Practice
Material nouns: rules and examples
At a repair shop, a customer says, 'The table is made of wood.' Wood names the substance in the table, not one separate object. That is the usual job of a material noun.
Recognize a material noun and choose a countable or noncount use that matches the meaning.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
made of wood /meɪd əv wʊd/
The short answer
Use a material noun to name what something is made of or a substance used in making things. Treat it as noncount when you mean the substance in general: This ring is made of gold. Use a count form only when the meaning changes, as in two glasses of water or several different woods.
The jacket is made of thick cotton.
Why it works: Cotton names the material used to make the jacket, so it has no plural ending here.
5 more examples
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The floor is covered with polished stone.
Stone names the material on the floor.
Not this:The children moved three
stonesfrom the path. What changes: Here, stones are separate objects that can be counted. -
Please add a little salt to the soup.
Salt is a substance, so a quantity phrase works naturally.
Not this:The chef compared two
saltsfrom different regions. What changes: The plural refers to different kinds of salt. -
We need two sheets of paper for the form.
Sheets are counted; paper remains the material name.
Not this:The office stored the signed
papersin a drawer. What changes: Papers means separate documents, not the material in general. -
The vase is made from recycled glass.
Glass names the material used to make the vase.
Not this:Could you bring four clean
glassesto the table? What changes: Glasses are separate drinking containers. -
Her scarf is woven from soft wool.
Wool is the material in the scarf.
Not this:The store sells
woolsin several colors. What changes: Wools can refer to different types or qualities of wool.
Read the full guide
Ask what the noun names. If it names a substance, use a noncount pattern: some sand, a little milk, or a piece of glass. If the sentence names containers, kinds, or separate objects, count grammar may be possible. The meaning decides the form.
Name the substance
A material noun tells you what something is made of or what substance is being used. It often answers the question 'What is it made from?'
The bridge is built from steel.
Steel names the substance, not a number of separate items.
Which word names the material in this sentence: The bag is made of leather?
Leather is the material noun.
Use noncount grammar for a substance in general
When you mean a substance in general, do not use a or an before it. Use words such as some, much, little, or enough when you need to show quantity.
There is enough oil in the pan.
Oil is treated as a mass here, so enough oil is natural.
Complete the phrase: We need ___ sugar for the recipe.
Use some: We need some sugar for the recipe.
Count a container or a measured amount
Use another noun to count a material. A bottle, cup, piece, sheet, bag, or bar gives the substance a countable unit.
He bought three bottles of water for the trip.
Bottles are counted. Water remains a noncount material noun.
Choose the counted word: two ___ of soap.
Use bars: two bars of soap.
Notice when the meaning changes
Some material nouns have a count meaning in a particular situation. A glass can be a container, and papers can be documents. The word is not simply plural; it has a different job in the sentence.
Please put the contracts and other papers on my desk.
Papers means documents here, so plural grammar is correct.
Choose the meaning of glasses in 'The waiter washed the glasses.'
Glasses means separate drinking containers.
Check the meaning before adding a plural
Do not add s just because there is more than one amount of a substance. Use plural material nouns when you mean kinds or separate things. Use a measure word when you only mean quantity.
The lab ordered five liters of water.
Liters gives the number. Water stays singular because it is the substance.
Complete the sentence: The artist chose several ___ for the sculpture, including marble and bronze.
Use materials because the sentence names different substances.
Before you go
Remember this
Material nouns usually name a substance and use noncount grammar: some water, a little rice, or a piece of paper. Count the container, amount, object, document, or type when that is what the sentence means.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
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Try the written questionsQuestions about "Material nouns: rules and examples"
What is a material noun?
A material noun names a substance used to make things or used as a substance, such as wood, water, gold, cotton, or rice. In its usual sense, it refers to the material rather than to separate objects.
The floor is covered with polished stone.
Are material nouns countable or uncountable?
Most material nouns are noncount when they mean the substance in general. Use some water or a little sugar. They can become countable when they mean a type, a container, a serving, or a separate object with a related name.
The children moved three stones from the path.
How can I count a material noun?
Count a unit that holds or measures the material. You can say a bottle of water, two sheets of paper, three bars of soap, or five liters of oil. The unit receives the number and plural ending.
Please add a little salt to the soup.
Why can glass be both countable and uncountable?
Glass is noncount when it means the hard transparent material. It is countable when it means a drinking container. The form follows the meaning: material for a window, containers for a table setting.
The chef compared two salts from different regions.
Can material nouns have plural forms?
Yes, when the plural means different kinds or separate things rather than the material as one mass. For example, papers can mean documents, and wools can mean different types or qualities of wool.
We need two sheets of paper for the form.