Vocabulary - Containers and Units

What are containers and units?

We often use containers or units to talk about amounts — especially for food, liquids, or things we cannot count (like water, advice, information).

There are two main types:

Containers – what something is in (like bottles, jars, boxes)

Units – how much of something we’re talking about, especially for uncountable nouns

COMMON CONTAINERS

Container	Used With	Example
a bottle of	water, wine, juice, oil	a bottle of water
a can of	soda, beer, soup	a can of soda
a jar of	jam, honey, pickles, sauce	a jar of jam
a box of	cereal, chocolates, pasta	a box of cereal
a carton of	milk, juice, eggs	a carton of milk
a pack of	gum, cigarettes, cards, tissues	a pack of gum
a tube of	toothpaste, glue, cream	a tube of toothpaste
a bag of	chips, rice, flour, sugar	a bag of chips
a glass of	water, juice, wine	a glass of juice
a cup of	coffee, tea, hot chocolate	a cup of coffee

COMMON UNITS AND PORTIONS

Unit	Used With	Example
a slice of	cake, bread, pizza, cheese	a slice of pizza
a piece of	advice, furniture, cake, paper	a piece of furniture
an item of	clothing, news, furniture	an item of clothing
a bit of	information, luck, sugar	a bit of luck
a drop of	water, oil, blood	a drop of water
a loaf of	bread	a loaf of bread
a bar of	chocolate, soap	a bar of chocolate
a sheet of	paper, metal	a sheet of paper
a grain of	rice, sand, salt	a grain of rice
a flash of	lightning, inspiration	a flash of inspiration
a glass of	juice, wine, water	a glass of wine
a spoonful of	sugar, honey, salt	a spoonful of sugar
a strand of	hair, spaghetti	a strand of hair
a touch of	elegance, color, humor	a touch of humor
a shred of	evidence, paper, cheese	a shred of cheese
a hint of	flavor, advice, perfume	a hint of advice

EXAMPLES IN SENTENCES

• He gave me a piece of advice about my job interview.
• We need a loaf of bread and a bar of soap.
• I only got a bit of information from the email.
• She offered a slice of cake to everyone.
• Can I get a spoonful of sugar in my tea?
• There's not a shred of evidence against him!
• I bought an item of furniture for the living room.

ACTIVITIES

1 - Complete the conversations choosing the correct option:

CONVERSATION 1

CONVERSATION 2

2 - Write a short paragraph (5–10 sentences) describing what you have in your kitchen. Try to use at least 6 different containers or units from the vocabulary you’ve learned (like a bag of rice, a bottle of oil, a piece of cake, etc.). Post your paragraph in the comments!