Material Noun

What is a Material Noun?

The names of materials or substances from which something is created or produced is referred to as material nouns. This noun specifies the raw materials used to create objects or substances.

Examples:

How to Identify Material Nouns in Sentences?

1. First, read the sentence carefully and look for words that are substances or materials. Then, ask a question to yourself, what is this made up of? 
2. To identify material nouns in a sentence look for uncountable nouns as some materials or substances cannot be counted in individual units.
3. The best way to identify any noun is by understanding the context of sentences. Any object or material from which something is made is called a material noun.

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Classification of Material Nouns

Material nouns are the names of raw materials from which something is made. There are four classification of material nouns these are:

Material Nouns Rules

There are certain rules for using material nouns. These are:

Rule Number 1: Articles such as 'a', 'an' and 'the' are not used with material nouns which are uncountable. For example, 'I drink a water everyday' is an incorrect sentence because water is an uncountable noun. The correct sentence is 'I drink water every day'. 

Rule Number 2: Articles like 'a' or 'an' are used with material nouns which are countable. For example, 'She bought gold ring' is not the correct sentence as no article is used. The correct sentence is 'She bought a gold ring'. 

Rule Number 3: 'The' is used before material nouns which provide a sense of being definite or unique. For example, 'The milk is good for health' is an incorrect sentence because we are not talking about any definite milk, all kinds of milk are good for health. 'Be careful, the milk is hot.' In this sentence we are talking about a specific milk. Thus, we used 'the'.

Common Mistakes with Material Nouns

1. Students often use wrong articles with material nouns. One should know all the rules with articles and material nouns. 
2. Students often get confused with uncountable material nouns and countable material nouns. For example, 'glass' can be an uncountable material noun or it can also be a container which is a countable noun. For instance, 'Please bring 4 glasses for the drink.' Here glass is a countable container from which we drink. 'This package is fragile as it is made up of glass', here glass is an uncountable material noun.
3. Many students may use articles with uncountable nouns. For instance, 'I want to drink a milk' is an incorrect sentence as milk is an uncountable noun. The correct sentence is 'I want to drink milk'.

Difference Between Countable and Uncounatable Material Nouns

Countable and uncountable nouns are two categories of nouns that refer to different types of objects or substances.

Countable Material Nouns

1. Countable nouns are those that can be counted as individual units.
2. Examples of countable material nouns include items that can be measured or quantified, such as "pieces" or "units" of a substance.
3. For instance, "pieces of wood," "units of paper," or "rolls of fabric" are countable material nouns.
4. You can use numbers like one, two, three, etc., to specify the quantity of countable material nouns.
5. Example: I need three pieces of wood to complete the project.

Uncountable Material Nouns

1. Uncountable nouns, on the other hand, cannot be counted as individual units because they are considered mass or bulk substances.
2. These nouns are often treated as singular and do not have a plural form.
3. Examples of uncountable material nouns include substances like "water," "sand," "rice," or "oil."
4. You wouldn't say "two waters" or "three sands"; instead, you refer to these substances in a general sense.
5. Example: I spilled water on the floor.

Examples of Material Noun in Sentences

→ James plays cricket with a leather ball.
→ I got a new wooden table. 
→ We need honey and sugar for the recipe. 
→ Gold is a precious element for making jewellery. 
→ During summer, many people wear cotton tops.
→ That house was constructed with bricks made of clay.
→ The artist used a canvas made of linen for the painting.
→ Children are playing with toys made of plastic in the backyard.
→ The chef prepared a delicious dish using ingredients made of fresh vegetables.
→ The ancient artefact was crafted from bronze.
→ The dress was sewn with fabric made of silk.
→ This bridge was built using steel for added strength.
→ Scientists conducted experiments with equipment made of glass.

List of Material Nouns

FAQs

1. What is a material noun?

Answer: All the names of substances or materials from which something is created are known as material noun. They can be both countable material noun and uncountable material noun. For example, steel, salt, sound, glass, gold, metal.

2. What are the rules of material noun?

Answer: Rules to follow for material nouns are: 

1. Articles such as ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’ are not used with uncountable material nouns.
2. Articles like ‘a’ or ‘an’ are only used with countable material nouns. 
3. ‘The’ is used before a material noun which provide a sense of being definite or unique.

3. What are the examples of material nouns?

Answer: Examples of material nouns are wood, rubber, jute, wool, leather, silk, milk, honey, flour, gold, silver, brass, coal, copper, etc. 

4. What are the categories of material noun?

Answer: There are four categories of material nouns. These are:

1. Material noun from nature: water, salt, copper
2. Material noun from animals: milk, wool, leather
3. Material noun from plants: rubber, cotton, oil
4. Man-made material noun: brick, cement