A Read the following conversation and notice the underlined nouns:
Aslam: Excuse me, do you have pencils and erasers?
Shopkeeper: Yes, we have a lot. How many do you want?
Aslam: I need one pencil and one eraser.
Shopkeeper: Here you are.
Aslam: Thank you. Can I have a tube of toothpaste, please?
Shopkeeper: Certainly. Anything else?
Aslam: Oh yes, a bar of soap and a small bottle of coconut oil.
Shopkeeper: Just a minute.

Which of these nouns can and which of them cannot be counted? Those which you can count are called countable nouns and those which you cannot count are called uncountable nouns.
In the conversation, five items are underlined. Of them, 'pencil' and 'eraser' are countable nouns, because they can be counted. You can say,
A pencil, one pencil or two pencils
An eraser, one eraser or three erasers

A countable noun can have both singular and plural forms. You can ask the question 'how many?' for a countable noun. For example,
Question: How many pens do you have?
Answer: I have only one pen (singular)
: I have two pens. (plural)
On the other hand, 'toothpaste', 'soap' and 'oil' are uncountable nouns. Uncountable nouns cannot be counted and they do not have any plural form. When you want to mention the quantity of an uncountable item, you should use some measure words before it. For example, 'a tube of', 'a bar of' and 'a bottle of' are measure words. You can say,
two tubes of toothpaste
three bars of soap
four bottles of oil

B Use appropriate measure words before the uncountable nouns in the following sentences. Choose the measure words from the box below.

1. I take _____ tea a day.
2. Take this ____ chalk and write your name on the board.
3. He gave me ______ news.
4. I do not take even ______ sugar in my tea.
5. Give me ____ paper.
6. She bought _____ sugar.
7. He has ______ money

C Work with a partner and ask and answer the following questions:

1. How many friends do you have?
2. How many classes do you attend a day?

This house is made of brick.
There are some bricks on the road.
Her hair is very long.
I found two hairs in the soup.
I went to Dhaka by bus.
Two buses are standing there.
(ii) Use 5 more nouns, using each of them as countable and uncountable noun.