Grammar Builder and Reference

Alexa Torres, Daniel Melesio, Tadeo Sanchez, Rene Nieves, John Tavares

5.3 Articles
a/an
We use the indefinite article a /an
● When we say what something is or what it is like.
A dog is a man's best friend.
Our cousin works in a supermarket
● When we say what somebody’s job is
My dad is a doctor
● When we mention something for the first time
I’ve got a new dog
● When we mean any example of something and we do not need to be more definite
Is there a police station
● To mean per or for each
My brother earns 400$ a week.
The bus was traveling at 80 kilometres an hour .
the
We use the definite article THE when it is clear what we are talking about
● When it is clear what we are talking about. This can be:
a. because we’ve already mentioned it.
I’ve bought a jacket and a shirt. the jaket is black and the shirt its white
b. because there is only one of something.
can you see the son above the roofs?
c. because it is clear from the situation.
let’s go to the cinema
● With most nationality words.
● With the names of rivers, mountain ranges, deserts and seas.
● With a few countries and most groups of islands.
● In various set phrases, for example:
● With an adjective to refer to everybody who has that characteristic.
● With superlatives.
No article
We do not use an article
● When we are making generalisations
athletes need a lot of exercise
● With most countries, continents, towns and cities, lakes and mountains.
They come from Paris, Francia
Their house is on the north of the country
Our friends have just been to the Grand Canyon
● With some nouns following a preposition
to/at work/school at home at night by bus
in bed/hospital/prision
● With meals.
have breakfast/ lunch/dinner

5.4 Quantifiers
● We normally use some in affirmative sentences and offers, and any in negative sentences and
questions.
I have some questions.
I don’t have any questions.
 Do you have any water
Anyone who works here can help you.
● We use any with uncountable and plural nouns in affirmative sentences where the meaning is negative.
Did you bring any bread?
Mr Jacobson refused to answer any questions.
● We can use any in affirmative sentences to mean it doesn’t matter which.
Are any of you going to the meeting?
● We use no (meaning not any) when we want to be emphatic.
There aren’t any biscuits left. They’ve eaten them all.
● We use (a) few with plural nouns and (a) little with uncountable nouns.
She's got only a little time that day.
A few players have already passed the game.
● We use few / little instead of a few / a little to emphasise the smallness of the number or quantify.
She has little cash and a lot of friends.
● We normally use whole with singular countable nouns.
We have eaten a whole bunch of pizzas.
● We normally use all with uncountable nouns and plural nouns.
He listened to all the sounds of tiktok.
● We use both, either and neither to talk about two things.
We can gett off the bus and go other way.
● Most quantifiers can be followed by of and a determiner (the,these,my,etc.) : most of the… , a few of
his… , several of those… , all of us, each of them, many of, etc. After both and all, we often leave out of
before the.`
● However, no and every cannot be followed by of. Instead, we say none of and every one / each of. None
of takes a singular verb in formal contexts.
All of the players are on the town now.