Study Resource: Examples of mass nouns in English
The tables below provide quantity words that can be used with mass nounsNo definition set for mass nounsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. vs. count nounsNo definition set for count nounsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum..
Quantity words for all nouns | ||
|---|---|---|
Quantity word | Count noun | Mass noun |
a lot of | a lot of (the) people | a lot of (the) rice |
all (of the) | all (of the) people | all (of the) rice |
most (of the) | most (of the) people | most (of the) rice |
half/a quarter… (of) the | half (of) the people | half (of) the rice |
some (of the) | some (of the) people | some (of the) rice |
plenty of (the) | plenty of (the) people | plenty of (the) rice |
more (of the) | more (of the) people | more (of the) rice |
no | no people | no rice |
none (of the) | none of the people | none of the rice |
any (of the) | any (of the) people | any (of the) rice |
enough (of the) | enough (of the) people | enough (of the) rice |
Quantity words for only count nouns | ||
|---|---|---|
Quantity word | Count noun | Mass noun |
every1 | every person* | ❌every rice |
each (of the)1 | each person* | ❌each rice |
several (of the) | several (of the) people | ❌several (of the) rice |
a (large/small/sufficient…) number of (the)2 | a large number of (the) people | ❌a large number of (the) rice |
a few (of the) | a few (of the) people | ❌a few (of the) rice |
few / fewer (of the) | few (of the) people | ❌few (of the) rice |
many (of the) | many (of the) people | ❌many (of the) rice |
either / neither (of the) | either person | ❌either rice |
both (of the) | both (of the) people | ❌both (of the) rice |
indefinite article (a/an)1 | a person | ❌a rice |
one1 | one person | ❌one rice |
plural numbers (zero, two, 100...) | zero people, two people, 100 people | ❌zero rice, ❌two rice, ❌100 rice |
another (of the)1 | another person | ❌another rice |
Quantity words for only mass nouns | ||
|---|---|---|
Quantity word | Count noun | Mass noun |
a little (of the) | ❌a little (of the) people | a little (of the) rice |
a (large/small/sufficient…) amount of (the)2 | ❌a small amount of (the) people | a small amount of (the) rice |
less (of the) | ❌less (of the) people | less (of the) rice |
much (of the) | ❌much (of the) people | much (of the) rice |
a great deal of (the) | ❌a great deal of (the) people | a great deal of (the) rice |
Notes:
1These quantity words follow some special rules:
When used directly before a count noun (as an adjective) the count noun will be singular.
When used before an of phrase (as an indefinite pronoun), the count noun will be plural.
When used as the subject or to describe the subject, the verb will be singular.
All other quantity words follow this pattern:
When used before a noun (as an adjective), the noun will be plural if it’s a count noun and singular if it’s a mass noun.
When used before an of phrase (as an indefinite pronoun), the noun after of will be plural if it’s a count noun and singular if it’s a mass noun.
When used as the subject or to describe the subject, the verb will be plural if the word describes or replaces a count noun, or singular if the word describes or replaces a mass noun.
2Notice that number is used with count nouns just like amount is used with mass nouns.
