 Most, though not all (Geach, Lowe) agree that sortal words apply to things that we can count rather than things we measure. Sortals go with numbers and plurals. “Dog” is a sortal, “water” is not, so we say that we need two dogs but that we need more water. One confusing aspect of the distinction is that although “water” is not a sortal, there is often a tacitly understood qualifier in the context that combines to provide a sortal. At the grocery store, we might say we need two waters meaning two bottles of water; or in a restaurant we might ask for two waters, meaning two more glasses of water. So although “water” is not a sortal, the phrase “bottle of water” is, at least in one sense of the term. There are also quirks of language, English speakers decide how many vegetables to buy, but Germans consider how much Gemuse to buy, in spite of the fact that “Gemuse” means vegetable.