Countable & Uncountable Nouns- Inflation Basket Discussion

Inflation Baskets- Countable and Uncountable Nouns Presentation and Discussion

You are going to discuss an “inflation basket”. What do you think it is? What might be in it?
Why might it be in the news?

Discuss those questions as a class.

Try to guess what things are in these categories for the UK inflation basket.

Used to be in the inflation basket but were removed some time ago

Used to be in the inflation basket but have just been removed

Have been in the inflation basket for a while (= for some time) and still are

Have just been introduced to the inflation basket

Have never been in the inflation basket

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2014

Add these things to the categories above. Some categories have none of these in them.

Canvas shoes
Caravans
Carpet shampooing
Chiropractic
Cigars
Coal
Cooking apples
Crisps
Dating agency fees
Digital radios
Fancier digital cameras with interchangeable lenses
Fees charged by carpenters
Fish and chips
Flavoured milk
Garlic bread
Gas fires
Hamsters
Hand rolling tobacco
Hiking boots
Hiring men’s clothes
Kebabs
Knitting wool
Lawnmowers
Mangles (for drying clothes manually)
Manicures
Nanny fees
On demand video streaming (watching movies etc online)
Organic vegetables
Pet insurance
Plant food
Rabbit meat
Replica football team shirts
Roasted peanuts
Seeds for feeding wild birds
Sleeping bags
Snacking pots of prepared fresh fruit
Sofa beds
Trade union subscriptions
Vegetarian burgers
Wallpaper

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2014

Answers
The other categories have none of these in them.
Used to be in the inflation basket but were removed some time ago
Rabbit meat
Mangles (for drying clothes manually)
Have been in the inflation basket for a while and still are
Caravans
Carpet shampooing
Chiropractic
Cigars
Coal
Cooking apples
Crisps
Dating agency fees
Digital radios
Fees charged by carpenters
Fish and chips
Garlic bread
Gas fires
Hamsters
Hand rolling tobacco
Hiking boots
Kebabs
Knitting wool
Lawnmowers
Manicures
Nanny fees
Organic vegetables
Pet insurance
Replica football team shirts
Roasted peanuts
Sleeping bags
Sofa beds
Trade union subscriptions
Vegetarian burgers
Wallpaper
Have just been introduced to the inflation basket
On demand video streaming (watching movies etc online)
Fancier digital cameras with interchangeable lenses
Snacking pots of prepared fresh fruit
Seeds for feeding wild birds
Canvas shoes
Flavoured milk
Plant food
Hiring men’s clothes

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2014

Countable and uncountable nouns grammar presentation

From memory and/ or your grammar knowledge, cross off “s” in all the places where it
shouldn’t go below.

Canvas shoes
Caravans
Carpet shampooings
Chiropractics
Cigars
Coals
Cooking apples
Crisps
Dating agency fees
Digital radios
Fancier digital cameras with interchangeable lenses
Fees charged by carpenters
Fishes and chips
Flavoured milks
Garlic breads
Gas fires
Hamsters
Hand rolling tobaccos
Hiking boots
Hiring men’s clothes
Kebabs
Knitting wools
Lawnmowers
Mangles (for drying clothes manually)
Manicures
Nanny fees
On demand video streamings (watching movies etc online)
Organic vegetables
Pet insurances
Plant foods
Rabbit meats
Replica football team shirts
Roasted peanuts
Seeds for feeding wild birds
Sleeping bags
Snacking pots of prepared fresh fruit
Sofa beds
Trade union subscriptions
Vegetarian burgers
Wallpapers

Check with the original list.

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2014

Final discussion and brainstorming

What things surprised you about the list above (categories or things not mentioned)?

Which of those things would you include in an inflation basket in your country?

Brainstorm a list of possible things for your country’s inflation basket, then choose the top
12, trying to have a representative range of different goods.

Compare with other groups.

Discuss things that might have been in the inflation basket in the past but which wouldn’t
be suitable now.

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2014