 There is debate about whether nouns as such are count or mass, as opposed to  expressions.[7] Mass expression is a broader class than mass noun, since the former includes instances of the latter, as well as phrases such as ‘the water in the tub’, ‘the gold in France,’ and ‘the grape juice Roderick drank.’ In comparison, ‘Robert’s car’, ‘John’s student,’ and ‘a NATO signatory’ are count expressions. But, while there is debate about whether nouns are count or mass, no one denies that expressions can be count or mass (a single word representing the limiting case). This is one reason our emphasis is on ‘expressions.’