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GRAMMAR ACTIVITIES
COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
I WENT TO THE MARKET TO BUY...
SPEAKING ACTIVITY (20–30 minutes)
WHOLE CLASS
PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Teaching countable and uncountable nouns is often more challenging than it seems. Students may know the vocabulary, but they frequently struggle with determiners (a / an / some), containers (a loaf of, a bottle of), and typical errors such as ‘a bread’ or ‘many milk’.
This lesson is designed to help students practise countable and uncountable nouns in a meaningful, communicative way, using a simple speaking game as the main activity. The structure “I went to the market to buy…” provides a familiar and supportive frame, allowing students to focus on accuracy and vocabulary choice.
LESSON PLAN
Procedure
Lead-in (5 minutes)
Write on the board: 'What do you usually buy at the market?'.
Students brainstorm food and drink items orally or in pairs.
Then categorise together: COUNTABLE (apples, eggs, bananas); UNCOUNTABLE (milk, bread, rice).
‼️ At this stage, do not explain rules yet. Let students notice differences.
Focus on language: countable vs uncountable (10 minutes)
Use examples from the brainstorm to guide students to the rules!
Countable nouns: can be counted, have singular and plural forms; use a / an, numbers, many (an apple / two apples).
Uncountable nouns: cannot be counted individually; do not have a plural form; use some, much, or containers (e.g. some milk / a bottle of milk).
This prepares students for accurate use during speaking.
Speaking Activity: “I went to the market to buy…” (15 minutes)
Students sit in a circle or work as a whole class.
The first student completes the sentence “I went to the market to buy…” with a food or drink item beginning with A (e.g., …some apples).
The next student must repeat the full sentence the previous student said and add his/her own item beginning with B: “I went to the market to buy some apples and a banana.”
Students continue around the class, each adding a new item in alphabetical order.
Rules
Students must repeat the full sentence correctly.
Incorrect use of determiners or forgetting an item means elimination.
The last remaining student wins.
Teaching Tips
Encourage students to think of both countable and uncountable nouns (e.g., some milk, a loaf of bread).
Display a word bank on the board if needed, or let students brainstorm categories beforehand.
Because this is a memory game, be gentle with correction during the flow: focus on communication and fluency.
You can review common mistakes afterward as a class (e.g., verb form errors, pronunciation of past tense endings).
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