide framework in December last year for the use of generative AI in schools.

Dr Shaw said the technology was changing the way teachers taught and students learned.

"But we still need students to have deep knowledge," she said. 

"We need them to know how to use the tools in their profession. 

"And again, one of those in many professions will now be generative AI, and we need them to be able to call out when it's wrong."

Dr Dayoub said he would prefer a future in which there was no need for detectors because people had changed the way they taught and assessed.

He said another option would be to take a stricter approach, where students did the work themselves and there would be no help.

"In that case you need the detectors so there will be a huge market for these detectors and it will become a race," he said.

"I don't like that future."

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