ENGL 4/540 Count vs.

Mass Nouns
Count nouns
A count noun is a noun that refers to things that are thought of as separate entities (individuated). Therefore, count nouns can: take a plural form occur with distinctive determiners (e.g. a/an, many), but cannot occur with a determiner such as much. occur with numerals (e.g. three, four).

Example: The word farmer is an example of a count noun, as evidenced by the acceptability of the following expressions: farmer farmers a farmer many farmers two farmers However, the expression much farmer is not acceptable.

Mass nouns
A mass noun is a noun that refers to things that are not thought of as separate entities. Usually refers to undifferentiated substances whose internal composition is uniform: gasses (air), liquids (water), and substances whose particles are too small to easily distinguish from each other (sand). Also to many abstractions (justice) It may have distinguishing features such as the following: The inability to take a plural form except to designate groups, or types, of the referent (e.g. fishes, waters) Cooccurrence with some determiners (such as some and much ), but not others (such as many )

Example: The word furniture is a mass noun. It cannot take the plural suffix -s: *furnitures In addition, it can occur with some determiners, but not others: the furniture much furniture some furniture *a furniture *many furnitures

Some nouns permit treatment as either count or mass nouns

In English, salad may be treated as either a count or mass noun, as evidenced by the acceptability of the following expressions: Many salads Much salad