1 Nouns
Nouns are used with:
- People, things and places
- Activities, ideas and feelings
People and places start with a capital.
Singular and Plural
To make a plural form:
- add -s to most nouns
- add -es to nouns ending in: -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -o, -x, -z.
Noun + verb
Some nouns and in -s but are singular, use a singular verb:
Athletics, economics, politics, maths.
Some nouns describe things with two parts, so we use plural:
Jeans, pyjamas, shorts, glasses, scissors.
Countable and uncountable nouns
Countable nouns, we can count:
How many museums? There are 10.000 museums in Holland.
Uncountable nouns, we can’t count:
- food and drinks
- materials
- school subjects and languages
- ideas and feelings
- activities
- groups of similar things
2 Articles a/an, the, no article
You use a:
- before a consonant (b, d, k, t, s)
- before u and eu, when it sounds like j
-
You use an:
- before vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u)
- before word that start with the silent h (hour)
Use a/an or no article when talking about things in general:
a/an singular noun
no article plural noun
no article uncountable noun
when mentioning something for the first time
, Use the when talking about something particular:
The singular noun
The plural noun
The uncountable noun
When mentioning something again
When listener knows which particular thing or person we talk about
Vb. (it was a great holiday. Have you seen the photos yet?)
Special uses of a/an, the
We use a/an:
- with the names of jobs
- to describe a person
When something is a purpose don’t use the
When we think about a building we use a/an or the
Purpose Building
Pim is a student at art school The art school is in North street
My sister is sick in hospital Excuse me, where is the hospital?
The murderer was sent to prison The prison has stone walls
We use the with the names of most newspapers, but most magazines have no article
When talking about the television as a machine: use a or the
Some adjectives are used as nouns:
- when they describe a particular group
Vb. The Irish, the poor and the rich
Article or no article?
No article:
Peoples names and titles David, Mr Brown
Named shops and companies Harods, United Airlines
Cities, towns, states and regions London, Florida
Most countries and continents Russia, Japan
Mountains, hills and lakes Mount Everest
Most roads, streets, squares and parks Park lane, oxford street
Named airports and stations Miami airport, Victoria station
Schools, universities etc. Yale university
Times, days, months At three o’clock, on Monday
Languages, school subjects and sports English, history, tennis
Means of transport and communication By train, by bus, by phone, by email
Meals Lunch, diner
Nouns + numbers Go to check-in 3A, I’m in room 334
Nouns are used with:
- People, things and places
- Activities, ideas and feelings
People and places start with a capital.
Singular and Plural
To make a plural form:
- add -s to most nouns
- add -es to nouns ending in: -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -o, -x, -z.
Noun + verb
Some nouns and in -s but are singular, use a singular verb:
Athletics, economics, politics, maths.
Some nouns describe things with two parts, so we use plural:
Jeans, pyjamas, shorts, glasses, scissors.
Countable and uncountable nouns
Countable nouns, we can count:
How many museums? There are 10.000 museums in Holland.
Uncountable nouns, we can’t count:
- food and drinks
- materials
- school subjects and languages
- ideas and feelings
- activities
- groups of similar things
2 Articles a/an, the, no article
You use a:
- before a consonant (b, d, k, t, s)
- before u and eu, when it sounds like j
-
You use an:
- before vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u)
- before word that start with the silent h (hour)
Use a/an or no article when talking about things in general:
a/an singular noun
no article plural noun
no article uncountable noun
when mentioning something for the first time
, Use the when talking about something particular:
The singular noun
The plural noun
The uncountable noun
When mentioning something again
When listener knows which particular thing or person we talk about
Vb. (it was a great holiday. Have you seen the photos yet?)
Special uses of a/an, the
We use a/an:
- with the names of jobs
- to describe a person
When something is a purpose don’t use the
When we think about a building we use a/an or the
Purpose Building
Pim is a student at art school The art school is in North street
My sister is sick in hospital Excuse me, where is the hospital?
The murderer was sent to prison The prison has stone walls
We use the with the names of most newspapers, but most magazines have no article
When talking about the television as a machine: use a or the
Some adjectives are used as nouns:
- when they describe a particular group
Vb. The Irish, the poor and the rich
Article or no article?
No article:
Peoples names and titles David, Mr Brown
Named shops and companies Harods, United Airlines
Cities, towns, states and regions London, Florida
Most countries and continents Russia, Japan
Mountains, hills and lakes Mount Everest
Most roads, streets, squares and parks Park lane, oxford street
Named airports and stations Miami airport, Victoria station
Schools, universities etc. Yale university
Times, days, months At three o’clock, on Monday
Languages, school subjects and sports English, history, tennis
Means of transport and communication By train, by bus, by phone, by email
Meals Lunch, diner
Nouns + numbers Go to check-in 3A, I’m in room 334
