Articles
and Types of Nouns
Count and Non-Count
Nouns are either "count" or "non-count."
A count noun represents something that can be counted:
A psychologist
gave Joe a test.
Two psychologists gave Joe three
tests.
A non-count noun, on the other hand, represents
something that cannot be counted. In the following two
sentences, knowledge, soccer,
water, oxygen,
and hydrogen represent things
that cannot be counted.
Ø Knowledge
about Ø soccer is growing.
Ø Water is made from Ø
oxygen and Ø hydrogen.
Sometimes, a non-count noun is referred to as
a "mass" noun. The term "mass" means something
taken as a whole or something that is not divided into parts.
Identifying Non-Count Nouns
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to
predict whether a noun is count or non-count. A dictionary will
usually be helpful. But there are some categories of nouns that
are often non-count. The three most general of these categories
are illustrated below.
Abstractions:
| |
courage |
nonsense |
| |
independence |
evidence |
| |
advice |
progress |
| |
information |
employment |
Everyday things:
| |
stuff |
jewelry |
| |
clothing |
traffic |
| |
furniture |
money |
| |
equipment |
|
Things to eat:
| |
butter |
milk |
| |
beer |
toast |
| |
salt |
|
Some more specific non-count categories are
the following.
Weather-related phenomena:
Sports:
| |
football |
racing |
| |
chess |
golf |
Fields of study:
| |
math |
grammar |
| |
English |
history |
Expressions of Quantity with Non-Count Nouns
Often one wants to talk about some quantity
of a non-count noun. English does this through the use of a
phrase that has four components appearing in the order shown:
1. a word expressing the quantity
2. a count noun
3. the preposition of
4. the non-count noun
| |
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
|
|
| I |
ate |
one |
piece |
of |
toast |
for |
breakfast. |
| I |
ate |
several |
pieces |
of |
toast |
for |
breakfast. |
Nouns That Do Double Duty
Some nouns that are non-count in some contexts
can be legitimately used as count nouns in other contexts.
I'd like a glass of water
(non-count) please.
God spoke and the waters (count)
came together.
Most of us have long since learned
to put up with snow (non-count).
The snows (count) generally come
to this area in November.
Sugar
(non-count) is sweet.
Chemically, sugars (count) are labeled
with the suffix "-ose."
It is important to note that the number of non-count
nouns which can be used also as count nouns, as in the above
examples, is not fixed. As language evolves to cover experience,
nouns that were once solely non-count can begin to be used also
as count nouns:
Can you give me another couple of milks
please. (= cartons of milk)
He's had too many beers, if you
ask me. (= glasses of beer)
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