TYPES OF NOUN (COUNT & NON COUNT)

EXPLANATION
TYPES OF NOUN


In English, as in many other languages, nouns are divided into two categories, known as "count nouns" and "non-count nouns".  These are sometimes called "countable nouns" and "uncountable nouns".

Count Nouns
Count nouns are nouns that refer to things that can be multiplied or counted, for example: one man, two women, three children, four cars, five shirts, six computers, seven sisters, and so on.

Non-Count Nouns
Non-count nouns are nouns that refer to generalisations, concepts or substances, things that cannot be put in the plural for example. water, oxygen, eternity, psychology, anger, politics, heat, alcohol.... and so on.

Count-Nouncount Distinction
Count nouns refer to entities viewed in English as individual units. The entities they refer to can be abstract (an idea, suggestion, belief, prejudice) as well as concrete ( a house, potato, finger, etc) when a count noun is singular and indefinite, the article “a/an” is often used with it. (The real meaning of “a” is “one”.)
The question from beginning how many…? Is used to ask about quantity for count noun only.
e.g,: how many students are coming today?

Non-count typically refers to entities that are viewed not as individual units but as something having no specific shape or boundry. when they are indefinite, we either use the word “some” or nothing at all instead of an article.
e.g., “Could I have some water please?”
“I'd like rice with my steak.”
Non counts noun are used to designated abstract or very generalized referents such as starvation, gravity, pollution, happiness, humanity, etc. they are also used for concrete things viewed as mass or bulk rather than as countable units, for example, butter, water, rice, furniture, etc. The question form how much…? Is used to ask about quantity for non count nouns
e.g,. How much money do you have?
Proper nouns are nouns that refer to specific entities. Writers of English capitalize proper nouns like Nebraska, Steve, Harvard, or White House to show their distinction from common nouns. Common nouns refer to general, unspecific categories of entities. Whereas Nebraska is a proper noun because it signifies a specific state, the word state itself is a common noun because it can refer to any of the 50 states in the United States. Harvard refers to a particular institution of higher learning, while the common noun university can refer to any such institution.
determiners with count and non count nouns
singular counts noun require either the indefinite article a/an or definite determiner like the, this, or that. For plural nouns, the only indefinite article allowed is the zero form, for example, houses rather than *a house. Some quantifiers, like each and every, can occur with singular count nouns,, while other quantifier, such as several, both, and few, occur with plural count nouns: each house every house few houses both houses several houses
The Indefinite Article
Singular indefinite noun phrase have several basic uses :
The specific indefinite use indicates a specific entity that is not yet familiar to addressee and not uniquely identified by the noun phrase
A beautiful girl cry
the Generic indefinite use refers not to anyone or anything specific but to a class of entities
they advertised for a three-bedroom apartment
the generic predicate noun phrase use provides a classification; this is a really a special case of the generic indefinite use
Toronto is a beautiful city

The interpretation of a noun phrase as specific or generic depends heavily on the predicate it occurs with the time reference of the clause, and the broader context.
In this example : the old lady have a baby boy
It should be clear that the reference is to a specific baby boy. However, in the next example, in which the verb are hope rather than have, the reference less clear, in the absence o other information, we might interpret the object noun phrase as generic:
The old lady are hoping for a baby boy.
The ambiguity disappears when the noun phrase is replaced by a pronoun. The pronoun it would be used for a baby boy noun phrase or specific baby. While one would be the choice if the reference was generic.
Essentially, the same uses can be listed for plural indefinite noun phrase the difference uses seem to blur at the boundaries:
The specific indefinite use indicates specific entities that are not yet in the mind of the addressee. In this use, plural noun, have either the zero indefinite article or the determiner some (often pronounced with a very weak stress (sm), but if some as quantifier never pronounced with weak stress and have meaning as contrast to all.
the generic indefinite use to refers to a class entities:
0 bicycles can be very expensive
Note : that some in generic noun phrase is used solely as quantifier; it refers to part of the class.
Some cars (i.e., not all) can be very expensive
the generic predicate noun phrase used indicates as classifying predicate. This again as a special case of the generic indefinite use
Tom and Pell were 0 deerhounds

The Definite Article
The definite article the can occur almost any kind of noun –count or non count, singular or plural- except for noncount proper nouns. In general, the definite article is used when its noun phrase refers to an entity that should be identifiable.
The entity may be considered identifiable for any several reasons:
1. it has previously been identified to the addressee
2. there’s only one such entity or event, at lest in our everyday experience
e..g., the sun, the Olympic games, the USA, etc.
3. within a particular context, the entity is something we assume exi
e.g : in the context of family, the father, the mother, the daughter, etc.
4. in context of human body: the hand, the feet, the eye, etc.
the entities has been referred to previously. A tall woman enterd the room.
May be followed by statements oscar noticed that the women looked angry.
6. the entity represented as unque in some context by modifiers like the
superlatives the strongest, the most beautiful. Or by other words
designating uniqueness, such as only and sole. The only reporter and the
sole representatives
7. the entity is present at the time of the utterance or within reasonable time
before the utterance. The brown jacket, or the boy over there.

G. Some problems For noun Classification

Some noncount noun are always plural, except for a few specialized usages. The noun scissors, shears, trousers, pyjamas, jeans, knickers require a pair of, two pairs of.
On the other hand, nouns like police, people, cattle and vermin are used for plural noun.
The police are coming immediately
The police is coming immmeduately (wrong)
One last significant problem for classification concern collective noun, which refer to groups of individuals. In American English, when the singular nouns like administration, public, crowd, are used as subject, presents tense verb are almost inevitably in their singular form. (see subject-verb agreement)