Articles with mass noun

Question

A.  Have you got a Reggae Reggae sauce?B.  Have you got Reggae Reggae sauce?C.  Have you got a salmon sushi?D.  Have you got salmon sushi?E.  Do you have a Sherwood noodles?F.  Do you have Sherwood noodles?G.  Do you have a Sherwood noodle?H.  Where can I find a tomato paste?I.  Where can I find tomato paste?J.  Where can I find the tomato paste?1.  Suppose I'm in a grocery store, which of the above in each set is correct to say when asking customer service staff?  My guess is B, D, F, and I for the reason that the nouns involved are mass noun.  I'm not sure, though.2.  In E, the packaging reads noodles and I understand it's plural, but can I put an article before it to mean just one item/pack of the product?Please help.  If you could explain the rules as well, I would really appreciate.  Thanks.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

OK as noted:

A. Have you got a Reggae Reggae sauce?-- only if there are several kinds of RR sauce (garlic, vinegar, Thousand Island, etc.)
B. Have you got Reggae Reggae sauce?

C. Have you got a salmon sushi?-- Only if you are insisting on only one piece.
D. Have you got salmon sushi?

E. Do you have a Sherwood noodles?-- If you mean a packet or a kind, yes.
F. Do you have Sherwood noodles?
G. Do you have a Sherwood noodle?-- Only if there are several kinds (buckwheat, wheat-free, etc.)

H. Where can I find a tomato paste?-- If there are several brands and you don't care which.
I. Where can I find tomato paste?
J. Where can I find the tomato paste?

1. Suppose I'm in a grocery store, which of the above in each set is correct to say when asking customer service staff? -- A, B, D, E, F, G, H, I, J
2. In E, the packaging reads noodles and I understand it's plural, but can I put an article before it to mean just one item/pack of the product?-- Right.

Anonymous · Answer

Your response was really helpful. Thank you very much.

Just one more question: without thinking whether there are several kinds or not, which would a native speaker would naturally say? Is it those with no article, that is B, D, F and I?

Mister Micawber · Answer

Anonymouswithout thinking whether there are several kinds or not, which would a native speaker would naturally say?

Sorry, but I think this is a critical factor.

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you again for your response, Mister Micawber. I know the following are lots of questions, but I really want to learn this topic very well. Please be patient with me. I would really be grateful for your help here.

1. I would like to make some rules for this in my own words based on your explanations to check if I've understood correctly. Would you mind confirming them, please?

A. If you're asking for a specific brand of an item that is a mass noun, no article is needed unless there are several kinds of the item being asked for.
eg. Have you got Reggae Reggae sauce? -- indicates there's only one kind.
Have you got a Reggae Reggae sauce? -- there are several kinds of the sauce.

B. If you're asking for something generic that is a mass noun, using an article indicates that there are several brands and you don't care which. If no article is used, it indicates there is only one brand of the item available in that store.

eg. Where can I find a tomato paste? -- there are several brands and one doesn't care which
Where can I find tomato paste? -- there's only one brand.

2. I was also comparing the above examples with the Sherwood noodles example you explained as a packet of the noodles. Do you think using an article in the above examples might also mean "a bottle of RR sauce" and "a tube of tomato paste"?

3. If it were you and considering that there's only one kind of Reggae Reggae sauce, which would you naturally say? Would you say "Have you got Reggae Reggae sauce?" even if you know it comes in a bottle and looking for a bottle of it?

4. I also came up with another example with a specific model that comes in different colors, kindly confirm if my interpretations are correct.
a. Do you have Lumix ABC-123 in stock? -- means there is only one of this model
b. Do you have a Lumix ABC-123 in stock? -- means there are different versions of this model OR I'm asking for a unit of this model of one kind.
c. Do you have the Lumix ABC-123 in stock? -- I don't know really know what it means if you add "the". If you could interpret for me, please.

5. Again, which would you naturally say with the Lumix example considering it's a specific model that is one of a kind and comes in different colors?

Articles with mass noun

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