What is the différence between countable and uncountable nouns?

A countable noun can be counted and has a plural form: one book, two books. An uncountable noun cannot be directly counted and has no plural: information, furniture, advice.

How to know if a noun is countable or uncountable?

There is no absolute rule. Common uncountable nouns include: information, advice, furniture, equipment, luggage, news, research, progress, knowledge, weather. A dictionary indicates [C] or [U] to help.

Are nouns important on the TOEIC®?

Yes, very important. The TOEIC® often tests countable/uncountable distinction (much vs many, less vs fewer), noun vs adjective choice in Part 5, noun suffixes, and compound nouns in professional texts.

What is a gerund used as a noun?

A gerund (verb + -ing) can function as a noun: Swimming is good exercise. Managing a team requires patience. On the TOEIC®, gerunds often appear after prépositions: She is interested in learning .

Which noun suffixes are most tested?

The most frequent TOEIC® noun suffixes are: -tion/-sion (information, décision), -ment (management, agreement), -ness (awareness, effectiveness), -ity (quality, ability), and -ance/-ence (performance, experience).

Sustantivos para TOEIC®: sufijos, gerundios, cuantificadores y artículos

English Nouns: A TOEIC® Key Point

Nouns name people, places, things, or concepts. On the TOEIC®, noun questions mainly test three areas: the countable/uncountable distinction, choosing between a noun and an adjective (suffixes), and correct use of quantifiers.

Categorized building blocks illustration representing noun types: concrete, abstract, and collective

Noun Suffixes (Essential for Part 5)

In Part 5, you are often asked to choose between a noun, adjective, verb, and adverb. Recognizing noun suffixes lets you answer in seconds:

Suffix	Meaning	TOEIC® Examples
-tion / -sion	action / result	information, décision, production, promotion
-ment	result / process	management, agreement, department, requirement
-ness	quality / state	awareness, effectiveness, willingness, readiness
-ity / -ty	quality	quality, ability, productivity, availability
-ance / -ence	state / action	performance, experience, attendance, preference
-er / -or	person who does	manager, supervisor, employer, contractor
-al	action (noun)	approval, removal, proposal, renewal
-ure	process / result	procedure, expenditure, departure, disclosure

Countable vs Uncountable

This is the most tested distinction on the TOEIC®. It determines the article, quantifier, and verb form:

Type	Characteristics	Examples
Countable	singular + plural, a/an possible	document(s), employee(s), report(s)
Uncountable	no plural, no a/an	information, equipment, furniture, advice, luggage, news, research, progress

Quantifiers: The Table to Memorize

Countable only	Uncountable only	Both
many	much	some / any
few / a few	little / a little	a lot of
fewer	less	plenty of
several	a great deal of	enough
a number of	an amount of	all / most

Gerunds as Nouns

A gerund (verb + -ing) functions as a noun. This is a common TOEIC® trap because it looks like a verb form but plays the rôle of a noun:

Function	Example
Subject	Managing a team requires patience.
Direct object	She enjoys traveling* for work.*
After a préposition	He is responsible for scheduling* meetings.*
Complément	His main task is coordinating* the project.*

TOEIC® trap: after a préposition, always use the gerund, never the infinitive. She is interested in learning (not *to learn).

Articles: Quick Reference

Article	Usage	Example
a / an	non-specific countable singular	She needs a new computer.
the	specific (already mentioned or unique)	Please review the* attached document.*
(zero article)	général plural or uncountable	Information is available online.

Compound Nouns

Compound nouns are very common in the professional English tested on the TOEIC®. They are formed in several ways:

Structure	Examples
noun + noun	business trip, customer service, board meeting
adjective + noun	annual report, full-time employee, high-speed internet
verb + noun	parking lot, swimming pool, waiting room
noun + verb-ing	décision-making, problem-solving, team-building

Plural Rules

Rule	Pattern	Example
General rule	add -s	report → reports
-s, -x, -z, -ch, -sh	add -es	box → boxes
Consonant + y	-y → -ies	company → companies
-f / -fe	often -ves	half → halves

Irregular Plurals to Memorize

Singular	Plural	TOEIC® Context
person	people	HR, meetings
criterion	criteria	évaluations, hiring
analysis	analyses	financial reports
datum	data	statistics, IT
medium	media	marketing, communication
memorandum	memoranda / memos	internal communication

Possessive Nouns

Type	Rule	Example
Singular	add 's	the manager's office
Plural ending in -s	add only '	the employees' benefits
Irregular plural	add 's	the children's room

Top 5 TOEIC® Traps

Countable vs uncountable: information, equipment, furniture, and advice are uncountable in English (no *informations, *equipments)
Much vs many: much with uncountable (much information), many with countable (many employees)
Less vs fewer: less with uncountable (less time), fewer with countable (fewer documents)
Noun vs adjective: significance (noun) vs significant (adj.). Spotting the suffix is the key
Gerund after préposition: interested in learning (not *to learn), responsible for managing (not *to manage)

Frequently Asked Questions

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Nouns, suffixes, and quantifiers are essential TOEIC® grammar points. Practice with 990prep to master them and score easy points on Part 5.

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