About Noncount Nouns

A and an cannot be used with noncount nouns.  However, noncount nouns that represent a collection or a mass may be preceded by a phrase that indicates quantity, or quantifier, such as a lot of, a little, some, much, any.

Example:  I like some mustard on my hot dog.
(Not: I like a mustard on my hot dog.)

Example: German Chancellor Helmut Kohl loves to eat hearty German food.

Example:  Did you remember to bring the food for the party?

Types of Noncount Nouns

• Things Made Up of Small Pieces
• Wholes Composed of Individual Parts
• Fields of Study/Professional Fields
• Abstract Ideas
• Liquids
• Gases
• Solids, Minerals, and Elements
• Sports and Recreational Activities
• Natural Phenomena
• Medical Conditions
• Scientific Processes and Procedures

1. Things Made Up of Small Pieces

Example:  Mr. Wilson was unhappy because his wife decided to put more grass in the front yard.
 

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2. Wholes Composed of Individual Parts

                    Example:   I thought I would get mail from my family while I was in France, but I didn't get a single letter.  However, I did get a postcard from a secret admirer.
 

3. Fields  of  Study / Professional Fields

Example:  Two years ago on PBS, Carl Sagan hosted a fascinating documentary on astronomy.

4. Abstract Ideas

 Ideas and abstract concepts also use noncount nouns.

Example:   Naim Suleymanoglu, the Turkish Olympic weightlifting champion, is less than five feet tall.  He has proven that short people can have great strength.

 
5. Liquids

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 6. Gases

 Example:  These days, people who fly balloons fill them with hot air instead of helium because using helium is quite dangerous.

7. Solids, Minerals and Elements 

Example:  When Mt. Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines several years ago, the surrounding area was covered with lava.

Example: Mrs. Papadopolous asked the butcher to prepare a whole lamb for her daughter's wedding.  Her family loves to eat lamb.

 

Lava	chicken	cotton	iron	penicillin
bacon	chocolate	fire	lamb	plastic
beef	cloth	glass	lead	silver
brass	coal	gold	meat	soap
bread	concrete	ham	mercury	steel
cheese	copper	ice	mold	wood

 

8. Sports and Recreational Activities

Example:  Perhaps because archery has been a traditional Korean sport,  South Korean men and women excel in international archery competitions.
 

9. Natural Phenomena

10. Medical Conditions

     Example:  Even for younger people, arthritis can be a problem.

However, when referring to specific instances of a medical condition or disease, some noncount nouns can use the.  Others do not use an article.

Example: Arthur seems to come down with the flu every winter.

But:  Roger couldn't kneel down when proposing to Gloria because he suffers from arthritis in both knees.

11.  Scientific Processes and Procedures

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