Ms. Particular Presents: Mass, Count, And Collective Nouns

20 Sep 2019istockphoto: RapidEyeMs. Particular Presents:Mass, Count, and Collective NounsMs. Particular Presents:Mass, Count, andCollective NounsCelia M. Elliott 2019 Board of Trustees of the University of IllinoisAll rights reserved.Department of PhysicsUniversity of Illinois1Count nouns are those that name thingsthat occur in discrete unitsExamples: problem, particle, occurrence, sample,capacitor, collision, calculation, analysis, axisCount nouns can be modified by a number (one atom,50 000 collisions per ms, 24 sensors, a dozen samples)Count nouns can be singular or pluralSingular count nouns can take an indefinite article(a or an)Count nouns may be modified by a singular or pluralquantifier (e.g., every, each, several, many, few)2 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of IllinoisAll rights reserved1

Ms. Particular Presents:Mass, Count, and Collective Nouns20 Sep 2019Mass nouns are those that name thingsthat are indivisibleExamples: knowledge, equipment, helium, money,gravity, destruction, physics, mathematicsThey are almost always* expressed as a singular inEnglish and take a singular verbAlthough they are treated as singular, mass nounscannot take an indefinite article (a or an)Mass nouns cannot be modified by most quantifiers(e.g., many, few, several, each)Some mass nouns (those that can be weighed ormeasured) can be modified by a number if a unit ofmeasure is specified (2 kg of flour, 3 ml of water)*It’s English—there are always exceptions3Mass nouns fall into general categories*CategoryExamplesConceptsinformation, jargon, knowledge, dynamics,evidence, damage, adviceActivitiesresearch, work, testingElements (modern & ancient)argon, carbon, lead, K, W, earth, air, windMaterialsice, wood, shieldingLiquidswater, alcohol, blood, urineNatural Phenomenaelectricity, superconductivity, heat, coolingPhysical Thingssoftware, equipment, furniture, stuffand they are always singular in US English*Adaptedfrom grammar‐monster.com4 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of IllinoisAll rights reserved2

Ms. Particular Presents:Mass, Count, and Collective Nouns20 Sep 2019A mass noun is a grammatical constructWhether a noun is a mass noun has nothing to do withthe inherent qualities of the object or objects to whichthe noun referscar, truck, SUV, motorcycle, freeway, lane (count nouns)traffic (mass noun)transportation (mass noun)rush hour (mass noun)5Dividing a mass noun into its constituentparts or making it plural requires (1) addinga countable noun of before the mass nounor (2) using a completely different wordclothing article of clothing; shirts, a dressequipment piece of equipment; microscope, drill presspollution a pollutant, heavy metalsliterature work of literature, monograph, poemstext letters, words, a phrase, sentence, page, chapterresearch an experiment, projects, study, investigation6 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of IllinoisAll rights reserved3

Ms. Particular Presents:Mass, Count, and Collective Nouns20 Sep 2019Common mistake—making mass nounsplural (which always changes the meaning)damage (mass) physical harm that impairs an object’svalue, usefulness, or normal functiondamages (mass) a sum of money claimed or awardedby a court to compensate a victim for a loss or injurytext (mass) the collection of words on a page or screentexts (count) individual books or manuscripts(think textbooks)work (mass) activity involving mental or physical effortworks (count) individual products of human (usuallyartistic) endeavor—think works of art—OR anindustrial complex or engineering structure (steelworks)OR (mass) an internal mechanism (the works of a watch)7Common mistake—using the wrong modifier“Suppressing epidemics with a limited amount ofimmunization units”units are counted; should be number“Quantum, classical, and total amount of correlationsin a quantum state”correlations are counted; should be number“Nonlinear optics with less than one photon”photons are counted; should be fewer than(how can you have less than one photon?)(all titles from PRL articles, sigh )8 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of IllinoisAll rights reserved4

Ms. Particular Presents:Mass, Count, and Collective Nouns20 Sep 2019Use the correct modifier!Mass NounsCount Nounsno indefinite articles (a or an)can take any articlemore thanmore thanless than (weighed or measured)fewer than (counted)amount of (weighed or measured)number of (counted)as much as (weighed or measured)as many as (counted)Writing “The Raman studies showed the effects ofvarying excitation energies on the type and amount ofdefects in graphene” is not strictly wrong, and peoplewill understand what you mean, but it sounds witless.Defects are counted, not weighed or measured.9Some words may be used as both massand count nouns, but their meanings aredifferentchickens (count noun—bird)chicken (mass noun—foodstuff)10 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of IllinoisAll rights reserved5

Ms. Particular Presents:Mass, Count, and Collective Nouns20 Sep 2019Some words may be used as both massand count nouns, but their meanings aredifferentfaculty (mass noun—professors)faculties (count noun—person’s sensesor intellect)11A collective noun refers to a collection ofthings taken as a wholeExamples: audience, committee, faculty,ensemble, class, team, array, group, bunchMost collective nouns are treated as singular in USEnglish and take singular verbs and singular pronounsThe committee nominates the club’s officers.The finance group tabled its discussion of the budget.If the members of a group are not acting in unison,plural verbs and pronouns might be usedThe faculty are fighting among themselves.The team took a break to stretch their legs.Collective nouns can be mass (audience) or count (team)12 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of IllinoisAll rights reserved6

Ms. Particular Presents:Mass, Count, and Collective Nouns20 Sep 2019To recap:Don’t make mass nouns pluralDon’t use an indefinite article (a, an) with amass nounMake sure you are using the correct modifier(few vs. less; amount of vs. number of)A good resource for n‐countable ois.edu/people/Celia/13 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of IllinoisAll rights reserved7

Count nouns can be modified by a number (one atom, 50 000 collisions per ms, 24 sensors, a dozen samples) Count nouns can be singular or plural Singular count nouns can take an indefinite article (aor an) Count nouns may be modified by a singular or plural