Question

In the following sentence, a word has been italicised. To what category of noun does it belong?
Michael gave me one of his Labrador puppies.
(a)countable noun
(b)uncountable noun
(c)abstract noun
(d)collective noun

Answer 1

Hint: Read the given sentence again and understand its meaning. Try to also understand the meaning of the noun that is italicized. This will help you determine which category the noun belongs to.

Complete answer:
 A noun which can be counted in cardinal numbers (1, 2, 3...) is called a countable noun. These nouns can be easily counted in these quantitative terms. Some examples of countable nouns are pages, books, keys, etc. All these objects can be counted cardinally. For example, one page, two books, three keys, etc. Uncountable nouns are for the things that we cannot count with numbers. They may be the names for abstract ideas or qualities or for physical objects that are too small or too amorphous to be counted (liquids, powders, gases, etc.). None of these objects can be counted cardinally. For example, we cannot say one air or two oxygens.
A collective noun is a collection of things taken as a whole, as in multiple parts make one whole. For example, the word ‘murder’ is used to describe a group of crows.
An abstract noun is a noun denoting an idea, quality, or state which cannot be perceived physically, rather than a concrete object. For example, the words ‘truth’, ‘danger’, ‘happiness’, etc are abstract nouns.

Now, we know what countable and uncountable nouns are. Let’s look at our given options:
(a)countable noun - The word ‘puppies’ is a plural common noun. Puppies are countable nouns and they can be counted cardinally. This means that the given word is a countable noun. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
(b)uncountable noun - The word ‘puppies’ is a plural common noun. Puppies are countable nouns and they can be counted cardinally. This means that the given word is not an uncountable noun. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
(c)abstract noun - The word ‘puppies’ is a plural common noun. Puppies are countable nouns and they can be counted cardinally. This means that the given word is not an abstract noun. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
(d)collective noun - The word ‘puppies’ is a plural common noun. Puppies are countable nouns and they can be counted cardinally. This means that the given word is not a collective noun. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
Therefore option a is the right answer.

Note:
 Do not mistake a plural noun for a collective noun. And, a noun is only considered countable if you can count all of it. The difference between a plural noun and a collective noun is important to note down.