 Most of the foregoing metaphysicians (not necessarily philosophers of language or linguists) we have examined have practiced a sort of mixed methodology. One starts by pointing out the commonsense distinction in English between mass and count, and one then proceeds to develop a picture which can both explain, and be consistent with, ordinary talk, as well as solving whichever particular problems the metaphysician in question is concerned with. Often one takes the ordinary language distinction as evidence in their view’s favor, together with various prescriptively informed premises not necessarily endorsed by folk ontology.