I have many tasks to do but I don’t have much time. Looking at that sentence, we can get countable and uncountable noun at once. In fact, it is an easy material in learning English, though there will be difficult to completely understand at first, especially for ESL (English for Second Language) learners. They sometimes put the indicator, e.g. many, to uncountable nouns, and conversely.
To make easier, countable nouns are the things that we can count, such as pen, book, etc. While uncountable nouns are things we cannot count, such as water, money, etc.
In grammar classroom, teacher can manage a grammar game for countable and uncountable nouns so that the students will understand the grammar material in ease. How is this grammar game for countable and uncountable nouns delivered in the grammar classroom? Take a look at the explanation below:
Type of Activity in Grammar Game for Countable and Uncountable Nouns
For this grammar game, we manage the grammar game in pairwork, sorting and information gap game.
Grammar Point Students Will Learn
By the end of the study, students will be able to use determiners a/an and some with correct match for countable and uncountable nouns.
- some nouns are countable (e.g. carrot), some are uncountable (e.g. milk)
- countable nouns can be singular (carrot) or plural (carrots)
- uncountable nouns do not have a plural form: milk
- we use a/an with singular countable nouns: a carrot, an avocado
- we use some with plural countable nouns (some carrots) and with uncountable nouns (some milk)
We also give other structure and preposition deal with this grammar game. Other structure we give here is There’s a/an/some … While for the propositions we give next to, on, and in.
Vocabulary Covered in This Grammar Game
To provide the students with countable and uncountable nouns, teacher can make and provide a list of pictures containing Food and Kitchen Furniture (two pictures). For Food vocabulary can be salt, flour, sugar, milk, coffee, tea, rice, bread, butter, cheese, apple, banana, orange, carrots, peas, tomatoes, biscuits, and potatoes.While for Kitchen Furniture pictures are table, chair, sink, fridge, cooker, light, vase, and cupboard.
Materials and preparation for This Grammar Game
- Cut up one set of Food Pictures teacher have prepared before for each pair of students in the class. Cut the words off if your students are familiar with the vocabulary. If they are not, leave the words on the cards and practise the vocabulary before you play the game.
- Cut up the Kitchen Picture, and give it to each pair of students.
How This Grammar Game to Manage?
- Check that your students are familiar with the grammar in the Grammar point and Other structures and with the words listed under Vocabulary, above.
- Divide the class into pairs.
- Give each pair a set of Food Pictures.
- Get them to spread these out face up on the table.
- Tell them that when you give the signal they should sort the cards into two piles – countable and uncountable.
- Say ‘Go!’
- When they have done this, check they are right.
- Students should spread the Food Pictures out again, face up on the table.
- Give out Kitchen Pictures 1.
- Each student should mentally select 10 food items (from the Food Pictures) and draw them in on the picture. They should not show their picture to their partner.
- If you like, ask them to imagine that some children have been cooking in the kitchen. Ask them to imagine the mess, and draw the items in as strange or silly places as they like.
- Then give out Kitchen Pictures 2 to each player.
- Each player should then describe their picture to their partner, e.g. ‘There’s a banana in the flower vase. There’s some flour on the floor.’
- The object of the game is for each player to try to draw the food items in on Kitchen Pictures 2, following their partner’s description.
That’s all the Grammar Game for Countable and Uncountable Nouns. We hope that you, teachers, can apply or modify this grammar game to your grammar classroom.
