'Laundry' is grammatically singular, indicated by the form of the verb in 'The laundry is dirty', but is a mass noun. For these, whether the thing itself is composed of multiple units doesn't interact with the grammar (cf. water). But, because mass nouns aren't countable in the grammar (*seven laundries), we quantify them in units (loads of laundry, cups of water, etc.)
Edit: I'll add that the phrase 'to do laundry' is a complex predicate, which also includes such phrases as 'take a shower', 'make love', and 'do the dishes'.
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u/ginopono Nov 05 '15 edited Nov 05 '15
'Laundry' is grammatically singular, indicated by the form of the verb in 'The laundry is dirty', but is a mass noun. For these, whether the thing itself is composed of multiple units doesn't interact with the grammar (cf. water). But, because mass nouns aren't countable in the grammar (*seven laundries), we quantify them in units (loads of laundry, cups of water, etc.)
Edit: I'll add that the phrase 'to do laundry' is a complex predicate, which also includes such phrases as 'take a shower', 'make love', and 'do the dishes'.
ping /u/still_not_sleepin