What is Bare nouns?

A bare noun is a noun that is used without a surface determiner or quantifier. In natural languages, the distribution of bare nouns is subject to various language-specific constraints. Under the DP hypothesis a noun in an argument position must have a determiner or quantifier that introduces the noun, warranting special treatment of the bare nouns that seemingly contradict this. As a result, bare nouns have attracted extensive study in the fields of both semantics and syntax.

In English, vocatives and mass nouns are felicitous in any position in which they semantically make sense. Bare plurals are usually restricted to outside predicate positions, though exceptions to this do arise.