 What are some examples of sortals? The most generally agreed upon feature of sortals is that they provide a criterion for what is to be counted. All of the sortals listed next are counting sortals. Among the counting sortals, some are phase sortals—sortals that typically apply to something during part of its existence. An example is colt—the horse does not go out of existence when it matures and ceases to be a colt. Another category is restricted sortals, which also may cease to be true of the object without its going out of existence, for example a brown dog may turn gray. Philosophers debate about sortals and essences; we would distinguish between basic level sortals, the kind of noun or phrase that is most typically given as an answer to What is it? Questions. Good examples of answers to the question understood this way would be elephant or car. This form of sortal has strong affinities in some domains with what are called natural kinds, but many sortals apply to artifacts and not to natural objects. Another level of What is it? answer is at a very general categorial level, where some of the typical answers would be animal or vehicle. 