Pre-Intermediate

Nouns, adjectives and adverbs

8 The indefinite article a

• a (or an) is used with countable nouns (> Exercise 6) to indicate one.
Can I have a cup of tea?
I've got a daughter and two sons.
• a is not used before a plural noun (NOT I've got a sons).
• a is not used before uncountable nouns (NOT I want a petrol, please).

Practice
Write a, an, or nothing to complete these sentences.
1 I'd like ..a.. sandwich, please.
1 He asked me for ..-.. money.

3 They wanted information about the trains.

4 I'd like apple and orange, please.
5 They've got very big house.
6 Do you like fast cars?
7 We watched films all afternoon.
8 Have you got umbrella?
9 I asked for bread and cheese.
10 Are you drinking milk?
11 I had glass of water.
12 He gave me orange.
13 Is there telephone here?
14 We had eggs for breakfast.
15 I like coffee and tea.
 Pre-Intermediate Nouns, adjectives and adverbs

9 The indefinite article a and the definite article the

• a is used with countable nouns to indicate one (>- Exercise 8):
I've got two bikes and a car.
She's a lawyer.
He's a teacher.
• the is used:
a) when a word is used a second time;
He gave me a knife and a spoon. The spoon was dirty.
I bought a pen and some paper, but I left the pen in the shop.
b) when only one object exists:
the earth, the sun, the River Thames

Practice
Write a, the, or no article to complete these sentences.
1 She's .a... journalist.
2 ..The.. moon moves slowly round the... earth.
3 sun is shining.
4 I'd like cup of coffee, please.
5 Have you got double room?
6 He gave me a lighter and some cigarettes but lighter
didn't work.
7 There was doctor and nurse in the room
nurse was sleeping.
8 She took sandwich and piece of cake, but didn't eat
cake.
9 Yes, I work at this school. I'm teacher.
10 A man and two women were sitting in the car. 1 think man
was Italian.
11 Did you see Pope when he came to England?
12 He offered me cigarette, but I refused.
13 Did you send me postcard when you were in Greece?
14 They had six cats and dog. T really liked dog.
15 Have you got match, please?
16 She sent me letter and card letter didn't arrive.
17 I had cup of tea and ice cream tea was terrible.
18 Have you met Sally? She's friend of mine.
Nouns, adjectives and adverbs Pre-Intermediate

10 No article or the before names of places

• a or the is not usually used before names of villages, towns, streets, cities,
countries or continents.
She lives in Paris.
We went to India.
• the is used before names of seas, rivers, groups of islands or mountains,
kingdoms, republics, deserts, plural names of countries: the Atlantic Ocean,
the River Thames, the Netherlands, the Arctic (land and sea), the Antarctic
(land and sea), the Alps, the United States of America, the United Arab
Emirates, the Sahara, the United Kingdom, the Nile, the Gobi Desert.

Practice
Write the names of the places below in two columns, those with the and those
without the.
River Seine Philippines Algeria
Luxembourg Sweden Rocky Mountains
Istanbul Oxford Street St Lawrence River
Pyrenees Bombay Barcelona
Chile South China Sea People's Republic of Mongolia
Solomon Islands Hamburg Pacific Ocean

with the without the

River Seme Luxembourg

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 Pre-Intermediate Nouns, adjectives and adverbs

11 No article or definite article?

Words using no article
He doesn't like going to school.
I think she's at home now.
I usually get to work at 9.30.
Do you go to church on Sundays?
She was very tired so she went to bed early.
Did you have the baby in hospital?
Their father's in prison.
• There is usually no a or the before: school, college, university, home, work,
church, bed, hospital, prison, town.
Note: We only say a or the before these words when the building is important and not its use:
It was a beautiful church.
The school is very old now.
This is not a very comfortable bed.
Is there a prison near here?
The hospital is closing down.

Words using the

We don't very often go to the cinema.
Did you go to the disco on Saturday?
I go to the supermarket every Friday.
• We usually say the before the places we visit in a town:
the cinema, theatre, disco, opera, post office, bank; names of shops - baker's,
grocer's, supermarket, chemist, butcher's; dentist('s), doctor('s), hairdresser('s),
toilet
And we say the shopping: I do the shopping on Mondays.
• But we can sometimes use a before these words:
Did you go to the disco on Saturday? but: There's a new disco in town.
I'm going to the bank, but: Does she work in a bank?

Practice
Write the sentences, adding the where necessary.
1 Is he still in bed?
\e he still in bed?
2 Would you like to go to cinema tonight?
Would you like to go to the cinema tonight?
3 We visit him in prison about once a month.

4 Can I go home now?

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Nouns, adjectives and adverbs Pre-Intermediate

5 I usually go to bank once a week.

6 Does she like it at university?

7 School is almost falling down.

8 I do all my shopping at supermarket.

9 What time do you finish work?

10 I went to hairdresser last week but my hair looks terrible.

11 Bed in this room is too small for me.

12 I don't usually go to church but my parents do.

13 He goes to doctor's regularly - he always thinks he's ill.

14 What are you going to study at college?

15 Poor James! He hates being in hospital.

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 Pre-Intermediate Nouns, adjectives and adverbs

12 Other words with a, an, the or no article

The apples are £1 a kilo.
I never drive more than 80 kilometres an hour.
She smokes about twenty cigarettes a day.
a, an when talking about cost, speed or how often we do something.

Can you play the guitar?

I love listening to the piano.
the with musical instruments when we talk about playing them or listening to
them. But note: I'd like to buy a piano.

I usually listen to the radio in the mornings.

They watch television most evenings.
the with listen to the radio. No article with watch television. But note: Have
you got a new television? This is an expensive radio.

English isn't too difficult to learn.

History is my favourite subject.
She plays tennis very well.
I usually have toast for breakfast.
• No article before names of academic subjects, languages, sports, meals.

Practice
Complete these sentences with a, an, the or no article.
1 She plays ..?/?<?.. piano beautifully.
2 We usually meet once week.
3 I enjoy studying languages but I find Latin quite difficult.
4 I always listen to radio when I get up.
5 Can your daughter play violin?
6 I can cycle 15 miles hour.
7 Do you enjoy learning Spanish?
8 I take the children swimming twice week.
9 I think you watch television too often.
10 Did you study physics at school?
11 This flat costs £100 week.
12 1 love listening to saxophone.
13 The potatoes are 80 pence bag.
14 Can you speak Russian?
15 1 really enjoy playing football at the weekends.

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 Pre-Intermediate
Nouns, adjectives and adverbs

13 Summary
• a, an + singular noun;
We are talking about one thing but it is not the only one. There is more than
one of them.
• the + singular noun:
There is only one or we are talking about a particular one. The speaker and
listener know which one.

Practice
13a Complete the conversation with a, an, the or no article.
A: It's '..a.. beautiful day today. I'd like to go to ..the.. beach.
B: Yes, but 3 beach is always crowded. I'd like to stay at 4
home and sit in 5 garden. We can have lunch in
7
garden.
A: But we stayed at home a)] day yesterday. I'd like to go out.
9 l0
I'm going back to work tomorrow and this is last
day of my holiday.
B: Well, we could go out tonight. There's " good film on at
12 13
cinema, or we could go to theatre.
14 15
A: O.K. but theatre's too expensive. It's about £15 seat.
l6
B: That's true. We'll go to cinema, then. Or we could stay here
17
and watch television.
A: Oh no, that's boring. I want to go to 1S cinema.
B: And this afternoon?
19
A: You can stay here but I think I'll go to town.
2U
B: Can you do shopping when you're in town?
A: Oh, all right.

13b In your notebook, add, remove or change the articles in these sentences to
make them correct. Some sentences contain more than one mistake.

1 Our first lesson after the lunch is the geography.

2 I first played a baseball in USA last summer.
3 The Rome is my favourite city in Italy.
4 When I leave a university I want to be the journalist.
5 What time does bank open on Fridays?
6 I often work at the home.

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 Pre-Intermediate Nouns, adjectives and adverbs

14 a, some, any
> Exercise 6 for the difference between countable and uncountable nouns.
• a is used with singular countable nouns:
I'm waiting for a bus.
• some is used in positive sentences
a) with plural countable nouns:
Some people arrived.
I'd like a loaf and some eggs, please.
b] with uncountable nouns:
/ bought some milk.
I'd like some water, please.
• any is used like some, but in negative sentences and questions
a) with plural countable nouns:
Did you meet, any friends in town?
I didn't buy any eggs.
b) with uncountable nouns:
Did you buy any milk?
I didn't have any water.
• No is also used to mean not any, but with a positive verb form:
There were no eggs in the market.
I had no water.
• some is used in offers:
Would you like some coffee?
Would you like some tea?
an apple
I've got some oranges
{Wouldn't you like...?) some sugar
an apple
Have you got ...? any oranges
I haven't got any sugar

Practice
14 Complete the sentences with a, an, some or any.
1 Would you like..a.. cup of tea?
2 There's some.. butter in the fridge.
3 Can I make telephone call?
4 There weren't books in the house.
5 There are children at the door.
6 She wants glass of water.
7 They don't have friends in the village.

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Nouns, adjectives and adverbs STAGE 1 Pre-Intermediate

8 I bought lemonade yesterday.

9 Have you got watch?
10 She'd like new perfume.
11 We're getting new car soon.
12 There isn't shampoo in the bathroom.
13 I'd like apple, please.
14 The house hasn't got furniture. 16
15 Would you like orange juice?
16 I've got bananas and apple.
17 Did you bring bread?
18 I'd like water, please.
19 Sorry, I haven't got matches.
20 I asked the waiter for tea.

15 something, anything; someone, anyone (or somebody, anybody)

Positive
There's someone at the door.
I've got something to tell you.

Negative
I didn't know anyone at the party.
We didn't have anything to drink.

Question
Did you meet anyone at the club?
Do you know anything about this place?
Note: Can I have ...?, Would you like ...? + something, someone:
Would you tike something to eat?
Can I have something to drink?

Practice
Circle the correct word in each sentence.
1 Is there {something, to eat in the fridge?
2 There's {something/anything) about your friend Alec in the paper.
3 I met [someone/anyone) from your office last night.
4 I called at their house but there wasn't {someone/anyone) in.
5 Do you know {someone/anyone) in this street?

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Nouns, adjectives and adverbs Pre-Intermediate

Practice
Write a few, a little, much or many to complete these sentences. Do not use
some, any, or a lot of.

1 There's some food, but not .much... drink.

2 .A few people arrived before the party started, but not many.
3 There's not food in the cupboard.
4 She hasn't got friends.
5 T'm sorry, I haven't got time.
6 The receptionist didn't give me information.
7 I can lend you money until tomorrow.
8 1 asked him to put milk in my coffee.
9 I've seen her Times this year, but not very often.
10 We only have petrol left.
11 She started feeling ill only days before the exam.
12 Not people come here in the winter.
13 Did they pay you money for working there?
14 There aren't towns in this part of England.
15 I didn't drink wine at the party.
16 There are only people at the beach.
17 1 didn't have opportunity to talk to him.
18 The bank only lent me money.
19 Can I ask you questions?
20 The journey was a short one: it didn't take time.
21 Only students are going to fail the exam.
22 I don't think people will come tonight.
23 1 haven't done work today.
24 I gave the cat milk.
25 1 don't think I've made mistakes.

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 Pre-Intermediate Nouns, adjectives and adverbs

17 Counting the uncountables

• It is not possible to say one water, two flours, etc.
Uncountable objects are counted in two ways:
a) in litres, kilos, etc:
Could I have a kilo of potatoes?
I need three litres of milk.
b) by counting the containers that hold the uncountable noun:
I'd like three bottles of lemonade, please.
or by dividing the object into pieces, which are then counted:
Would you like a piece of cake?

Practice
Write the correct word for each object.

1 a of lemonade 2 a of cake

3 a of bread 4 a of chocolates

5 a of peas 6 a of chocolate

7 a of Coca-Cola 8 a of jam

9 a of cigarettes 10 a of bread

11 a of milk 12 a of toothpaste

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 Intermediate
Nouns and adjectiv-es
1 The articles a and the
• a is used:
a) with countable nouns to indicate one:
I've got a cat.
b) to indicate cost, speed, or frequency:
fifty pence a kilo
four times a day
two hundred kilometres an hour
c) for certain numbers:
a hundred; a thousand; a couple; a dozen
• the is used:
a) when a word is used a second time
b) when talking about a known object:
I've just washed the car. ( = our car, or this car)
Where's the dog? ( = our dog, or the dog that is usually here)
We've made the beds. ( = our beds, or the beds here)
c) in a general sense, with musical instruments:
Can you play the guitar?

I like listening to the piano.

Note: I've just bought a guitar and a piano.
d) when the object is unique:
the moon.
• Usually, no article is used:
a) with abstract nouns (life, beauty, love, etc.), languages, and academic
subjects (history, Latin, etc.):
Life isn't always easy.
Latin is a difficult language to learn.
b) with materials (wine, coal, sugar, etc.) when they are considered in a
general sense:
Glass is a difficult material to cut.
Gold is very expensive at the moment.
Note: There is a difference between:
They were looking for gold. ( = any gold)
They found the gold. ( = the gold they were looking for)
c) before countries and towns:
They live in Manchester.
d) before school, home, work, church, bed, and hospital in certain
expressions:
We went to church.
She's at home.
Nouns and adjectives Intermediate
Practice
Write a, the, or no article to complete these sentences.
1 She's a good musician: she plays '!:f:i.t:. piano beautifully.
2 I don't see him often, only once or twice .. ~ .. month.
3 Mary's not at '!:f:i.t:. office. I think she's gone .. -:-: .. home.
4 Do you want to see Sarah? She's in .......... garden.
5 I'm studying .......... French and .......... Italian.
6 I like Jane, she has a lot of .......... warmth.
7 Shall we sit outside? .......... sun is really warm.
8 Where's .......... dog? I want to go out for .....~cwalk.
9 I don't use .......... sugar when I'm cooking.
10 Do your parents still live in .......... Scotland?
11 Would you mind waiting for .......... couple of minutes?
12 I think .......... piano is one of the easiest instruments to play.
13 It's .......... fast car. Its top speed is 150 miles .......... hour.
14 I saw her when she was going to .......... work.
15 There's someone at .......... front door.
16 Do you like .......... wine? No, I don't drink .......... alcohol.
17 I'll have .......... dozen eggs and .......... loaf, please.
18 Coal is sixty dollars .......... ton at the moment.
19 Have you done .......... washing-up?
20 I think it's made of .......... glass.
21 I like .......... tea with .......... milk in it.
22 I stayed at home last night and listened to .......... radio.
23 Would you like .......... cup of coffee?
24 They gave me .......... diamond necklace.
25 When he was nineteen, he joined .......... army.

2 Words using a, the, or no article

• Some words are used with a, the, or no article, depending on the meaning of
the word, and whether it is thought of as definite (the), indefinite (a), or
uncountable:
I put the glass on the table. (definite - a particular glass)
I picked up a glass. (indefinite - one of a number of glasses)
It's made of glass. (uncountable - glass as material)

2
 Intermediate Nouns and adjectives

Practice
Write a, the, or no article to complete these sentences.
1 tin 1

1 Could I have ten eggs and .. ~ .. tin of peas?

2 Put some money in .~h~. tin by the door when you leave, please.
3 The cigarette lighter's made of .. -:-: .. tin.

!wood!
4 We knew that .......... wood was a very expensive material at the time.
5 There's .......... wood at the end of the road.
6 There are some rabbits living at the edge of .......... wood.

I paper I
7 The boy who delivers .......... paper is late today.
8 It was very strange, a shirt made of .......... paper.
9 I generally read .......... paper of some sort on the train.
Ichocolate I
10 I won't take .......... chocolate, thanks, although they look very nice.
11 Most doctors say .......... chocolate is bad for you.
12 .......... chocolates which I ate last night tasted very strange.

I dress I
13 She has a good sense of .......... dress.
14 .......... dress I liked was a bit too big for me.
1S I saw .......... beautiful dress here yesterday.
I experience I
16 I'm afraid I didn't enjoy .......... experience at all.
17 For this job you need .......... experience with computers.
18 My first trip abroad was .......... wonderful experience.

I noise I
19 I couldn't hear her because of .......... noise of the train.
20 She heard .......... strange noise behind the curtain.
21 What kind of .......... noise are you talking about?
I conversation I
22 It was .......... very embarrassing conversation.
23 I was trying to listen to .......... conversation at the table next to me.
24 I always find .......... conversation difficult in a foreign language.
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Nouns and adjectives Intermediate

3 a, the, or no article

Practice
Circle the correct answer.
I could tell by (a/the/-) town hall clock that I was late, so I decided to catch (a/-)
bus. It was (a/the/-) beautiful day; (a/the/-) sun was shining and there was
(the/-) very little wind. I turned (the/-) corner, and walked down (a/the/-) main
street.
(A/the/-) couple of minutes later, I heard (a/the/-) noise,
and (a/the/-) man wearing (a/the/-) grey leather jacket ran
past me. At first, I thought he was trying to catch (the/-)
bus which was waiting at (the/-) bus stop, but then
(a/the/-) policeman appeared, running at (a/-) some
speed. He was obviously chasing (a/the/-) man in
(a/the/-) leather jacket, and he was joined by
another policeman, who was talking rapidly into
(a/the/-) hand-held radio.
All three disappeared into (a/-) crowd of people,
my bus arrived, and I got on. As (a/the/-) bus
drove down (the/-) road, I saw (a/the/-) man again,
walking casually through (a/the/-) crowd with his (the
/-) coat over his shoulder. I could also see (a/the/-)
second policeman, still talking into his radio. He
was describing (a/-) man who no longer existed,
(a/-) man wearing a jacket and running furiously: while
(a/the/-) real criminal (if he was (a/-) criminal) walked slowly and
casually into the station.

4 Possessives with s, s' and of

• To indicate possession for people or animals:
a) add 's to singular nouns, and to plural nouns not ending in s:
Monica's dress
the dog's nose
the children's school
b) add ' to plural nouns ending in s:
dolphins' brains
the sailors' hats

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 Upper-Intermediate
Nouns, adjectives and adverbs
1 Countable and uncountable nouns
Uncountable nouns
• Names of substances (materials, liquids, gases, etc.):
leather paper wood metal silver
water coffee air bread meat
butter wine flour

• Activities and sports:

running swimming shopping
gardening football tennis
snooker squash badminton

• Names of subjects:
history mathematics music
physics law art

• Languages:

I Russian Greek German English

• Abstract nouns:
love hope advice information
intelligence beauty hunger
poverty

• Collective nouns:
furniture luggage equipment
accommodation traffic
Nouns, adjectives and adverbs Upper-Intermediate
Practice
1a Underline all the uncountable nouns in the following text.

We welcome you as a guest at the Sherwood Holiday Village and hope that you enjoy
your holiday with us.
The sports complex is open from 7 a.m. and facilities are available for tennis, squash,
bowling, table tennis and snooker.
You can hire equipment at the complex for a nominal fee. If you require tuition, there
is coaching available but you must book in advance. For those of you who enjoy
competition, there will be tournaments taking place throughout the week. Please sign
your name up on the notice board if you are interested.And if you need something to
quench your thirst after an energetic game, you can purchase fruit juice, mineral water
and herbal drinks as well as a variety of healthy snacks from the health-food bar. May
we take this opportunity to inform you that appropriate footwear must be worn for all
activities and heavy shoes are not allowed in the sports complex.
Next to the sports complex, you will find our brand-new swimming pool, complete
with water slides and a wave machine. The lighting in the pool area gives the effect of
sunlight even on the dullest days.And if you want to look your best in the pool, our
sports shop stocks a wide range of designer swimwear.
After lots of exercise, you'll probably be ready for a good meal. Why not go to the
Sherwood Restaurant? If you'd like to try the buffet, you can eat as much food as you
like for just £8. If you'd prefer to eat in, you can purchase your food from the
minimarket. Fresh fruit and vegetables are delivered to the minimarket daily and the
bread is freshly baked by our own bakers.
If you require any advice or information, please come to the Reception Desk and we
will be glad to assist.

Janice Hughes, Manager

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 Upper-Intermediate Nouns, adjectives and adverbs

Nouns which may be uncountable or countable

Many nouns which are generally uncountable can also be countable in certain
contexts.
• Some nouns are uncountable when we talk about the substance, material or
abstract concept but countable when we talk about one specific item:
chicken/a chicken, light/a light, stone/a stone, hope/a hope, education/an
education, hair/a hair
I'm very interested in education.
It is important that she receives a good education.
There isn't much light in this room.
Is there a light in this room?
• Some nouns which are uncountable when we talk about the material and
countable when we refer to a specific thing have a particular meaning as
countable nouns. For example, glass refers to a material. A glass refers to an
item that we drink from which is made of glass. It does not refer to a piece of
glass:
wood/a wood, paper/a paper, iron/an iron, cloth/a cloth
• Some nouns which are usually uncountable can be countable when we refer
to a particular variety:
wine/an excellent wine, cheese/a strong cheese, fruit/a very sweet fruit
• In informal English, drinks and some types of food which are normally
uncountable can be counted, particularly when we are making an order in a
cafe or restaurant:
tea/three teas, coffee/a coffee, soup/two soups
• Some ing forms can be countable:
painting/a good painting, drawing/a few drawings

Practice
1b Write a before the nouns which are being used as countable nouns.
1 a) ..-:-: . Beauty is subjective.
b) She's J! .. real beauty.
2 a) I am fortunate to have had ..... very good education.
b) ..... education does not just take place at school.
3 a) My eyes are very sensitive to ..... light.
b) Is there ..... light in there?
4 a) You've been ..... great help to me.
b) I'm sorry to ask you but I desperately need ..... help.
5 a) I don't usually drink ..... coffee.
b) I'll have two teas and ..... coffee please.
6 a) He has ..... great love of music.
b) Sometimes ..... love can be very painful.
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Nouns, adjectives and adverbs Upper-Intermediate
7 a) You'll get better at the job as you gain ..... experience.
b) I'm so glad I did it: it was ..... wonderful experience.
8 a) The house is built of ..... stone.
b) This is ..... beautiful stone.
9 a) ..... death comes to us all one day.
b) There's been ..... death in the family.
10 a) ..... fear is a perfectly natural human feeling.
b) He has ..... terrible fear of heights.
11 a) He was so hungry that he ate ..... whole chicken.
b) I don't like red meat but I do eat ..... chicken.
12 a) I think that's ..... really ugly painting.
b) ..... painting can be a very relaxing activity.
13 a) I usually eat ..... fruit for breakfast.
b) That's ..... very unusual fruit. What is it?
14 a) Has this soup got ..... potato in it?
b) Wouls you like ..... baked potato?
15 a) You shouldn't drink ..... wine on an empty stomach.
b) This is ..... very nice wine.

2 The article
The indefinite article a or an
• a or an? We use a before consonant sounds and an before vowel sounds.
But note:
a uniform a European an MP an L-plate
/ju:/ /ju:/ /em/ /el/
USE
We can use the indefinite article before singular countable nouns: we cannot use
it before uncountable nouns:
I bought a chair but NOT I eei±g-kt B: f11rR:it11FC.
We use the indefinite article:
• when we are referring to one thing but it is not one in particular:
I'd like a banana.
• when we refer to something for the first time. With the second reference, we
use the:
There's a man at the door. I think it's the man from the garage.

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 Upper-Intermediate Nouns, adjectives and adverbs

• after to be and have got when we are describing someone or something,

including someone's job:
She's a headteacher.
(BUT She's the headteacher of Park School.)
He's got a lovely smile.
It's a nice day.
(BUT It's the nicest day we've had all week.)
• with a unit of measurement (weight, quantity, time):
£2 a kilo, three times a day, once a week
• In exclamations:
What a lovely day!

The definite article: the

USE
We can use the definite article before singular and plural countable nouns and
before uncountable nouns.
We use it when we are referring to a specific thing or things. This includes:
• when the content of the sentence specifies which particular one(s) we are
talking about:
The people next door have invited us round for a drink.
I'll wear the dress I bought last week.
• when something is referred to for a second time and therefore becomes
specific:
They've got a boy and a girl. The girl's at university now.
• when we ref er to a particular place, person, animal or thing and the speaker
and listener know which one(s) is/are being referred to:
The window cleaner's here.
(our regular window cleaner)
I think your keys are in the kitchen.
(our kitchen or the kitchen here)
• when there is only one:
the world the sun the weather the American Civil War
• before some collective nouns referring to a whole group of people, including
names of nationalities and political parties or groups:
the British the Italians the Conservatives the police the government
the public the army the management the electorate the fire brigade
• before some adjectives (used without a noun) to refer to the group in general:
the rich the poor the unemployed the disabled
• before parts of the day:
in the morning/the afternoon/the evening
• before names of ships, newspapers and magazines and some names of musical
groups:
The National Union of Teachers The QE2 The Daily Mirror The Economist
The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

5
Nouns, adjectives and adverbs Upper-Intermediate
• before superlatives and ordinals:
It's the best film I've seen.
That's the third time she's phoned.
• before names of musical instruments when we talk about playing them:
Can you play the piano?
(BUT I've just bought a piano.)
• before names of seas, rivers, groups of islands, islands called 'The Isle of .. .',
chains of mountains, deserts, regions and a few names of countries:
the Atlantic Ocean the River Nile the Himalayas the Sahara
the Southern Hemisphere the Arctic the north, south, etc. the USA
the Netherlands the Sudan the United Arab Emirates the Ivory Coast
the Philippines the Bahamas the Isle of Wight

The zero article (no article)

USE
We do not use an article before plural nouns and singular uncountable nouns
when we use them in a general sense.

Singular Singular Plural nouns

countable uncountable
nouns nouns
Definite use the the the
Indefinite use a/an zero article zero article

Books are very important to me.

Have you read the books I brought you last month?
Water is the best thing to drink when you're thirsty.
Did you put the water in the fridge?
Other uses of the zero article:
• with proper nouns:
Helen's gone to Paris.
I'm going away on Friday.
• with meals:
Have you had breakfast yet?
(BUT That was a lovely breakfast.)
• with school, class, college, university, home, work, church, bed, hospital,
prison, town when we talk about going to these places or being in them for
their normal use:
Danny's gone to bed.
She's been in hospital for three weeks.
(BUT There isn't a hospital in the town.)
• with by + item of transport:
Did you go by train?
• with next/last + week, days of the week, etc:
next Wednesday, last night, next time

6
 Upper-Intermediate Nouns, adjectives and adverbs

Practice
2a Complete the sentences with a or an, the or no article.
1 'How much are .t-.1:.t:. leeks?' 'They're 80 pence J! .. pound.'
2 I went to ......... wonderful concert by ......... London Symphony
Orchestra.
3 ......... local school is soon to be closed.
4 I usually go to ......... work by ......... train.
5 Is ......... meat in ......... oven?
6 Is this ......... first time you've been to ......... Isle of Man?
7 He's ......... art teacher and she's ......... electrician.
8 A lot of people give ......... money to ......... charity at this time of year.
9 What ......... beautiful face that child's got!
10 ......... British usually have ......... butter on their bread.
11 ......... life is very difficult for ......... unemployed these days.
12 ......... Leader of ......... Opposition is in danger of losing her seat at
......... next election.
13 I like to have ......... cup of ......... tea when I wake up in ......... morning.
14 I saw ......... fox this morning. I think it must have been ......... same one
that I saw last week.
15 Can I have ......... apple?
16 Have you ever seen ......... Acropolis in ......... Athens?
17 ......... police have had a lot of support from ......... general public over
this issue.
18 ......... shirts on ......... washing-line should be nearly dry now.
19 ......... people don't like him because of his selfish attitude.
20 I bought my sister ......... book and ......... bottle of ......... perfume for
her birthday but I don't think she liked ......... perfume.

2b Put a or an, the or no article in the gaps in this letter.

Dear' ....:-: ... Jo and Ian,

2 3
This is .... 0.... picture of ......... hotel we're staying at. We were lucky enough to
get one of 4
......... rooms overlooking' ......... sea and 6
......... view is lovely. We
had 7
••••••••• good journey over here and 8
......... children quite enjoyed 9
........ .

flight. They've got w ......... lovely room of their own and they think I]·········

7
 Nouns, adjectives and adverbs
Upper-Intermediate
hotel's great. In general, we've all been having 12......... reall Y goo d time.
·
Unfortunately, Penny got " ......... very sunburnt back on 14 fi t d h ,
•.... ••.. rs ay so s e s
h ad to wear 15 T. h · ·
, ......... -s irt smce then, but apart from that everyone's been fine.
Jeremy s met 16 ......... English boy of about i, sa d h
.. ••.. •.. me age an t ey get on
very well. They went into is ......... town on their own 19····"·•· last night and
bought themselves 20 ......... mea I. An d tornght
· they want to go out to 21
disco - there are plenty to choose from here.
We've spent most of our time on 22 ......... beach so far 23 •
· •.. •..... sea is really warm
and clear so we've done lots of 24 • •
ls • • ........ SWimmmg. Tomorrow we're going on

......... boat tnp to one of l 6 · I d d ,

......... Is an s an we re going to have 27 .........
barbecue on 28 .. · .. · · · · Is
• I
an ct • I' m really looking forward to that.
Anyway I'll oive yo 29 • h
' i:r u •· ••.. •.. rmg w en we get back and we'll see 3o
next week. you · .. · ·.. ·•
Best wishes,
Sally and Robin

2c Rewrite the reference below in yo t b k d .

and the indefinite article a or an urhno e oo , ~ dmg the definite article the
w ere appropnate.

Packard Brown Ltd, Digby Industrial Estate, Silton, Bristol BS12 2PE
Refe;-•en:::e: 'i'imothy Harding
Timothy Har-ding has WO!"ked fo:' this cornpa:ny fbr ten yE::a:·s. Tr.roughout tt1i,J
time l1e h&J shmvn hirr.self w be hard-working and enthus.lastic employee. n8
first, joined cmnpa,ny as ,)Jnior sa:es representative but vvas soon pmmote~i a:ld
~s nov, at. :1eac1 of successful team of sales representatives. He E:anages tea::,1
with skltl and energy and slgnifioant incr-ease in sales P.d-:l1ieved by team ~s
mea.sure of l1is s,1cce8S. He has consiclern:t):e initl.ative an_d this !,as beer
particularly evident, in area of i:.rainirlg, w0.er,e he ],"as lmd notable Sliccess.
·rraining programme 11e deVised fo1, his team has now been adopted thI'oughout
ccmpal7,,y with very positive :·em11.ts.

Un personal 1evel, I have found Timothy co be very ho:nest aEd considerate

person and he is well-liked in company. '. l1a-,m no hesitation 1.n rer;ornrr.ending
h',m for job for V!hicr. he has applied, tho·,1.gl1 i would of course be sorry to lose
hi.Ill.

Claire Alexander
J'v1s Oleir,e Alexander
Director- of Personn_el

8
 Upper-Intermediate Nouns, adjectives and adverbs

Example: Timothy Harding has worked for this company for ten years.
Throughout this time he has shown himself to be a hard-working
and enthusiastic employee . ...

3 Adjectives
Attributive and predicative adjectives
• When an adjective comes before a noun, it is attributive:
She's an intelligent young woman.
I love strong cheese.
• When an adjective is separated from the noun and comes after the verb, it is
predicative. An adjective can follow verbs like be, become, get, seem, appear,
feel, smell, look, sound, taste, make ( + person), keep, stay, grow, tum. It is a
complement of the verb and not an object:
The exam was really difficult.
She seems worried.
Hilary made me very angry.
• A few adjectives can have a different meaning as attributive adjectives from
their meaning as predicative adjectives:
Jenny's a really old friend.
(I've known her for a long time.)
Margaret's quite old now.
(old in age)
You're a very heavy sleeper.
(You sleep very heavily; you do not wake up easily.)
This suitcase is really heavy.
His late father used to run the shop.
(His father is dead now.)
He's nearly always late.
• A few adjectives can be used only as attributive adjectives or only as
predicative adjectives:
Only predicative
- Some adjectives relating to health, including ill, poorly, well/unwell, fine:
She's very ill.
- Adjectives beginning with a, including asleep, awake, afraid, alive, alone:
Do you feel afraid?
- Some adjectives describing feelings, including content, glad, pleased, sorry,
upset: He seems upset.
- near, far (away): It's not far away.
Only attributive
- Adjectives which qualify the noun, including chief, main, only, particular,
principal, sole: You're my only friend.