{"id":38,"date":"2016-07-12T12:37:29","date_gmt":"2016-07-12T02:37:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/carmelsealey.com\/?p=38"},"modified":"2017-03-04T12:35:36","modified_gmt":"2017-03-04T01:35:36","slug":"the-difference-between-count-nouns-and-mass-nouns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/carmelsealey.com\/journal\/notes\/the-difference-between-count-nouns-and-mass-nouns\/","title":{"rendered":"The difference between count nouns and mass nouns"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n TLDR: Count nouns can be counted (trees), mass nouns can’t (dust).\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Essentially, a count noun is something able to be counted one at a time, so you can see the individual entities. If you take a moment to look up from your computer screen, phone or tablet, you can see many count nouns. Pens, windows, posters, cars, hats, birds, clouds, trees, buildings, that pile of reports you probably should be getting back to\u2026<\/p>\n

A count noun is preceded by its appropriate article.<\/p>\n

\n One<\/strong> pen (singular)<\/p>\n

The<\/strong> building (singular)<\/p>\n

A<\/strong> window (singular)<\/p>\n

This<\/strong> door (singular)<\/p>\n

That<\/strong> phone (singular)\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As well as every, each, either<\/em> and neither<\/em> for the singular.<\/p>\n

\n Two<\/strong> magazines (plural)<\/p>\n

The<\/strong> birds (plural)<\/p>\n

Those<\/strong> cars (plural)<\/p>\n

These<\/strong> parcels (plural)<\/p>\n

Some<\/strong> letters (plural)\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As well as any, a few<\/em> and enough<\/em>, plus the phrase number of<\/em> for the plural count noun.<\/p>\n

In comparison, a mass noun is a non-countable noun. This might sound confusing, considering that you\u2019re talking about something concerning a mass of something \u2014 surely, that means there\u2019s more of it, therefore plural. Not so.<\/p>\n

Some things, despite consisting of multiple (not always alike) objects, are considered a singular thing. Consider these examples:<\/p>\n

Furniture.<\/strong> While you could take a day to count the individual items of furniture in your office, classroom, bedroom or wherever you might be, the collective furniture<\/em> is a mass noun that encapsulates it all neatly and requires a singular article.<\/p>\n

\n The house was old but the furniture was<\/strong> strangely modern.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Stuff.<\/strong> This one is interesting, as it usually refers to multiple objects that are not always alike. However, while you might be able to take the time to separate it all into categories and then number them, you wouldn\u2019t \u2014 hence why it\u2019s a mass noun and uses a singular article.<\/p>\n

\n What\u2019s this<\/strong> stuff doing all over the floor?\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Other mass nouns include:<\/p>\n

\n Cutlery<\/p>\n

Equipment<\/p>\n

Air<\/p>\n

Dust<\/p>\n

Blood<\/p>\n

Traffic\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mass nouns, however, can start to get a little bit abstract. Consider the following:<\/p>\n

\n Knowledge<\/p>\n

Advice<\/p>\n

Evidence<\/p>\n

Wisdom\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The above are all considered plural entities, as you would not talk about someone\u2019s knowledge as being a single thing they know but rather a collection of their life\u2019s learnings. However, the words advice, evidence<\/em> and wisdom<\/em> can also be used in the singular, so it really depends upon the article used to determine whether a collection of things is being referred to or a singular. For example, you might refer to a piece of evidence<\/em> in a court hearing or the evidence against him<\/em> as a whole. Similarly, a word of advice<\/em> can be given (though not a single word, more likely a sentence), but if multiple bits of advice are given, then the advice was sound<\/em>.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re unsure as to whether you\u2019re dealing with a count or mass noun, there are a couple of signs to look for. Count nouns cannot be preceded by much<\/em> or the amount of<\/em>. Instead, they would use many<\/em> and number of<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n How many balloons did you buy?<\/p>\n

The number of balloons I bought should be enough for the party.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mass nouns, however, use much<\/em> and amount of<\/em>, and cannot be paired with many<\/em> or number of<\/em>, as they cannot be counted.<\/p>\n

\n How much smoke is in the air today?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a great amount of smoke in the air.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In true English form, there are, of course, exceptions. The zero plural marker is the instance where a count noun is pluralised but the word itself does not change. This deserves its own article, which I\u2019ve now posted here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Count nouns have nothing to do with Sesame Street or Dracula. Sorry!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/carmelsealey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/carmelsealey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/carmelsealey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/carmelsealey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/carmelsealey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/carmelsealey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":496,"href":"http:\/\/carmelsealey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38\/revisions\/496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/carmelsealey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/carmelsealey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/carmelsealey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}