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15 views

Some, Any

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nxsmxndxz17
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Countable nouns

Some nouns refer to things which, in English, are treated as separate items which
can be counted. These are called countable nouns. Here are some examples:
a car, three cars
my cousin, my two cousins
a book, a box full of books
a city, several big cities

Singular and plural


Countable nouns can be singular or plural. They can be used with a/an and with
numbers and many other determiners (e.g. these, a few):
She’s got two sisters and a younger brother.
Most people buy things like cameras and MP3-players online these days.
These shoes look old now.
I’ll take a few magazines with me for the flight.

Uncountable nouns
In English grammar, some things are seen as a whole or mass. These are called
uncountable nouns, because they cannot be separated or counted.
Some examples of uncountable nouns are:
Ideas and experiences: advice, information, progress, news, luck, fun, work
Materials and substances: water, rice, cement, gold, milk
Weather words: weather, thunder, lightning, rain, snow
Names for groups or collections of things: furniture, equipment, rubbish, luggage
Other common uncountable nouns include: accommodation, baggage, homework,
knowledge, money, permission, research, traffic, travel.
These nouns are not used with a/an or numbers and are not used in the plural.
We’re going to get new furniture for the living room.
Not: We’re going to get a new furniture for the living room. or We’re going to get
new furnitures for the living room.
We had terrible weather last week.
Not: We had a terrible weather last week.
We need rice next time we go shopping.
Some nouns always have plural form but they are uncountable because we cannot
use numbers with them.
I bought two pairs of trousers.
Not: I bought two trousers.
Other nouns of this type are: shorts, pants, pyjamas, glasses (for the
eyes), binoculars, scissors.
Warning:
Some nouns which are uncountable in English are countable in other languages
(e.g. accommodation, advice, furniture, information):
They can give you some information about accommodation at the tourist office.
Not: They can give you some informations about accommodations at the tourist
office.

Quantity expressions (a bit/piece)


To refer to one or more quantities of an uncountable noun, expressions such as a
bit of, a piece of, an item of or words for containers and measures must be used:
He bought a very expensive piece of furniture for his new apartment.
Maggie always has some exciting bits of news when she comes to see us.
I think we’ll need five bags of cement for the patio.
There’s a litre of milk in the fridge for you. And I bought you a bar of chocolate.

Determiners (my, some, the)


Uncountable nouns can be used with certain determiners (e.g. my, her, some,
any, no, the, this, that) and expressions of quantity (e.g. a lot of, (a) little):
They gave me some information about courses and scholarships and things.
Have you heard the news? Fran’s getting engaged.
She’s been studying hard and has made a lot of progress.
There’s no work to do here, so you can go home if you like.
This milk’s a bit old, I’m afraid.
Too, too much, too many, enough
Exercise 1

Choose too, too much, too many, enough to complete the sentences below.

1There's smoke in here; I can't breathe.

2I don't earn to buy that car.


3My manager says that I play to win the competition.

4I know I talk . I should talk less.

5I don't think the door is to get the sofa into the room.

6 money can be bad for football players who are still in their 20s.

7I ate cakes and felt sick later.

8I can't drink this milk. It's hot.

9I think I've eaten . I don't feel very well.

10There weren't to play a match, so everybody went


home.

https://test-english.com/grammar-points/a2/too-too-much-too-many-enough/

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