Mass nouns, or uncountable nouns, are commonly used in English. They can be confusing if you do not learn the difference between mass nouns, collective nouns, and count nouns. 

In this article, you will learn about mass (uncountable) nouns, the difference between mass and collective nouns, and count nouns. You will also find some examples of mass nouns and sentences in which they are used.

What is a mass noun?

A mass noun is a noun that is impossible to count. They are type of common nouns in English and also known as uncountable nouns.

Some of the examples of mass or uncountable nouns are;

• sand
• water
• air
• rain

Let’s read some sentences to learn how mass nouns are used.

• Rain is about to start in a few minutes.
• Sand is everywhere in the yard.
• The water is running.
• Air is being circulated in the house.

Mass Nouns Vs. Collective Nouns

Mass nouns and collective nouns could be confusing if you don’t know the difference between them. As mentioned earlier, a mass noun is impossible to count, whereas a collective noun represents a group of something as one unit.

examples of collective nouns are;

• A herd of deer
• A school of fish
• a group of people

Mass nouns are often confused with collective nouns because they are both used to talk about more than one things. However, they are different from each other. As mentioned earlier mass nouns are uncountable nouns that are impossible to count. Wherease, collective nouns are nouns that describe a group of person, animals, places, things or ideas as a single unit. 

Mass nouns and collective nouns are both used as singular in the sentence and require singular verb to satisfy the subject verb agreement. 

For example;

• A group of students is participating in the competition.
• Water is running in the street due to heavy rain.

In these two examples, a group of students is a collective noun that represents students as a group and is used as the singular subject in the sentence. 

Water is a mass noun because it can not be counted. Therefore, water is used as a singular noun in the sentence, and it requires a singular verb to match the subject-verb agreement.

Mass Nouns Vs. Count Nouns

Another distinction that is important for language learners to learn is between mass nouns and count nouns. 

Mass nouns and count nouns are opposite to each other. As mentioned earlier, mass nouns are uncountable nouns such as

• sand
• cloud
• rain
• water

On the other hand, count nouns are nouns that can be counted. For example

• one cat
• two cat
• three cat

How to Use Mass Nouns in a Sentence

1. Mass nouns are always singular

Mass nouns are impossible to count and, therefore, used as singular nouns in sentences. See the examples below.

• Knowledge is power. 
• Important information is required to fill out the form.
• Honest is the best policy.

2. Mass nouns don’t use numbers

In English, we do not use numbers with mass nouns because they are uncountable in their nature. Take a look at the following examples:

• Sand is used in the construction.
• I need water because I am thirsty.
• The rain is going to start soon.

3. Mass nouns don’t use indefinite articles (a or an)

Indefinite articles a and an describe things more specifically in terms of quantity. Such as a chair, an apple, etc.  These articles are not used with mass nouns. Consider the following examples:

• I need some sand.
• We were playing in the rain.
• The cold air is freezing the room.

4. Some nouns can be either mass nouns or count nouns

Some mass nouns can be used as both uncountable and countable nouns, which means that they can sometimes be counted depending on the context in which they are used.

• I comb my hair.
• My hair needs to be trimmed.
• There is a hair in the food.
• The lights are on in the backyard. (more than one light)
• The kitchen light is not working. (mean one light)
• Light travels faster than voice. (Light =mass noun)

Mass Noun Examples by Category

Below are ae the most commonly used mass nouns in English. These words are grouped into categories to help you remember. 

Conceptual Words

• Admiration
• Advice
• Anticipation
• Aptitude
• Art
• Beauty
• Bravery
• Business
• Data
• Education
• Equality
• Failure
• Fiarness
• Faith
• Feedback
• Freedom
• Fun
• Grammar
• Hatred
• Health
• Help
• Honor
• Honesty
• Importance
• Information
• Innocence
• Intelligence
• Justice
• Knowledge
• Love
• literature
• logic
• luck
• math/mathematics
• Money
• morality
• music
• nonsense
• patience
• pay
• peace
• poetry
• politics
• power
• public
• reality
• research
• safety
• speed
• spelling
• status
• strength
• stress
• success
• trust
• wealth
• Wisdom

All Emotions Words are Mass Nouns

• Happiness
• Sadness
• Excitement
• Anger
• Hate
• Love 

Measurements

• length
• height
• width

Fields of Sciences

• Astronomy
• Physics
• Geology
• Biology
• Chemistry

Different Languages

• French
• English 
• Spanish
• Urdu
• Hindi
• Korean 
• Japanese

Word Describing General Materials

• cardboard
• clay
• cloth
• coal
• concrete
• equipment
• fuel
• gasoline
• glass
• lumber
• metal 
• oil 
• paper
• petrol
• plastic
• steel 
• timber
• water
• wood
• wool

Food, Drinks, Edible Items

Food and drinks are used as mass nouns. See the following examples.

• I need some water because I am thirsty.
• We were hungry, so we ordered the food.
• Rice is cooking on low heat.
• Butter makes soup better. 

List of food, drinks, and other edible things used as mass nouns in English.

• bread
• butter
• cheese
• chocolate
• coffee
• cream
• fish
• flour
• food
• honey
• ice cream
• juice 
• milk 
• pasta
• produce
• rice
• salt
• seafood
• soup
• spaghetti
• sugar
• tea
• toast
• wheat

Nature and Science

Mostly, nature and science-related words are considered mass nouns because they are impossible to count. When using words such as air, weather, humidity, temperature, etc., in your English communication, use them as singular nouns and match them with singular verbs to satisfy the subject-verb agreement.

• air
• dirt
• energy
• gravity
• heat
• humidity
• ice
• lightning
• mud
• rain
• rust
• smoke
• (outer) space
• steam
• sunshine
• thunder
• weather
• wind 
• wildlife
• All chemical elements: gold, iron, hydrogen, etc.

Miscellaneous Words 

Below is a list of miscellaneous mass nouns used in everyday English.

• baggage
• blood
• cash
• clothing
• darkness
• electricity
• evidence
• flesh
• furniture
• garbage
• gossip
• grass
• ground
• hair
• hay
• hardware
• homework
• jewelry
• laughter
• light
• luggage
• machinery
• mail
• money
• news
• noise
• pain
• perfume
• rubbish
• sand
• silence
• soap
• software
• stuff
• sweat
• time
• toothpaste
• traffic
• trash
• waste
• work
• all sports: football, chess, hockey, etc.

Sports

Almost all the sports names are mass nouns. Here are some of the examples of sports names.

• Hockey
• Cricket
• Football
• Soccer
• Tennis
• Golf

• Hockey is my favorite sport.
• Soccer is the most famous sport in the United States.
• India, Pakistan, and Australia have good cricket teams.

Final Thoughts on Mass Nouns

Mass (uncountable) nouns are nouns that are impossible to count. They are most commonly used in everyday English communication. Learning the difference between mass, collective, and count nouns is essential for better communication skills. It also helps you to avoid grammar mistakes in your speaking and writing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a mass noun?

Mass nouns are nouns that are impossible to count. These nouns are commonly used in English and do not require indefinite article a or an to represent themselves in the sentence.

When should you use a mass noun?

We use mass nouns to describe things that are impossible to count. When using mass nouns in sentences, we don’t use numbers or indefinite articles because they are not countable in their nature.

What are some examples of mass nouns?

Some of the examples of mass nouns are sand, air, quality, humidity, courage, knowledge, rain, water, etc.

What are uncountable nouns?

Uncountable or mass nouns can not be counted or are impossible to count.

I hope this article helped you to learn mass (uncountable) nouns in English, their proper use, and everyday use sentences to learn how to use them in your communication properly. If you liked it, then please subscribe to our newsletter for more article, and the latest updates.

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