Articles and quantifiers
| Stránky: | E-learningový portál Obchodní akademie a hotelové školy Třebíč |
| Kurz: | Materiály ke studiu AJ (úroveň B1 - B2) |
| Kniha: | Articles and quantifiers |
| Vytiskl(a): | Nepřihlášený host |
| Datum: | Sobota, 23. listopad 2024, 20.09 |
Remember that these common English nouns are uncountable - furniture, information, weather, advice, hair, progress, news.
We can´t say: a good news X or a funiture
But we can say: some good news or some furniture
Or we can refer to a singular item by using words such as piece, slice, cup, etc.
a piece of good news three cups of water
Remember that uncountable nouns take a singular verb.
The news is good. The weather was awful.
Quantifiers are words like few, less, some, any, much and many.
There is some tea left in the pot, and there are some biscuits in the packet.
There isn´t any tea left in the pot, and there aren´t any biscuits either.
Is there any tea left in the pot? Are there any biscuits left in the packet?
Is there some tea left? (hopefully expecting the answer yes)
Less, the least, little and much are only used with countable nouns.
There isn´t much tea left. Beth´s got less money than Jane.
There is very little tea left. But Dave´s got the least money of all.
Few, fewer, the fewest and many are only used with plural countable nouns.
There aren´t many biscuits left. Alan´s got fewer friends than Sue.
There are only a few biscuits. But Dave´s got the fewest friends of all.
Refering to things that are unique (only one exists):
Cricket is the most popular summer sport in Britain.
the Queen of England
The sea is too rough to swim in.
Is Manchester United the best football team in the UK?
I´m worried about the future.
What time does the sun rise?
When it´s obvious which one you mean:
We´re going to the pub; you can join us there later.
I´m taking the dog for a walk.
How many students are there in the class?
We are taking the exam in the summer.
When we mean a particular person or thing:
the actor who played the villain
The big question fitness experts are asking is...
The director of the film Psycho was Alfred Hitchcock.
Oceans, seas and rivers:
the Atlantic
the Aegean
the Mediterranean
the Thames
the Rhine
Plural mountain groups, island groups and countries:
the Andes
the Canary Islands
the Netherlands
the Philippines
Hotels, cinemas, theatres, museums:
the Ritz
the Gaumont
the Playhouse
the National Gallery
the Tate Gallery
Referring to a single thing or person:
There´s a bank opposite the cinema. (one of several banks in the town)
It´s a difficult exercise.
a friend of mine
She´s a friend of Peter´s
It was quite an interesting story.
She´s such an active person.
Professions or jobs:
He´s an actor.
She´s an engineer.
My father´s a taxi-driver.
My mother´s a teacher.
Generalisations:
An actor performs in front of an audience.
A leisure pool usually has a water slide.
A manager has to be a good leader.
Generalisations about plural ideas, people or things:
Actors perform in front of audiences.
New cars are expensive.
Dictionaries are useful.
Managers have to be good leaders.
Bicycles are pollution-free.
Babies are noisy.
Referring to concepts and ideas that are uncountable:
shopping, freedom, knowledge, pollution, liberty, democracy, history, music, tennis, stamp-collecting, watching television, swimming
Are you keen on shopping?
Freedom is more important than wealth.
...certain inalienable Rights ... Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Freedom from want, freedom from hunger.
With these places, but only when they´re used for their main purpose, rather than just for a visit or when they are considered as buildings:
He went to school in England = he was educated
You mustn´t smoke in class. = during lessons
We go to church every Sunday. = to worship
She´s in hospital. = for treatment
He´s going to university. = to study
But: She drove to the school to pick up her son, then to the university to pick up her daughter.
Planets, continents, countries, states:
Jupiter, Europe, Britain, Holland, France, California, Texas
BUT: the Earth, the Sun, the Moon, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands