Study Resource: English mass nouns that can be used as count nouns

By: Isabel McKay

These are some examples of mass nouns that can be used as count nouns when we are talking about a particular type of that mass noun. Remember that concrete mass nouns can always be made into count nouns


Category	Noun	Mass noun		Count noun
Category	Noun	Abstract	science	the general idea of scientific study	I love science.	a type of scientific study	Chemistry is a science.
art	the general idea of art		Artists make art for a living.	a type of artistic work	Telling jokes is an art.
law	the general idea of laws		I studied law in school.	a specific instance of law, a rule	It is important to follow all traffic laws.
literature	the general idea of artistic writing		He reads a lot of literature from Spain.	a specific tradition of literature	The literatures of Spain, China, and Nigeria are very different.
language	a general way of using words		Shakespeare used beautiful language.	a specific way of speaking	He speaks six languages.
revolution	the general idea of an uprising		The only way to make change is through revolution.	a specific uprising	There were many revolutions in the 19th century.
education	the general idea of formal learning		Education is important for everyone.	a particular experience of formal learning	I got an education for free.
Concrete	wine	the general substance of wine	I didn’t have any wine in the cellar.	a specific type* of wine	I brought two wines to the party.
	cheese	the general substance of cheese	Mice like to eat cheese.	a specific type* of cheese	The store sells many different cheeses.
	bread	the general substance of bread	I made a sandwich with two pieces of bread.	a specific variety* of bread	There were seven different breads on the bakery menu.
	wood	the general substance of wood	I made the table out of wood.	a specific type* of wood	One wood that I love is mahogany.
	concrete	the general substance of concrete	The wall was made of concrete.	a specific type* of concrete	Our construction company uses different concretes for different kinds of buildings
	sauce	the general substance of sauce	She put sauce on her pasta.	a specific type* of sauce	The chef served a new sauce on Friday.
	sunscreen	the general substance of sunscreen	Always put on sunscreen at the beach!	a specific brand* of sunscreen	We had to choose between twelve different sunscreens.
	glue	the general substance of glue	He poured glue on the floor.	a specific type* of glue	We use different glues to bind metal and paper.

*We use these as count nouns only if we do not mention the specific type before the noun. So even though mozzarella cheeseis a specific type of cheese, mozzarella cheeseis still a mass noun (e.g. She put mozzarella cheese on her pizza). When you use mozzarella cheese as a count noun (e.g. I chose two mozzarella cheeses), we assume you are discussing specific types of mozzarella cheese!