Counters
Another way to make an uncountable noun countable is to modify it with a "counter"—a countable noun expressing a standard unit of measurement and the preposition of. This is most common with abstract uncountable nouns (e.g., radiation, density, mass, temperature).
Six millilitres of water was placed into each test tube.
Each solar cell can generate 12 volts of current at optimal solar light exposure.
The Free-Electron Laser achieved 10 kilowatts of infrared laser light, thus making it the most powerful laser in the world.
In addition to standard units of measurement, some mass and collective uncountable nouns may also have special counters in everyday speech:
Mass Nouns: The guests all asked for a glass of wine. Would you like a piece/slice of cake. The car swerved when it was hit by a gust of wind.
Collective Nouns:Can I give you a piece/word of advice? From the airplane, they could see a herd of cattle grazing along the edge of the airport. Trams are still a popular form of transportation in Helsinki. However, many abstract and collective uncountable nouns lack special counters and must instead be replaced by another countable alternative:
To pass the course, students must complete the homework. To pass the course, students must complete three homeworksassignments.
Recent research has shown that telecommuting can improve productivity.Two recent researchesstudies have shown that telecommuting can improve productivity.
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