Material Noun - Definition, Types, Rules and Examples

Material noun is one of the various types of noun in English. As the name suggests, material nouns are the names of materials either natural or artificial such as gold and brick. Read the full article to learn all about material noun definition, types, rules and examples. 

This article covers:

• Material Noun: Definition and Meaning 
• Material Noun Examples 
• How Do You Identify Material Nouns?
• Types of Material Nouns
• Material Nouns Used in Sentences
• Material Noun Rules
• Material Noun Exercises
• FAQs - Material Noun

Material Noun: Definition and Meaning

Material noun refers to the names of material objects either natural or artificial such as gold and brick. 

 

Material Noun Examples

• gold
• silver 
• copper 
• coal
• water
• iron 
• rock 
• sand
• milk
• egg
• honey 
• alcohol
• brick
• cement
• coffee 
• tea
• cotton
• oil

How Do You Identify Material Nouns?

To identify material nouns, keep the following points in mind. 
A material noun is a name of a raw material or an object made out of a raw material. For example, clay is a raw material used for making bricks. So the word "clay" is a natural material. As such it's called a natural material noun. Bricks, on the other hand, are artificial or man-made materials used for building walls. Therefore, they're known as artificial material nouns. 

Types of Material Nouns

1. Natural material nouns are the names of the natural materials and substances used for making something.

Examples of natural material nouns:

• gold
• silver 
• copper 
• coal
• water
• iron 
• rock 
• sand
• milk
• egg
• honey

2. Man-made material nouns are the names of the artificial objects made out of natural materials.

Examples of man-made material nouns:

• alcohol
• brick
• cement
• coffee 
• tea
• oil

Material Nouns Used in Sentences

a. His watch is made of gold.

b. Sofia's necklace is made of silver.

c. Clay is used for making bricks.

d. Boiled water, milk, young leaves and leaf buds of the tea plant are used for making tea.

e. Cement is used for plastering. 

Material Noun Rules

Rule 1. Material nouns are usually singular so they will use singular verbs after them. 

Examples:

Correct: Honey gives the skin a fresh glow.

Incorrect: Honey give the skin a fresh glow.

Rule 2: Articles ( a or an and the) are not normally used before material nouns. 

Correct: I possess gold.

Incorrect: I possess a gold.

Rule 3. Determiners like a little or some can be used before material nouns.

Examples: 

a. There's a little water in the bottle.

b. Would you like to have some tea or coffee?

Rule 4. Material nouns can be countable and uncountable. we should treat them accordingly. That is, countable material nouns can be singular and plural, while uncountable material nouns will be singular only. 

In the first example, egg is a countable noun, while meat in the second example is uncountable in the below-given sentences.

Examples:

a. There's only one egg in the tray.

b. Meat is usually kept in the refrigerator up to 5 days.  

Material Noun Exercises

Q1. Distinguish the countable material nouns from the uncountable ones in the below-given sentences.

a. There's a brick behind you.

b. Air has approximately 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. 

c. He threw a stone at me. 

d. Water is essential for life.

e. I have 3 eggs left.

Answer keys 1:

a. brick (countable)

b. air (uncountable)

c. stone (countable)

d. water (uncountable)

e. eggs (countable)

Q2. Identify the material nouns in the following sentences.

a. Sand can be used for many purposes like plastering or roofing.

b. Rock is made up of minerals.

c. Coal is a sedimentary deposit.

d. Leather is used to make items like clothes, handbags, tools, etc.

Answer keys:

a. sand 

b. rock

c. coal

d. leather

FAQs - Material Noun 

What are material nouns and examples?

Material nouns, a type of noun, refer to physical objects either natural or man-made such as gold and bricks.

What are the 10 examples of material nouns?

a. There's a brick behind you.

b. Air has approximately 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. 

c. He threw a stone at me. 

d. Water is essential for life.

e. I have 3 eggs left.

f. Sand can be used for many purposes like plastering or roofing.

g. Rock is made up of minerals.

h. Coal is a sedimentary deposit.

i. Leather is used to make items like clothes, handbags, tools, etc.

j. Cement is used for plastering.