A mass noun, also known as an uncountable noun, refers to something that cannot be quantified or pluralized like “water”. It can be part of a larger idea or area of study and can be pluralized in certain contexts, such as “glasses of water”. It can also be used as both a countable and uncountable noun depending on context.
A mass name is a type of name not typically quantified in single units and pluralized, but can refer to one or more things that are not actually counted. The word “water,” for example, is such a noun since it can be used to refer to a particular thing, but it’s not typically pluralized like “waters,” and an indefinite article like “a” or “an” isn’t used before that is. This type of noun can also be a countable noun, depending on the particular way it is used, and context often dictates what type of noun a particular word is in a given usage.
Also referred to as an uncountable noun, a mass noun is very similar to other nouns in that it refers to a person, place, thing, or idea, but it does so without the ability to be quantified. “Water” is an excellent example of a mass noun, as it clearly refers to a particular substance. Unlike countable nouns like “dog”, “chair” and “glass”, it is never pluralized with an “-s” ending like “dogs”, “chairs” and “glasses”. To be pluralized in this way, another type of noun or phrase is typically used to quantify it, such as “a glass of water.”
Even a mass noun typically cannot be preceded by an indefinite article; “a dog” or “an orangutan” is acceptable, but standard English does not allow “a water” or “an oxygen”. There are some exceptions to this in certain situations where an uncountable noun is part of a larger idea. It is acceptable to say “a molecule of oxygen” or “a glass of water,” as these refer to different names than the ideas simply represented by “oxygen” or “water” per se. A mass noun is also typically used to refer to a particular subject or area of study such as “math” or “photography.”
There are ways these nouns can be pluralised, however this typically refers to another concept that the noun represents. Someone who says “Please take our waters from the dining room” is probably referring to “glasses of water” and simply says “waters” to refer to them. Similarly, a mass noun like “read” can be used as both a countable and uncountable noun depending on its context. “Your reading” refers to the general idea of a selection that someone should read, while “your three readings yesterday” refers to three particular selections that have been read. This specificity allows the noun to be counted, which means that the word can be pluralized.
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