Subject Pronouns

What are subject pronouns?

A subject pronoun, also called subjective or subject personal pronoun, is used as substitute for proper and common nouns.

Examples

John is a doctor - He is a doctorThe laptop is on the desk - It is on the desk

A subject pronoun is used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence.

Example

______ did the job.I, you, he, she, it, we, and they all fit into the blank and are, therefore, subject pronouns.

A subject pronoun indicates:

number: singular or plural, gender: male or female, person: first, second or third person.

Examples

I (first person singular)

you (second person singular)

She (third person singular female)

He (third person singular male)

It (third person singular inanimate )

We (first person plural)

You (second person plural)

They (third person plural)

The words "I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they" are subject pronouns. They refer to a person or thing in speech or in writing.

You may also be interested in:

object pronouns, possessive adjectives,

possessive pronouns, and reflexive pronouns.

Review:

Subject pronouns

Possessive adjectives

Possessive pronouns

Reflexive pronouns

Object pronouns

I my mine myself me

you your yours yourself you

he his his himself him

she her hers herself her

it its its itself it

we our ours ourselves us

you your yours yourselves you

they their theirs themselves them

Object Pronouns

What are object pronouns?

An object pronoun, also called objective pronoun, functions as the object of a verb or preposition, as distinguished from a subject or subjective pronoun, which is the subject of a verb.

Examples:

He begged her to live with him. (her is the object of the verb begged and him is the object of the preposition with)

She told them the truth. (them is the object of the verb told)

Object pronouns are used instead of object nouns, usually because we already know what the object is.

She's my friend. I really enjoy being with her. I like this film. I saw it last week.

Object Pronouns

Object pronouns in English are the following:

me, you, him, her, it, us, them

Object pronouns come after either a verb (e.g "like") or a preposition (e.g "to").

Examples:

I like you but you don't like me. Do you really hate her? She loves sitting next to him. She always writes e-mails to us. He's talking to her about it.

Object pronouns differ from:

Subject pronouns, possessive adjectives, possessive pronouns, and reflexive pronouns.

Possessive Adjectives

What are possessive adjectives?

Possessive adjectives - my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their - modify the noun following it in order to show possession.

Examples:

I'll get my bag. Is this your luggage?

Possessive adjectives are often confused with possessive pronouns.

Examples:

Your bike is blue. (your is an adjective which modifies bike) Mine is yellow. (mine is a pronoun which functions as the

subject of the verb is)

Examples

Subject Pronouns I you he she it we you they

Possessive Adjectives

my your his her its our your their

Examples:

Why didn't you clean your room?(your modifies the noun room)

Mary doesn't like her dress.(her modifies the noun dress)

The chameleon can change its color.(its modifies the noun color)

Her hair is long.His hair is short

Things to remember:

1. Possessive adjectives are different from possessive pronouns.

This is your (possessive adjective) book and this is mine (possessive pronoun).

2. its, their are possessive adjectives.

Its color is beautiful. Their car is in their garage.

3. it's, they're and there are not possessive adjectives — its is a contraction of it is or it has; they're is a contraction of they are; there is an adverb of place.

It's not my book = It is not my book. My house is big. It's got five bedrooms = It has got five

bedrooms. Nancy and Alan are from New York. They're my friends = They

are my friends. Please, put the chair there. (adverb)

Reflexive Pronouns

Every morning...

I look at myself in the mirror. What are reflexive pronouns? Reflexive pronouns are used when the complement of the verb is

the same as the subject. Example: He hurt himself. Reflexive pronouns can also be used to give more emphasis to the

subject or object. Example: I wrote it myself. (I want to emphasize the fact that I wrote

it.) I spoke to the president himself. (I spoke to the

president personally NOT somebody else.) Reflexive pronouns

Subject Pronoun

s

I you he she it we you they

Reflexiv mysel yoursel himsel hersel itself ourselve yourselv themselv

e Pronoun

s

f f f f s es es

The words " myself, yourself, himself..." are reflexive pronouns. Reflexive pronouns are words that show that the person who does the action is also the person who is affected by it:

Examples:

"I always do my homework myself. Nobody helps me."

"He never does his homework himself. The teacher always helps him."

Present Progressive - Form

Exercise on affirmative sentences

Use the words below to make sentences in present progressive.

1. I / to read a book - I am reading a book.

2. it / to rain - It is raining.

3. he / to repair his bike - He is repairing his bike.

form02 0

I am reading a book.

4. they / to watch a film - They are watching a film.

5. the cat /to sleep on the chair - The cat is sleeping on the chair.

6. Jane and Emily / to do their homework - Jane and Emily are doing their homework.

7. Bill / to wait at the bus stop - Bill is waiting at the bus stop.

8. we / to listen to the radio - We are listening to the radio.

9. the children / to play a game - The children are playing a game.

10. Laura / to walk the dog - Laura is walking the dog.

Present Progressive - Form

Exercise on negative sentences

Transform the sentences below into negative sentences.

1. I am watching TV. - I am not watching TV.

2. I am talking. - I am not talking.

3. They are drawing. - They are not drawing.

4. He is opening the window. - He is not opening the window.

5. Angela is cleaning the bathroom. - Angela is not cleaning the bathroom.

6. We are helping in the garden. - We are not helping in the garden.

7. You are singing. - You are not singing.

8. It is raining. - It is not raining.

9. She is joking. - She is not joking.

10. I am tidying up my room. - I am not tidying up my room.

Present Progressive - Form

Exercise on questions I

Write questions with the words below.

form03 0

I am not w atching TV.

form04 0

1. Peter / to go / to the cinema - Is Peter going to the cinema?

2. they / to play / a game - Are they playing a game?

3. she / to listen /to the radio - Is she listening to the radio?

4. I / to dream - Am I dreaming?

5. they / to pack / their bags - Are they packing their bags?

6. you / to do / the washing-up - Are you doing the washing-up?

7. we / to talk / too fast - Are we talking too fast?

8. they / to clean / the windows - Are they cleaning the windows?

9. she / to watch / the news - Is she watching the news?

10. you / to pull / my leg - Are you pulling my leg?

Present Progressive - Form

Exercise on questions with interrogative particles

Ask for the information in the bold part of the sentence.

1. Ashley is going to a restaurant. - Where is Ashley going?

2. Gareth is reading the paper. - Who is reading the paper?

3. Stacey is playing in the garden. - Where is Stacey playing?

4. She is wearing a red dress. - Who is wearing a red dress?

5. Britney is doing her homework. - What is Britney doing?

6. Mandy is leaving at nine. - When is Mandy leaving?

7. Joe is repairing his bike. - What is Joe repairing?

8. Amanda is going out with Dan. - Who is going out with Dan?

9. They are meeting at two o'clock. - When are they meeting?

10. Sandy is looking for Phil. - What is Sandy doing?

Present Progressive Presente Progresivo

Is Peter going to the cinema?

form05 0

Where is Ashley going?

11. El presente progresivo esta compuesto por el verbo "to be" y un verbo especial llamado gerundio (gerund). El gerundio se forma generalmente agregando -ing al final del verbo.

  I am walking.Yo estoy caminando.

  They are laughing.Ellos se están riendo.

Si el verbo finaliza con una e silenciosa como en la palabra smile, la e cae antes de agregar el final ing.

  Jacob is smiling.Jacobo esta sonriendo

12. El Presente Progresivo se utiliza para describir actividades que se desarrollan en el presente.

  You are laughing. Tú estás riendo.

  David is smiling. David está sonriendo.

  They are frowning.Ellos están frunciendo.

  We are walking.Nosotros estamos caminando.

  The baby is crying.El bebé está sonriendo.

  The athlete is running.El atleta está corriendo.

13. Algunos verbos nunca se utilizan en Presente Progresivo y sólo se lo hace en el Presente Simple. Algunos ejemplos se ven en la tabla a continuacion.

see ver love amar like gustar

hear escuchar/oir hate odiar dislike disgustar

    prefer preferir want querer

14.

  I see a bird. Yo veo un pájaro.

  He hears a sound. Él oye un sonido.

  Jacob loves food. Jacobo ama la comida.

  John hates baths. John odia bañarse.

  Susan likes trains. A Susana le gustan los trenes.

  She prefers apples. Ella prefiere manzanas.

 They prefer apples to oranges.

Ellos prefieren manzanas a naranjas.

  We want oranges. Nosotros queremos naranjas.

15. Todas las oraciones que utilizan "to be" pueden ser convertidas en una pregunta llevándolo al principio de esta oracion.

  Are you laughing? ¿Están ustedes riendo?

  Is he swiming? ¿El está riendo?

16. Cuando los verbos están unidos, el primer verbo indica el tiempo. La segunda forma es un infinitivo (infinitive) que consiste en la preposición ‘para’ y la forma principal del verbo. Los verbos con frecuencia se identifican por la forma del infinitivo: 'to be', 'to hate', etc.

  She likes to swim. A ella le gusta nadar.

  We love to laugh. A nosotros nos gusta reír.

  I hate to cry. A mí no me gusta llorar

Future Futuro

El tiempo futuro se forma ubicando "will" delante del verbo.

  Charles will run. Charles va a correr

  I will walk. Yo voy a caminar

  They will laugh. Ellos van a reir

Si es seguido por un pronombre, se puede hacer una contracción.

  She'll hear the baby. Ella va a escuchar al bebé.

  We'll see his house. Nosotros vamos a ver su casa.

"Not" se ubica despues de "will" para negar la acción. Cuando se lo contrae con will, se crea una forma especial de "will" - won't.

  They will not laugh. Ellos no van a reír.

  You won't be there. Tú no vas a estar allá.

  She won't be happy. Ella no estará contenta.

Past Pasado

El tiempo pasado es usualmente formado añadiendo -ed al final del verbo,

  You frowned. Usted estaba fruncido.

  He smiled. Él sonrió.

  We walked. Nosotros caminamos.

Existen muchos verbos de pasado irregular. Todos estos deben ser estudiados por separado. Algunos de los verbos que hemos hallado en esta página son irregulares.

run - ran correr

swim - swam nadar

fly - flew volar

see - saw ver

hear - heard oir

  I ran. Yo corrí.

  They saw a movie. Ellos vieron una película.

  You heard a wolf. Tú escuchaste a un lobo.

La mayoría de los verbos tienen solo una conjugacion en pasado. El verbo "to be" es único ya que tiene una forma singular, was, y una forma plural, were.

  I was kind of sad. Yo estaba un poco triste.

  He was very angry. Él estaba muy enojado.

  We were in Syndey, Australia. Nosotros estabamos en Sydney, Australia.

  They weren't serious. Ellos no eran serios.

  It wasn't complex. No era complicado.

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Prepositions of place and direction

Preposition Use Examples

above higher than sth. The picture hangs above my bed.

acrossfrom one side to the other side

You mustn't go across this road here.There isn't a bridge across the river.

after one follows the otherThe cat ran after the dog.After you.

against directed towards sth. The bird flew against the window.

alongin a line; from one point to another

They're walking along the beach.

among in a group I like being among people.

around in a circular way We're sitting around the campfire.

behind at the back of Our house is behind the supermarket.

below lower than sth. Death Valley is 86 metres below sea level.

beside next to Our house is beside the supermarket.

between sth./sb. is on each sideOur house is between the supermarket and the school.

by near He lives in the house by the river.

close to near Our house is close to the supermarket.

down from high to low He came down the hill.

from the place where it starts Do you come from Tokyo?

in front ofthe part that is in the direction it faces

Our house is in front of the supermarket.

inside opposite of outside You shouldn't stay inside the castle.

into entering sth. You shouldn't go into the castle.

near close to Our house is near the supermarket.

next to beside Our house is next to the supermarket.

off away from sth. The cat jumped off the roof.

onto moving to a place The cat jumped onto the roof.

opposite on the other side Our house is opposite the supermarket.

out of leaving sth. The cat jumped out of the window.

outside opposite of inside Can you wait outside?

over above sth./sb. The cat jumped over the wall.

past going near sth./sb. Go past the post office.

round in a circle We're sitting round the campfire.

throughgoing from one point to the other point

You shouldn't walk through the forest.

to towards sth./sb.

I like going to Australia.

Can you come to me? I've never been to Africa.

towards in the direction of sth. We ran towards the castle.

under below sth. The cat is under the table.

up from low to high He went up the hill.

CUÁNDO USAR LAS PREPOSICIONES DE LUGAR: “IN”, “ON” Y “AT” EN INGLÉS?

 

2.1. Cuándo utilizar la preposición “IN”: “Dentro de”, “en (interior)”

Espacios cerrados: in my room, in the living room, etc. Dentro de objetos: in the box, in the book, etc. Lugares con límites definidos: in the park, in the football pitch, etc. Ciudades y países: in London, in Germany, etc. Largos períodos de tiempo (siglos, décadas, años, estaciones y meses): in 2012, in 

December, in Spring. Partes del día: in the morning/afternoon/evening. Esquina dentro de una habitación: in the corner.

 

2.2. Cuándo utilizar la preposición “ON”: “Sobre”, “encima de”

Días especiales: on my birthday, on Christmas Day, etc. Días de la semana: on Monday, on Sunday, etc. Sobre superficies: on the table, on the beach, etc. Direcciones: on the right, on the left, etc. Partes del cuerpo: on the arm, on the head, etc. Medios de transporte: on a bus, on a plain, etc. Esquina exterior como la de un edificio: on the corner. Haciendo referencia a una página específica de un libro o revista: on the page 347.

 

2.3. Cuándo utilizar la preposición “AT”: “En”, “junto a”, “al lado de”

Lugares comunes: at home, at school, etc. Lugares específicos: At Natural History museum, at the Cambridge University, etc. Direcciones y domicilios: at 2393 Colon Square Sitios concretos de un establecimiento: At the door, at the window, etc. Citas y acontecimientos: at the party, at the meeting, etc. Posiciones: at the top/bottom, at the front/back, etc. Horas y momentos determinados del día: at 4:00 am, at midnight, etc. Fin de semana: at weekend Períodos vacacionales: at Christmas, at Easter, etc.

ay tres preposiciones en inglés que se utilizan muy a menudo y que tienen

reglas que podemos aprender fácilmente para utilizarlas correctamente. Estas

preposiciones son ‘in’, ‘on’ y ‘at’.

Los hispano-hablantes a menudo cometemos errores con estas preposiciones y

nos cuesta decidir qué preposición se debería utilizar y en qué casos. ¿Por qué

se dice ‘on the train’ pero ‘in the car’?

Es realmente bastante complicado atinar la preposición correcta, pero con

práctica y un poco de voluntad seguro que las aprendes rapidísimo.

Vamos a ver en qué situaciones tenemos que utilizarlas:

In

Tiempo:

Con partes del día:

In the morning - Por la mañana

In the afternoon - Por la tarde

In the evening - Por la noche

Con meses:

In January - En enero

Con estaciones:

In the summer - En verano

Con años:

In 1999 - En 1999

Lugar:

En espacios cerrados:

In the kitchen - En la cocina

In an office - En una oficina

In a hospital - En un hospital

En lugares abiertos con límites definidos:

In the park - En el parque

In a street - En una calle

In the garden - En el jardín

Con ciudades:

In Barcelona - En Barcelona

Con países:

In New Zealand - En Nueva Zelanda

On

Tiempo:

Con días de la semana:

On Monday - El lunes

On Friday evening - El viernes por la tarde

On weekdays - Los días laborables

Con fechas:

On June 13th - El 13 de Junio

Lugar:

En pisos de un edificio:

On the 2nd floor - En el 2º piso

Con partes de una habitación:

On the walls - En las paredes

On the ceiling - En el techo

On the floor - En el piso

Con transportes:

On a boat - En un barco

On the train - En el tren

Pero…

In a car - En un coche

In a taxi - En un taxi

At

Esta preposición suele llevar las excepciones a las reglas anteriores.

Tiempo:

Con solo una parte del día:

At night - De madrugada

Con el fin de semana:

At the weekend - El fin de semana

Con celebraciones:

At Christmas - En Navidad

At Easter - En Semana Santa

Con la hora:

At 3 o’clock - A las tres en punto

Lugar:

Con ciertos lugares:

At home - En casa

At school - En el colegio

At university - En la universidad

Se pueden utilizar dos preposiciones con un lugar:

In a museum - En un museo (dentro)

At the museum - En el museo (dentro o fuera)

Con lugares determinados:

At the door - En la puerta

At the traffic light - En el semáforo

COUNTABLE & UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

Es necesario entender correctamente la diferencia entre incontable y contable para poder expresar correctamente las cantidades.Podemos separar los nombres en dos grupos: los incontables y los contables.

Los contables son aquellos nombres de cosas, gente, etc que nosotros podemos

contar. Por ejemplo nosotros podemos decir: one pencil, two pencils, three pencils... Entonces decimos que pencil es contable. chair, book, cat, pen, box, letter ...

Incontable es todo aquello que nosotros no podemos contar. Por ejemplo nosotros no podemos decir: one rice, two rices, three rices... Entonces decimos que rice es incontable.salt, wood, tea, wine, sugar, oxygen, advice, bread, furniture, hair, information, money, news, spaghetti, weather, rice

Además muchos nombres pueden ser contables e incontables a la vez dependiendo de la función que desempeñen:Por ejemplo:There are two lambs. (Hay dos corderos)We like lamb. (Nos gusta la carne de cordero)

Podemos contar cantidades de cosas incontables usando por ejemplo: glass, bottle, litre, etc...ejemplos:

a glass of water three cartons of milk a loaf of bread

En esta tabla puedes ver las principales difirencias entre contables e incontables:contables incontables

tienen plural: friend-friendsno tienen plural: rice no puede ser

rices

delante de singular contable podemos usar a o an :an apple, a car

no podemos usar a o an : no podemos decir a milk. Deben ir precedidos, si quieren individualizarse, de alguna palabra con valor partitivo como a carton of milk.

podemos usar números delante de un contable: two friends

no podemos usar números delante de un incontable: no podemos decir two rices

many se usa para nombres plurales contables

How many students were there?There are too many people.

much se usa para nombres singulares no contablesHow much milk is in the fridge?There is too much information.

Usamos few o a few para expresar una idea de cantidad reducida o media: few biscuits o a few biscuits (pocas galletas o unas

Usamos little o a little para expresar una idea de cantidad reducida o media: little milk o a little milk (poca leche o un poco de leche

cuantas galletas)

Countable and uncountable nouns

*  If you find “a”/“an” in front of the word or “s” at the end of a word, this word must be a countable noun. For examples, when you see “a car” or “cars”, the word “car” must be countable.

Countable nouns Uncountable nounsoranges, carrots, onions, pineapples, pears, bananas, sweets, noodles, tomatoes, mushrooms, grapes, strawberries, apples, eggs, snacks, potato chips, vegetables, cakes, dollars

bread, lettuce, milk, cheese, rice, beef, oil, garlic, meat, salt, ice-cream, sugar, pork, food, water, chicken(meat), butter, soup, tea, coffee, money

Sometimes countable and sometimes uncountableegg, ice-cream, lettuce, coke, chocolate, chicken,

Words used with countable nouns Words used with uncountable nouns

many, a few, few(close to zero), fewer

much, a little, little(close to nothing), less

Words used with both countable and uncountable nounssome, a lot of(=lots of) , plenty of, enough, any, more

When we want to count the uncountable nouns, we can put a phrase in front of the word. See the examples below:

a bar of chocolate,   2 bars of chocolate,

a bottle of milk / juice,   three bottles of milk / juice

a carton of milk / juice,   5 cartons of milk / juice

a bowl of rice,   a few bowls of rice

*   “Milk” and “rice” are uncountable but “carton”, “bottle” and “bowl” are countable. You cannot say 1 milk, 2 milks but you can say “1 bottles”, “two bottles”.

If you want to know more, please read “Big Grammar: Book 4” Unit 1 and Unit 8

Countable NounsCountable nouns are easy to recognize. They are things that we can count. For example: "pen". We can count pens. We can have one, two, three or more pens. Here are some more countable nouns:

dog, cat, animal, man, person bottle, box, litre coin, note, dollar cup, plate, fork table, chair, suitcase, bag

Countable nouns can be singular or plural:

My dog is playing. My dogs are hungry.

We can use the indefinite article a/an with countable nouns:

A dog is an animal.

When a countable noun is singular, we must use a word like a/the/my/this with it:

I want an orange. (not I want orange.) Where is my bottle? (not Where is bottle?)

When a countable noun is plural, we can use it alone:

I like oranges. Bottles can break.

We can use some and any with countable nouns:

I've got some dollars. Have you got any pens?

We can use a few and many with countable nouns:

I've got a few dollars. I haven't got many pens.

Remember It

 

How much ....? = uncountable nouns

For example: How much coffee do you drink?

How many ....? = countable nouns

For example: How many cups of coffee do you drink?

How much? How many?

  Countable Nouns Uncountable Nouns

In

questions:

We use how many with plural

countable nouns:-

We use how much with

uncountable nouns:-

 "How many newspapers do you

read every day?"

"How much paper is in the

printer?"

  "How many Euros have you got?" "How much money have you

got?"

Revise It - How much and How many Lesson 36

Learn It

Some, Any

Countable Uncountable

There are some people.

cups.

books.

There is some money.

traffic.

paper.

newspapers.

chairs.

shoes.

Euros.

time.

coffee.

food.

  Countable Uncountable

Statements:

We can use some in positive

sentences with plural countable

nouns:-

We can use some in positive

sentences with uncountable nouns:-

Positive: I read some books. I would like some coffee.

Countable Uncountable

There aren't any

people.

cups.

books.

newspapers.

chairs.

shoes.

Euros.

There isn't any

money.

traffic.

paper.

time.

coffee.

food.

Statement:

We can use any in negative

sentences with plural countable

nouns:-

We can use any in negative

sentences with uncountable nouns:-

Negative: I don't read any books. I don't want any coffee.

Countable Uncountable

Are(n't) there any

people?

cups?

books?

newspapers?

chairs?

shoes?

Euros?

Is(n't) there any

money?

traffic?

paper?

time?

coffee?

food?

Questions:We can use any in questions with

plural countable nouns:-

We can use any in questions with

plural uncountable nouns:-

Positive Q: Are there any books? Do you need any coffee?

Negative

Q:Aren't there any books? Don't you need any coffee?

!Note! When you expect the answer to be "Yes." to an offer or polite request,

you can ask a question using some.

  Countable Uncountable

Question: Can I have some books, please? Would you like some coffee?

A few, A little

There are a few

people

cups

books

newspapers

chairs

shoes

Euros

There is a little

money

traffic

paper

time

coffee

food

  Countable Uncountable

Statements:    

Positive: "I meet a few people every day." "There is a little paper in the

printer."

  "I only have a few Euros." "I only have a little money."

Many, Much

There aren't many

people

cups

books

newspapers

chairs

shoes

There isn't much

money

traffic

paper

time

coffee

food

  Countable Uncountable

Statements:    

Negative: I don't read many books. I don't drink much coffee.

Questions:    

Positive Q: Are there many books? Do you need much coffee?

Negative Q: Aren't there many books? Don't you need much coffee?

Uncountable NounsUncountable nouns are substances, concepts etc that we cannot divide into separate elements. We cannot "count" them. For example, we cannot count "milk". We can count "bottles of milk" or "litres of milk", but we cannot count "milk" itself. Here are some more uncountable nouns:

music, art, love, happiness advice, information, news furniture, luggage rice, sugar, butter, water electricity, gas, power money, currency

We usually treat uncountable nouns as singular. We use a singular verb. For example:

This news is very important. Your luggage looks heavy.

We do not usually use the indefinite article a/an with uncountable nouns. We cannot say "an information" or "a music". But we can say a something of:

a piece of news a bottle of water a grain of rice

We can use some and any with uncountable nouns:

I've got some money. Have you got any rice?

We can use a little and much with uncountable nouns:

I've got a little money. I haven't got much rice.

Uncountable nouns are also called "mass nouns".

Here are some more examples of countable and uncountable nouns:

Countable Uncountable

dollar money

song music

suitcase luggage

table furniture

battery electricity

bottle wine

report information

tip advice

journey travel

job work

view scenery

Nouns that can be Countable and UncountableSometimes, the same noun can be countable and uncountable, often with a change of meaning.

Countable Uncountable

There are two hairs in my coffee! hair I don't have much hair.

There are two lights in our bedroom. light Close the curtain. There's too much light!

Shhhhh! I thought I heard a noise.There are so many different noises in the 

city.noise

It's difficult to work when there is so much noise.

Have you got a paper to read? (newspaper)

Hand me those student papers.paper

I want to draw a picture. Have you got some paper?

Our house has seven rooms. room Is there room for me to sit here?

We had a great time at the party.How many times have I told you no?

timeHave you got time for a cup of coffee?

Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's greatest works.

workI have no money. I need work!

Drinks (coffee, water, orange juice) are usually uncountable. But if we are thinking of a cup or a glass, we can say (in a restaurant, for example): 

Two teas and one coffee please.

Partitive Structure with Uncountable Nouns

To count or quantify an uncountable noun we use a unit of measurement - a measure word. For example, we cannot usually say “two breads” because “bread” is uncountable. So, if we want to specify a quantity of bread we use a measure word such as “loaf” or “slice” in a structure like “two loaves of bread” or “two slices of bread”. We call this structure a partitive structure.

p a r t i t i v e   s t r u c t u r e

quantitymeasure word

(partitive, countable noun)

"of"uncountable noun

two cups of coffeeseveral games of tennis

a drop of water

We can use the same uncountable noun in different partitive expressions with different meanings. For example, a loaf of bread and a slice of bread are partitive expressions with different meanings. A loaf of bread is what we call a whole unit of bread that we buy from a baker. A slice of bread is what we call a smaller unit of bread after it has been cut from a loaf. 

Here are some more examples:

Don't forget to buy a bag of rice when you go shopping. Can I have one cup of coffee and two cups of tea. The police found some items of clothing scattered around the floor. I need a truck that will take at least three pieces of furniture. You'd think a tablespoon of honey would be more than enough.

The word "partitive" indicates that only "part" of a whole is being referred to. The partitive structure using a measure word is common with uncountable nouns, but it can also be used with countable nouns, for example: a series of accidents, two boxes of matches, a can of worms.

Countable/Uncountable Nouns (Los nombres contables/incontables) Countable Nouns (Los nombres contables)

Los nombres o sustantivos contables son aquellos que se pueden contar.

Ejemplos: one pencil, a pencil

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one [a] pencil (un lápiz)

two cats

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two cats (dos gatos)

three houses

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three houses (tres casas)

Uncountable Nouns (Los nombres incontables)

Los nombres o sustantivos incontables son aquellos que no podemos contar porque no los podemos delimitar individualmente sino que forman parte de un todo. Son tratados como singulares (no se pueden hacer plurales añadiendo '-s').

salt (sal), wood

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wood (madera), tea

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tea (té), wine

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wine (vino), sugar

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sugar (azúcar), bread

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bread (pan), furniture

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furniture (muebles), hair

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hair (pelo), information

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information (información), money

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money (dinero), weather

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weather (tiempo), time

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time (tiempo), rice

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rice (arroz)

Sin embargo, en el momento que los delimitamos, estos mismos nombres o sustantivos pasan a ser contables. Deberán ir precedidos, si quieren individualizarse, de alguna palabra con valor partitivo.

Ejemplos: a gram of salt

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a gram of salt (un gramo de sal)

a piece of wood

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a piece of wood (un trozo de madera)

two cups of tea

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two cup   s   of tea (dos tazas de té)

three glasses of wine

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three glass   es    of wine (tres vasos de vino)

Grammatical Rules (Reglas gramaticales)

1. Nombres contables tienen una forma plural: o Ejemplos:o egg, eggs

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egg/eggs (huevo/s)

o bicycle, bicycles

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bicycle/bicycles (bicicleta/s)

o dress, dresses

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dress/dresses (vestido/s)

2. Nombres incontables no tienen una forma plural:o rice

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rice (arroz)

o riceso milk

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milk (leche)

o milks3. Se puede usar "a" o "an" con nombres contables en singular: 

Ejemplos: an apple

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an apple (una manzana)

a house

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a house (una casa)

4. No podemos usar "a" o "an" con nombres incontables:o a milk

5. Se pueden usar números delante de un contable: o Ejemplos:o three apples

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three apples (tres manzanas)

o five houses

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five houses (cinco casas)

6. No podemos usar números delante de un incontable:o two rices