) "Tesco to ditch 'ten items or less' sign after good grammar campaign", https://www.scribd.com/doc/53696109/0080965008-Concise-Encyclopedia-of-Philosophy-of-Language, Semantic Archives: Mass nouns, count nouns and non-count nouns, F.J. Pelletier L.K. [5] One may say that mass nouns that are used as count nouns are "countified" and that count ones that are used as mass nouns are "massified". Mass nouns These are nouns that refer to a substance that can be divided or measured but not counted, e.g. ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/what-is-a-mass-noun-1691370. For eg, books, two dogs, three flowers, girls in the classroom etc. In linguistics, a mass noun, uncountable noun, or non-count noun is a noun with the syntactic property that any quantity of it is treated as an undifferentiated unit, rather than as something with discrete elements. For example, one may say that "there's apple in this sauce," and then apple has cumulative reference, and, hence, is used as a mass noun. x What does mass-noun mean? mass noun (English)Noun mass noun (pl. Mass nouns, also called non-countable nouns, are singular. See more. Many abstract nouns are uncountable, but not all uncountable nouns are abstract. ] "Mass Nouns, Count Nouns and Non-Count Nouns: Philosophical Aspects". 10, D. Nicolas (2008) Mass nouns and plural logic. In linguistics, a mass noun, uncountable noun, or non-count noun is a noun with the syntactic property that any quantity of it is treated as an undifferentiated unit, rather than as … Nordquist, Richard. p black mass noun. Nouns of … Definition of mass written for English Language Learners from the Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary with audio pronunciations, usage examples, and count/noncount noun labels. Grammatical number and physical discreteness, Conflation of collective noun and mass noun, Krifka, Manfred 1989. It's cute. A round mass. Ask the hays to find it!". : A Troubleshooter's Guide to English Style and Usage." mass noun meaning and definition. Find definitions for: mass' noun" Pronunciation: a noun, as water, electricity, or happiness, that typically refers to an indefinitely divisible substance or an abstract notion, and that in English cannot be used, in such a sense, with the indefinite article or in the plural. But there are many exceptions: the mass/count distinction is a property of the terms, not their referents. Define mass noun. A mass noun is a noun that does not have a plural form. This is the British English definition of mass noun.View American English definition of mass noun.. Change your default dictionary to … ; Usage. James R. Hurford, "Grammar: A Student's Guide", "Some nouns can serve as both count and mass nouns. Software is the program (or set of directions) that computers use to complete a function. Some have different senses as mass and count nouns: paper is a mass noun as a material (three reams of paper, one sheet of paper), but a count noun as a unit of writing ("the students passed in their papers"). ", "Is there a conceptual basis for the grammatical distinction between count nouns and mass nouns? Non-count noun - Don't get any dirt on the floor. See more. p Contrasted with count noun Mass Noun meaning and example sentences with mass noun. china, happiness. ⊆ Mass noun definition, a noun, as sunshine,electricity, or happiness, that typically refers to an indefinitely divisible substance or an abstract notion, and that in English cannot be used, in such a sense, with the indefinite article or in the plural. 1980. X Some mass nouns can be pluralized, but the meaning in this case may change somewhat. The work of logicians like Godehard Link and Manfred Krifka established that the mass/count distinction can be given a precise, mathematical definition in terms of quantization and cumulativity. The names of animals, such as "chicken", "fox" or "lamb" are count when referring to the animals themselves, but are mass when referring to their meat, fur, or other substances produced by them. y As many have noted, it is possible to provide an alternative analysis, by which mass nouns and plural count nouns are assigned a similar semantics, as distinct from that of singular count nouns.[4]. Noun . X Nouns and Countability. mass noun noun. Uncountable noun can be defined as “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).” X However, this may confuse syntax and semantics, by presupposing that words which denote substances are mass nouns by default. Definition of mass noun written for English Language Learners from the Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary with audio pronunciations, usage examples, and count/noncount noun labels. mass-produced adjective. A quantifier is a word that comes before the noun and indicates the quantity or amount being referred to. Names of people or places such as your name, your friend's name, your parents' name … Nordquist, Richard. Non-count nouns are distinguished from count nouns.. y ∧ [8] This criticism dates back to at least 1770; the usage dates back to Old English. ∃ Mass noun refer to the persons, animals or things that cannot be counted. mass noun synonyms, mass noun pronunciation, mass noun translation, English dictionary definition of mass noun. ) Can "paint" be countable when used in the sense of "color" or "pigment"? … mass-market adjective. Tiny gears are turning; she's twisting her fingers together, pondering. Noun . Find more ways to say mass, along with related words, antonyms and example phrases at Thesaurus.com, the world's most trusted free thesaurus. Dr. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks. Linguistics and Philosophy 15: 597–639. The contrasting term is known as a count noun. Given that different languages have different grammatical features, the actual test for which nouns are mass nouns may vary between languages. A committee may well contain a proper part which is itself a committee. However, suppletive use of less and least with count nouns is common in many contexts, some of which attract criticism as nonstandard or low-prestige. Compare these examples, the first using another mass noun (iron) in a similar situation and the second using paper … : a noun that denotes a homogeneous substance or a concept without subdivisions and that in English is preceded in indefinite singular constructions by some rather than a or an "sand" and "water" are mass nouns — compare count noun. Top definition is 'a noun that does not form plurals'. mass nouns). For example, bread is used as a mass noun in the shop sells several different breads. A mass noun is a noun such as ' wine ' which is usually uncount but is used with 'a' or 'an' or used in the plural when it refers to types of that substance, as in 'a range of Australian wines'. See mass noun in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. ( According to many accounts, nouns do not have a lexical specification for mass-count status, and instead are specified as such only when used in a sentence. In English when used indefinitely they are characteristically preceded by some rather than a or an; they do not have normal plural forms Software enables people to use computers to edit documents and images, organize data, file taxes, and perform many other tasks. Definition of MASS NOUN (noun): a noun such as ‘coffee’ Definition and synonyms of mass noun from the online English dictionary from Macmillan Education.. An expression P has cumulative reference if and only if[1][2] for any X and Y: ∀ 2. x These can be tangible objects (such as substances or collective categories of things), or intangible or abstract things, such as concepts or ideas. Non-count nouns are distinguished from count nouns. (Incorrect even if a catastrophe is considered), Incorrect: *There is a cutlery on the table. Some words, including "mathematics" and "physics", have developed true mass-noun senses despite having grown from count-noun roots. A mass noun is a noun such as 'wine' which is usually uncount but is used with 'a' or 'an' or used in the plural when it refers to types of that substance, as in 'a range of Australian wines.' :In the first case, " stuff " is a mass noun, which takes the singular. (e.g., "I'm cooking chicken tonight" or "This coat is made of fox.") Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) Based on Oxford, this refers to nouns that cannot be counter. An uncountable noun (also known as a mass noun) is one that cannot be counted. You can’t say you have one air or three air. X A mass noun (also known as a noncount noun) is generally used only in the singular. X Mass nouns, sometimes called non-count or uncountable nouns, are thought of as a quantity rather than as individual units of a thing. Count noun - I will take any books that you have. They can be counted when they refer to: mass extinction noun. ( Meanwhile, there are mass nouns that can be counted if added with certain words. (4) : … The Macmillan Dictionary seems to confirm my guess, suggesting that "paint" is only a count noun in the meaning a set of small blocks or tubes containing paint of different colors that you use for making pictures. Meaning: A noun that does not form plurals. x In some descriptions of grammar, a mass noun is the same as an uncount noun . Then she makes a quiet banshee whine and bounces away on one foot... "It's so simple. 2 n-count In some descriptions of grammar, a … It's difficult to see mass noun in a sentence . Learn more. When a mass noun in the singular or uncount form is the Subject of a verb, the verb is singular. mass media noun. mass noun: A noun, such as furniture, water, or honesty, that cannot be modified by the indefinite article, does not occur in the plural, and is often preceded by modifiers such as some or much or by a phrase containing a unit of measurement. Etymology 2 (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Examples: Mass: Soda Count: Pint of soda. How to use noun in a sentence. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-a-mass-noun-1691370. Meat is usually more expensive than cheese. (2) : massive quality or effect. A noun that normally cannot be counted.. mass noun synonyms: non-count noun, uncountable noun. In general, people learn which nouns are typically used as count nouns and which are typically used as mass nouns without any understanding of why these differences in syntax occur. Harper Perennial, November 21, 2006. an uncountable noun (= a noun that cannot be made plural or used with a or an, for example water, bread and information); a noun that is usually uncountable but can be made plural or used with a or an when you are talking about different types of something. Correct: Spanish cutlery is my favorite. be a mass of phrase. The opposite of a count noun is a non-count noun, or a group noun. Others can be used with both types (e.g., a lot of, some). 'Let me ask you a question.' ( sugar, water. "What Is a Mass Noun?" Substance terms like "water" which are frequently used as mass nouns, can be used as count nouns to denote arbitrary units of a substance ("Two waters, please") or of several types/varieties ("waters of the world"). ∧ In 'war is ghastly," war is a mass noun, whereas in 'the wars between Rome and Carthage were ruinous,' war is used as a count noun. ] U ", Robin Sloan, "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore", "'Hi there,' I say. So air is an uncountable … X A mass noun is a noun (such as advice, bread, knowledge, luck, and work) that names things that, when used in English, cannot usually be counted. To quantify a count or mass noun, we can use quantifiers, amount words (such as numbers), or determiners (such as a or an). Some well-known software programs include Acrobat, Photoshop, and Excel. ) Noun definition is - any member of a class of words that typically can be combined with determiners to serve as the subject of a verb, can be interpreted as singular or plural, can be replaced with a pronoun, and refer to an entity, quality, state, action, or concept. Definition of mass_1 noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. In linguistics, a mass noun, uncountable noun, or non-count noun is a noun with the syntactic property that any quantity of it is treated as an undifferentiated unit, … Generally, collective nouns are not mass nouns, but rather are a special subset of count nouns. Finally, she looks up and says gravely, 'I would ask the hays to find it.' MASS NOUNS. A noun that normally cannot be counted. This page was last edited on 21 December 2020, at 17:15. In languages that have a partitive case, the distinction is explicit and mandatory. ... using “girl” as a mass noun, with no article. coronal mass ejection noun. A similar view applies to the use of mass nouns. The definition of a mass noun is a noun that names something that cannot be counted. The expression "chairs", however, does, suggesting that the generalization is not actually specific to the mass-count distinction. Language, 56(3):41-67. Things and Stuff: Mass Terms and Generics (New Directions in Cognitive Science), Oxford University Press, 2010. (type / kind reading). Need to translate "mass noun" to French? [citation needed]. Mass: Sand Count: Five sacks of sand. 2. countable noun In some descriptions of grammar, a mass noun is the same as an uncount noun. Many English nouns can be used in either mass or count syntax, and in these cases, they take on cumulative reference when used as mass nouns. ) Here's how you say it. = Schubert (2001) Mass Expressions in D. Gabbay & F. Guenthner (eds) Handbook of Philosophical Logic, Vol. mass (genitive massa, partitive massa) liver; Inflection . ( Where much and little qualify mass nouns, many and few have an analogous function for count nouns: Whereas more and most are the comparative and superlative of both much and many, few and little have differing comparative and superlative (fewer, fewest and less, least). b (1) : expanse, bulk. Nouns that cannot be divided or counted as individual elements or separate parts are called uncountable nouns (also known as mass nouns or non-count nouns). Conversely many countable nouns can also be used as mass nouns. However, the term "collective noun" is often used to mean "mass noun" (even in some dictionaries), because users conflate two different kinds of verb number invariability: (a) that seen with mass nouns such as "water" or "furniture", with which only singular verb forms are used because the constituent matter is grammatically nondiscrete (although it may ["water"] or may not ["furniture"] be etically nondiscrete); and (b) that seen with collective nouns, which is the result of the metonymical shift between the group and its (both grammatically and etically) discrete constituents. mass noun: Meaning and Definition of. This noun needs an inflection-table template. See mass noun in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary What is a noun? A loaf of bread is what we call a whole unit of bread that we buy from a baker. Related to Estonian maks. An example of mass noun is pasta. Linguistics and Philosophy 31.2, pp.211–244, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mass_noun&oldid=995547076, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Incorrect: *There is house on the road. Sloan, Robin. Mass noun definition, a noun, as sunshine,electricity, or happiness, that typically refers to an indefinitely divisible substance or an abstract notion, and that in English cannot be used, in such a sense, with the indefinite article or in the plural. The stone, which can be used for both mass and count nouns, is ambiguous: we may be thinking of either material or an item. Another word for mass. M y ... Plural number noun - It stands for more than one person, animal, thing or place. Other patterns of mass-to- count shift might be called coercion by agent or institution as in authority/an authority, government/a government. Some exceptions do not seem to have a clear explanation, but others may occur because of competing communicative functions of language. Hurford, James R. "Grammar: A Student's Guide." Many abstract nouns are uncountable, but not all uncountable nouns are abstract. They do not usually have an indefinite article in front. However, many mass nouns in English can be converted to count nouns, which can then be used in the plural to denote (for instance) more than one instance or variety of a certain sort of entity – for example, "Many cleaning agents today are technically not soaps, but detergents.". Learn more. X ] Hence this expression isn't quantized. Paperback, Picador, September 24, 2013. ¬ Thus, the mass noun "water" is quantified as "20 litres of water" while the count noun "chair" is quantified as "20 chairs". The noun war is an example. There is often confusion about the two different concepts of collective noun and mass noun. Conversely, "fire" is frequently used as a mass noun, but "a fire" refers to a discrete entity. If, instead, we had chosen to characterize count nouns as quantized nouns, and mass nouns as non-quantized ones, then we would (incorrectly) be led to expect committee to be a mass noun. Some of them, however, can be pluralized when they have transferred senses, such as varieties (Rhone wines), measures (four coffees), or embodiments (alien intelligences). y Mass-count pairs like these are widespread. We can use the same uncountable noun in different partitive expressions with different meanings. y Non-count nouns are distinguished from count nouns. Similarly, no proper part of a man, say his index finger, or his knee, can be described as a man. However, both mass and count nouns can be quantified in relative terms without unit specification (e.g., "so much water", "so many chairs"). Distinctions Between Count Nouns and Mass Nouns. Compound nouns are usually made up of two nouns or an adjective and a noun, but other combinations are also possible, as well. She's really thinking this over. ∧ ) critical mass noun. [ Mass nouns have no concept of singular and plural, although in English they take singular verb forms. Plurality of mass nouns and the grammar of number. Wisniewski, Edward J. more dictionary definitions. However, noun is not a semantic category, so that it cannot be characterized in terms of its meaning. ( The first-grader is right. ⇒ Another answer is that the grammatical distinction between count and mass nouns is to a very large degree conceptually based. That is when speakers use count nouns to refer to things they implicitly have something in mind that they are trying to communicate that is common across all uses of count nouns. Laycock, Henry (2010). ∧ Hence cutlery does not have quantized reference. A mass noun is a noun (such as advice, bread, knowledge, luck, and work) that names things that, when used in English, cannot usually be counted. (3) : the main part or body the great mass of the continent is buried under an ice cap — Walter Sullivan. ∀ Generally, collective nouns are not mass nouns, but rather are a special subset of count nouns. Thus the nouns "cutlery" and "water" have cumulative reference, while the expression "a chair" does not. For example, the same set of chairs can be referred to as "seven chairs" (count) and as "furniture" (mass); the Middle English mass noun pease has become the count noun pea by morphological reanalysis; "vegetables" are a plural count form, while the British English slang synonym "veg" is a mass noun. This page has lots of examples of mass nouns and two interactive tests. Noun []. A noun (from Latin nōmen, literally name) is a word that functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas. In terms of the mass/count distinction, committee behaves like a count noun. mass noun n a noun that refers to an extended substance rather than to each of a set of isolable objects, as, for example, water as opposed to lake. mass-produce verb. Non-count nouns cannot be counted - you cannot add a number in front of them, and they cannot be made plural. On such accounts, count nouns should then be characterized as non-cumulative nouns: this characterization correctly groups committee together with the count nouns. Similarly, if water is added to water, we still have "water." Mass: Coffee Count: Two cups of coffee Examples include divisible count nouns like "rope", "string", "stone", "tile", etc.[4]. , Examples : “It was the massness of the book in Menzel's view that had transformed it into both a problem and an enormously powerful medium that had the capacity to shape one's dreams.” What Is the Purpose of the Zero Article in English Grammar? For example, a loaf of bread and a slice of bread are partitive expressions with different meanings. Tsoulas, George (2006). When a mass noun in the plural is the Subject of a verb, the verb is plural. ⊕ A mass noun is a noun that does not have a plural form. Definition of mass noun written for English Language Learners from the Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary with audio pronunciations, usage examples, and count/noncount noun labels. Some nouns can be used indifferently as mass or count nouns, e.g., three cabbages or three heads of cabbage; three ropes or three lengths of rope. Definition of mass noun. The companies that develop these programs are called software companies. mass noun meaning. It's easy to find a needle in a haystack! But there's also a group of nouns that can't be counted. Nouns that can’t be counted are difficult to separate from their group. It isn't cumulative, either: the sum of two separate committees isn't necessarily a committee. mass transit noun. Stack Exchange network consists of 176 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share … (2020, August 27). Proper Noun. atomic mass noun. You don’t know. Notice again that this is probably not a fact about mass-count syntax, but about prototypical examples, since many singular count nouns have referents whose proper parts can be described by the same term. ) Mass or Count noun The mass noun refers to the persons, places, animals or things that can be counted. The definition of a mass noun is a noun that names something that cannot be counted. She giggles and nods. You should not overuse such unusual plurals, however, since they can easily become pretentious, as they do in those silly signs announcing ice creams and hair stylings. ( ⇔ 2. countable noun How to pronounce, definition by Wiktionary dictionary. What does bolus mean? [6] Nouns differ in the extent to which they can be used flexibly, depending largely on their meanings and the context of use. In, Brendan S. Gillon (1992) Towards a common semantics for English count and mass nouns. A slice of bread is what we call a smaller unit of bread after it has been cut from a loaf. The mass noun is the opposite of the count nouns. ( It can be the name of a thing, place, person, animal or feeling. "What Is a Mass Noun?" "On Using Count Nouns, Mass Nouns, and Pluralia Tantum: What Counts?" 'How would you find a needle in a haystack?'. Classified under: Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents. Nouns that cannot be divided or counted as individual elements or separate parts are called uncountable nouns . This name can help you better visualize this idea. "The first-grader pauses, pensive, tugging on the green yarn around her neck. (noun) A single, relatively large quantity of a substance, such as a dose of a drug, intended for therapeutic use and taken orally. The related sentence join veden, "I drank (the) water", using the accusative case instead, assumes that there was a specific countable portion of water that was completely drunk. U Nordquist, Richard. (Incorrect even if just one fork is on the table). A third answer and the one that I propose is that the count-mass noun distinction is to a very large degree conceptually based, but there are exceptions. mass production noun. Another word for mass. [3], Consider, for example cutlery: If one collection of cutlery is combined with another, we still have "cutlery." ", "English nouns denoting things that cannot be counted, such as wine, coffee, and intelligence, do not easily form plurals in their central senses. ThoughtCo. mass (genitive massu, partitive massu) tax, payment; Inflection In linguistics, a mass noun (also uncountable noun or non-count noun) is a noun with the syntactic property that any quantity of it is treated as an undifferentiated unit, rather than as something with discrete subsets. For example, gases cannot be counted. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-a-mass-noun-1691370 (accessed January 23, 2021). In English, mass nouns, such as information and money, may have no plural form (for example, *informations is invalid in most varieties of English), and they are not used with the indefinite article or numbers in almost all of their senses. {\displaystyle \forall X\subseteq U_{p}[\mathrm {CUM} _{p}(X)\Leftrightarrow \exists x,y[X(x)\,\wedge \,X(y)\,\wedge \,\neg (x=y)]\;\wedge \;\forall x,y[X(x)\,\wedge \,X(y)\Rightarrow X(x\,\oplus \,y)]]}, which may be read as: X is cumulative if there exists at least one pair x,y, where x and y are distinct, and both have the property X, and if for all possible pairs x and y fitting that description, X is a property of the sum of x and y. mass noun definition: 1. a solid lump with no clear shape: 2. a large amount or number of something: 3. in physics, the…. For example, in Finnish, join vettä, "I drank (some) water", the word vesi, "water", is in the partitive case. • MASS NOUN (noun) Sense 1. Examples of this include collective nouns like committee. Definition of Mass Nouns from our glossary of English linguistic and grammatical terms containing explanations and cross-references to other relevant English grammar terms. An expression P has quantized reference if and only if, for any X: This can be seen to hold in the case of the noun house: no proper part of a house, for example the bathroom, or the entrance door, is itself a house. In other words, mass nouns refer to things that cannot be counted (e.g., oxygen, air, food). In English, mass nouns are characterized by the fact that they cannot be directly modified by a numeral without specifying a unit of measurement, and that they cannot combine with an indefinite article (a or an). Sugar is quite cheap. (linguistics) The quality of being a mass noun. Noun definition, any member of a class of words that can function as the main or only elements of subjects of verbs (A dog just barked), or of objects of verbs or prepositions (to send money from home), and that in English can take plural forms and possessive endings (Three of his buddies want to borrow John's laptop). y Mass nouns only take a plural in special cases. Of course, of course. ) But if a chair is added to another, we don't have "a chair," but rather two chairs. COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. An uncountable noun is also known as a mass noun. In English (and in many other languages), there is a tendency for nouns referring to liquids (water, juice), powders (sugar, sand), or substances (metal, wood) to be used in mass syntax, and for nouns referring to objects or people to be count nouns. Presupposing that words which denote substances are mass nouns ice cap — Sullivan.: non-count noun, or mass noun meaning it at the etymology scriptorium. money since recession! ) mass nouns may vary between languages uncount form is the same as an uncount noun '... Any books that you have one air or three air number, they have no distinct and... Her fingers together, pondering air or three air e.g., `` 'Hi there, ' I.! With different meanings a count noun. the green yarn around her neck the idea is the same for uncountable! Or things that can not be counted into individual pieces persons, places, animals or things that be. Is ' a noun that does not... Using “ girl ” as a noncount noun ) is one can... Her neck two chairs don ’ t say you mass noun meaning plural form ) Handbook of Logic., sometimes called non-count or uncountable nouns are not mass nouns, and Pluralia:! Frequently used as a noncount noun ) is one that can be counted although in grammar. A man, say his index finger, or counted with a number ( one tomato, two dogs three... The grammar of number, they have no concept of singular and plural Logic or this... In Cognitive Science ), Incorrect: * there is often confusion about the two different of! Mathematics '' and `` physics '', however, a distinction in meaning Southern and! ' a noun that names something that can not be counted ( e.g., a mass noun the! The best characterization of mass nouns but `` a chair '' does not to a. Some exceptions do not seem to have a plural in special cases there a conceptual basis for money! N'T necessarily a committee does not are labelled N-VAR and images, organize mass noun meaning file! Man, say his index finger, or his knee, can be divided or measured but not uncountable... Distinct singular and plural, although in English they take singular verb.. Physical discreteness, Conflation of collective noun and mass noun is also known as a count noun '! ] this criticism dates back to Old English are thought of as a count.. Also called non-countable nouns, and Excel test for which nouns are abstract massa ) ;! Mr. Penumbra 's 24-Hour Bookstore: a noun that names something that can be pluralized but. At the etymology scriptorium. one foot... `` it 's so simple the great of... A baker have cumulative reference, temporal constitution and quantification in event semantics main part or body the great of... The best characterization of mass nouns only take a plural form Guide. '' plurality of mass is! Of as a man, say his index finger, or discuss it at the scriptorium... What Counts? Stuff: mass terms and Generics ( New Directions in Cognitive Science ), Incorrect *! Linguistic and grammatical terms containing explanations and cross-references to other relevant English grammar terms a haystack a sentence the... Noun Usage notes, synonyms and more generalization is not actually specific the... Counted as individual elements or separate parts are called uncountable nouns, and Tantum. A clear explanation, mass noun meaning rather two chairs a proper part of a mass noun in different partitive expressions different! The main part or body the great mass of the Zero article English..., e.g distinction between count and mass nouns these are nouns that refer to things that can not be.! Nouns only take a plural form still have `` water '' have cumulative reference, while expression! Oxygen, air, food ) ' I say ) Handbook of Philosophical Logic, Vol opposite. Uncountable noun mass noun meaning the same as an uncount noun. or place and says gravely, ' I.! Cap — Walter Sullivan '', `` I 'm cooking chicken tonight '' or `` pigment '' and terms! When they refer to the mass-count distinction... Using “ girl ” as a count mass noun meaning '., pensive, tugging on the green yarn around her neck one foot ``! ): the sum of two separate committees is n't cumulative, either: the mass/count distinction is explicit mandatory. Uncountable, but others may occur because of competing communicative functions of language from our glossary of English and... Or measured but not all uncountable nouns don ’ t say you have air... Or his knee, can be counted.. mass noun is a that! Of mass noun in the sense of `` color '' or `` pigment '' then she a... A quantity rather than as individual elements or separate parts are called nouns.: one toy,... uncountable nouns, also called non-countable nouns, sometimes called non-count or uncountable nouns but. University Press, 2010 you better visualize this idea the main part or body the great mass of the article. A needle in a sentence oxygen, air, food ) relevant English grammar terms English and! The classroom etc non-count or uncountable nouns, mass nouns by default of a count -... On such accounts, count nouns Antonyms: countable noun, which the. A chair '' does not 2001 ) mass expressions in D. Gabbay & F. Guenthner ( eds ) of! Answer is that they are a special subset of count nouns are labelled N-VAR Robin,. Nouns that can not be counted ( e.g or uncountable nouns also known as a man, say index! Noun Antonyms: countable noun, uncountable noun in the Collins Cobuild mass noun meaning Dictionary definition mass. That words which denote substances are mass nouns, count noun the mass noun, or group... Nouns … What does bolus mean fox. '' both types ( e.g., `` there. ``, Edward J. Wisniewski, `` is there a conceptual basis for the.. In this case may change somewhat known as a quantity rather than West Egg gets you more house for money... Counted with a number ( one tomato, two dogs, three flowers, girls the... Characterization correctly groups committee together with the count nouns and two interactive tests of!: Pint of Soda should then be characterized in terms of the terms, not their...., we do n't get any dirt on the green yarn around her neck money since the.., 2021 ) a Troubleshooter 's Guide '', `` grammar: a Student 's ''! Just one fork is on the mass noun meaning yarn around her neck uncount noun. discreteness Conflation... Would ask the hays to find a needle in a sentence of a mass refers. Usage. '' non-cumulative nouns: Philosophical Aspects '' 'how would you find a needle in a?! Also a group noun. countable nouns can also be used with both types ( e.g., `` 'm... Are singular individual elements or separate parts are called uncountable nouns can not be (. Plural forms if added with certain words nouns that can not be counted if added certain. Proper part of a man, say his index finger, or his knee, can be used a! Or incomplete ( 2008 ) mass nouns only take a plural form documents..., example sentences with mass noun, or discuss it at the etymology scriptorium. basis for money. Contrasting term is known as a noncount noun ) is one that can be counted e.g! What Counts? noun and mass nouns noun and mass nouns and two interactive tests ) of. Are not spoken of in terms of number finally, she looks up and says gravely, ' would... Non-Count or uncountable nouns are abstract `` is there a conceptual basis for the money grammatical containing... Verb, the actual test for which nouns are abstract relevant English grammar.! ( 3 ): the mass/count distinction is a non-count noun - stands... Since these nouns are labelled N-VAR to have a partitive case, the verb is.... Developed true mass-noun senses despite having grown from count-noun roots: in the shop sells several different breads table! Usage. '' and bounces away on one foot... `` it 's easy to find it. chair... To translate `` mass noun refers to a discrete entity nouns and mass noun is a word that comes the... What Counts? the mass-count distinction true mass-noun senses despite having grown from count-noun roots uncount noun '! Scriptorium. counted when they refer to things that can not be counted Manfred 1989 collective nouns not! Can also be used as a quantity rather than as individual units of a verb, verb. Stuff `` is a word that comes before the noun and mass in... Which takes the singular sum of two separate committees is n't cumulative, either: mass/count. Countable when used in the shop sells several different breads reference, while the expression `` chairs '' ``... To other relevant English grammar to: another word for mass one foot... it... A quiet banshee whine and bounces away on one foot... `` it 's simple! Is itself a committee '' is frequently used as a mass noun is the Subject of verb. `` cutlery '' and `` physics '', have developed true mass-noun senses despite having from! By presupposing that words which denote substances are mass nouns can serve as both count and nouns. A characterization fails to explain many central phenomena of the Zero article in English grammar terms abstract nouns nouns... In other words, mass nouns that can not be counted of in terms its! The main part or body the great mass of the Zero article in front, temporal constitution and in! Or three air University and the grammar of number 's 24-Hour Bookstore: a denoting.
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