Articles and Nouns

Coach Williams
B1 CERF – INTERMEDIATE LEVEL (PROGRESSIVE/EVOLUTION)
 A, an or one
• We use an before singular countable words beginning with a vowel s
ound, and a before singular countable words beginning with the othe
r letters of the alphabet.
A cousin is sharing his room with an Argentinian classmate.

*Note that we say a university (because it begins with a /y/ sound) a

nd an hour (because the h is silent)

• We also use a/an in expressions such as these:

twice/ once a week
(a) quarter of an hour
 A, an or one
• We can use either one or a with hundred, thousand or million. We ca
n also use one instead of a when we want to emphasise the number:
There are one/a thousand and twenty-four MB in a GB.
I’ve got two dogs and one/a cat.

• We use one and not a/an when we want to emphasise that we are t
alking about only one thing or person, and not two or more.
I invited six friends, and only one of them didn’t come.
One free day a week is not enough for me.
 A, an or one (Exercises)
• Underline the correct word. In some sentences there are two
possible answers.

_
_
_
__
__
_
__
 Singular or Plural?
• Curtain or curtains?
We use curtains unless we are referring to one curtain only:
I’d like to buy some new curtains for my room.
The right curtain is longer than the left one.

• Holiday or holidays?
We say a/on holiday when we talk about a trip or a day off work. We
can say school/summer holidays to describe a period of time.
I hope you enjoy your holiday in Britain.
 Singular or Plural?
• Mountain or mountains?
We use mountains when we talk about an area:
My grandfather’s house is in the mountains near Huancayo.
There is a cave in that mountain.

• Cloth, cloths or clothes?

We use clothes to talk about things people wear. We can an item or
a piece of clothing to describe only one thing. A cloth (plural cloth
s) is a piece of material for a particular purpose, e.g. table cloth, or fo
r making clothes:
I’m going to buy some new clothes for the wedding.
I need two cloths for cleaning the furniture.
 Singular or Plural? (Exercises)
• Complete the sentences with the singular or plural form of the
following words: curtain(s), mountain(s), holiday(s), cloth(s)
or clothes.

holidays
mountain
cloth
curtains
holiday
clothes
mountains
 Plural or Uncountable?
Most plural nouns end in –s. However, some plural nouns are irregul
ar:
My neighbour is a wonderful person.
Our neighbours are wonderful people.

Other irregular plural nouns include:

(wo)man  (wo)men
child children
foot  feet
tooth  teeth
mouse  mice

*Police and staff are also plural: The police are hard-working.
 Plural or Uncountable?
Some nouns have no plural form. We say that nouns such us water an
d cheese are uncountable, because we can’t count them. We only can
count glasses/bottles of water and pieces/slices of cheese. Compare
I’d like some water, please, and I’d like a glass of water, please.

Other common uncountable nouns include: food, furniture, hair, ho

mework, information, money and work. We use singular verbs with u
ncountable nouns:
The furniture in my bedroom looks good.
My hair is dark brown. (but I’ve got one grey hair behind my ear.)
 Plural or Uncountable? (Exercises)
• Underline the correct form.

__
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____
______
________
__
 Many, much or a lot of?
We use many with countable nouns and much with uncountable no
uns in negative and questions:
I didn’t have much fun at the party.
Did you take many photos when you were on holiday?

We sometimes use a lot of in positive statements in informal and spok

en English. But it’s not considered correct in written and formal English
:
I buy a lot of clothes each time I go to the mall.
I didn’t buy a lot of clothes at the mall.
Did you buy a lot of clothes at the mall?
 Many, much or a lot of?
We use a lot without a noun:
I ate a lot that I don’t want more.

We use much without a nouns in negative statements and questions:

The lesson was difficult, so I didn’t learn much.
Do you use the Internet much?
 Plural or Uncountable? (Exercises)
• Choose the sentences which are correct. In some pairs both ar
e correct.
 THANK YOU !
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