1. The “Never Add -S” Group (Strictly Uncountable)
These words never take an “s,” never use “a/an,” and always take a singular verb (is).
Note: a 🌟 is placed beside the most common mistakes.
1. 💡 Advice 🌟
❌ Incorrect: “He gave me an advice.”
✅ Correct: “He gave me advice” or “some advice.”
2. ℹ️ Information 🌟
❌ Incorrect: “Too many informations.”
✅ Correct: “Too much information.”
3. 📚 Knowledge 🌟
❌ Incorrect: “She has many knowledges.”
✅ Correct: “She has lots of knowledge.”
4. 💬 Feedback
❌ Incorrect: “I’m waiting for feedbacks.”
✅ Correct: “I’m waiting for feedback.”
5. 🔍 Evidence
❌ Incorrect: “The police have many evidences.”
✅ Correct: “The police have a lot of evidence.”
6. 🛠️ Equipment
❌ Incorrect: “We need new equipments.”
✅ Correct: “We need new equipment.”
7. 💎 Jewellery
❌ Incorrect: “She wears many jewelleries.”
✅ Correct: “She wears a lot of jewellery.”
8. 📝 Homework
❌ Incorrect: “I have three homeworks.”
✅ Correct: “I have piles of homework.”
9. ⚙️ Machinery
❌ Incorrect: “The factory has new machineries.”
✅ Correct: “The factory has new machinery.”
10. 🧳 Luggage / Baggage
❌ Incorrect: “I have two luggages.”
✅ Correct: “I have two bags” or “some luggage.”
11. 🚦 Traffic / Congestion
❌ Incorrect: “There are many traffics today.”
✅ Correct: “There is a lot of traffic/congestion.”
12. 💰 Money
❌ Incorrect: “I have many moneys.”
✅ Correct: “I have a lot of money.”
13. 🦉 Wisdom
❌ Incorrect: “He’s got many wisdoms.”
✅ Correct: “He’s got a lot of wisdom.”
14. 🛋️ Furniture
❌ Incorrect: “We bought three furnitures.”
✅ Correct: “We bought three items of furniture.”
2. The Meaning-Shifters 🔄
These words change their grammar rules depending on what you are trying to say. They are countable only when the definition shifts.
1. 🧠 Experience 🌟
2. ⏳ Time 🌟
3. 🛠️ Work
4. 💭 Memory
5. 🌱 Life
6. 🏗️ Support
7. 📦 Content vs. Contents
3. Food & Substances 🍯
Most foods are “masses” and cannot be counted unless you are using scientific categories or specific portions.
1. 🍞 Toast
❌ Incorrect: “I had a toast for breakfast.”
✅ Correct: “I had a slice of toast.”
✅ Correct: “I had some toast.”
(Note: “A toast” actually means a tribute speech with a drink!)
2. 🍦 Ice-cream
❌ Incorrect: “I love ice-creams.” (When talking about the flavor)
✅ Correct: “I love ice-cream.”
✅ Correct: “We ordered three ice-creams.” (When ordering specific cones/portions)
3. 🍝 Pasta / Flour / Sugar
❌ Incorrect: “I bought three spaghettis.”
✅ Correct: “I bought three servings of pasta.”
✅ Correct: “I bought three bags of flour.”
4. 🧪 Protein / Plastic / Food
❌ Incorrect: “This food is high in proteins.”
✅ Correct: “This food is high in protein.” (General substance)
✅ Correct: “Proteins are long chains of amino acids.” (Scientific types/categories)
✅ Correct: “Avoid processed foods.” (Specific categories of food)
4. Nature 🌿
You cannot count the weather or elements of nature. You must use units to describe them.
1.🌦️ Weather
❌ Incorrect: “We had a bad weather.”
✅ Correct: “We had bad weather.”
2. ❄️ Snow / Rain / Air
❌ Incorrect: “There were many rains today.”
✅ Correct: “There was a lot of rain today.”
✅ Correct: “We saw three inches of snow.”
3. 🌳 Nature & Grass
❌ Incorrect: “I love looking at the natures.”
✅ Correct: “I love looking at nature.”
✅ Correct: “I can see a few blades of grass.”
5. Academic & Industrial Fields 🎓
These are general categories of study or work and do not take a plural form.
1. 🔬 Research
❌ Incorrect: “I’m doing a research.”
✅ Correct: “I’m doing research.”
✅ Correct: “I’m doing a study.”
2. 🏗️ Construction / Journalism / Architecture
❌ Incorrect: “The constructions are everywhere.”
✅ Correct: “Construction is happening everywhere.”
3. 📰 News 🌟
❌ Incorrect: “The news are good.”
✅ Correct: “The news is good.”
✅ Correct: “That is a great piece of news.”
6. Unique Oddities 🧩
These words have their own special rules that don’t fit into other categories.
1. 📊 Data
❌ Incorrect: “The datas are clear.”
✅ Correct: “The data is clear.”
(Note: “The data are” is only used in formal scientific papers; “is” is the standard.)
2. 👕 Clothes
❌ Incorrect: “I bought a new clothe.”
✅ Correct: “I bought new clothes.”
✅ Correct: “I bought an item of clothing.”
3. 👥 Staff
❌ Incorrect: “Ten staffs worked today.”
✅ Correct: “Ten members of staff worked today.”
4. 🗑️ Trash / Rubbish / Garbage
❌ Incorrect: “There are many trashes here.”
✅ Correct: “There is too much trash here.”
FINAL NOTE:
For IELTS Speaking, the most 🌟COMMON🌟 mistakes are: advice, news, information, knowledge, experience and time.
Test
Exercise 1: The Baby News 📰 👶
Here is a story featuring an eccentric journalist on a field assignment.
Find the 10 mistakes. There are 4 mistakes in the first paragraph, 3 mistakes in the second paragraph 1 mistake in the third paragraph and 2 mistakes in the final paragraph.
Henry and Isabel were recently married and had a news to tell their parents- Isabel was pregnant! On Friday, the night before telling their parents, they reflected on all of the experiences they've had in their relationship up to this point and how crazy the life was, and now they'd have to do a lot of researches to get ready for raising a baby. They didn't have any experiences, so they were hoping they'd receive support from their parents.
Saturday came and both sets of parents arrived for dinner. Isabel had made a spaghetti, and afterwards they had some ice-creams. Mario, Isabel's dad, didn't go for ice-cream as he wanted to reduce the amount of sugar in his diet. Catherine, Henry's mum, started yawning. She was tired because she had many work earlier that morning.
After dinner, they all gathered by the fire as it was winter. There was still lots of snow outside. Maria, Isabel's mum, mentioned that she had wonderful memory of playing in the snow when she was a little girl. She had many winter clothes and loved wearing them when it was snowing in all the natures.
After they had warmed up, Henry and Isabel were ready to tell them the exciting news. "Guys, Isabel's pregnant!" Both sets of parents jumped for joy! "I've waited many times for this moment", said Catherine. They talked for hours about how their lives would change. Isabel had been watching a lot of content online for first-time mothers, but the tips she got from her parents and parents-in-law were far more valuable. 11 o'clock came, and it was time to go. The parents giddily walked to their cars, excited for the little life that was on its way.
Reveal Answers
Henry and Isabel were recently married and had 1) some/ a piece of news (NOT “a news“) to tell their parents- Isabel was pregnant! The night before telling their parents, they reflected on all of the experiences (CORRECT- referring to the moments they had together) they’ve had in their relationship up to this point and how crazy 2) life (no article) was, and now they’d have to do a lot of 3) research (NOT “researches“) to get ready for raising a baby. They didn’t have any 4) experience (NOT “experiences“), so they were hoping they’d receive support (NOT “supports“) from their parents.
Saturday came and both sets of parents arrived for dinner. Isabel had made 5) spaghetti (no article), and afterwards they had 6) some ice-cream (NOT “an ice-cream“). Mario, Isabel’s dad, didn’t go for ice-cream (NOT “an ice-cream“) as he wanted to reduce the amount of sugar (NOT “sugars“) in his diet. Catherine, Henry’s mum, started yawning. She was tired because she had 7) a lot of work (NOT “many work” or “a lot of “works“) earlier that morning.
After dinner, they all gathered by the fire as it was winter. There was still lots of snow (NOT “lots of snows“) outside. Maria, Isabel’s mum, mentioned that she had wonderful 8) memories (NOT “memory“) of playing in the snow (NOT “snows“) when she was a little girl. She had many winter clothes (NOT “much winter clothes“) and loved wearing them when it was snowing in 9) nature (NOT “in natures“).
After they had warmed up, Henry and Isabel were ready to tell them the exciting news (CORRECT). “Guys, Isabel’s pregnant!” Both sets of parents jumped for joy! “I’ve waited 10) a long time (NOT “many times“) for this moment”, said Catherine. They talked for hours about how their lives would change. Isabel had been watching a lot of content (NOT “many contents“) online for first-time mothers, but the tips she got from her parents and parents-in-law were far more valuable. 11 o’clock came, and it was time to go. The parents giddily walked to their cars, excited for the little life (CORRECT) that was on its way.
