ESLB2193 ENGLISH PROFICIENCY 2

Topic 2: Nouns in groups, future simple and continuous

Content

• What is nouns in a group?

• Future simple and continuous tense usage

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What is noun in group?

• Sometimes we use a noun to modify another noun. There are mainly THREE (3) ways in which we can put two or
more nouns together.

• The simplest method. Simply put two nouns together.

Noun+n
oun
• A ticket office, the car driver, a coffee shop

• To address a possession.
Noun
+’s +
• Children’s books, Sue’s father, a bird’s nest.
noun

• To introduce a noun, function, condition.

Noun +
preposi
tion +
• A book on philosophy, a feeling of emptiness.
noun

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Choice of structure

• Hardly, any rules exist regarding the choice of structures. It is actually a complicated area of grammar.
• Remember that a particular idea is only expressed in one of these ways. In some cases two structures are possible.
• Examples,

• Ram’s brother or brother of Ram. ( NOT Ram brother.)

• Comic books. (NOT comic’s books)
• An Indian writer OR a writer from India (NOT an India writer)
• Cow’s milk (NOT cow milk) (NOT milk of a cow)

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Group Nouns

• Some nouns refer to groups of people, animals or things:

People Animal Things

Army Flock Pair
Crew Herd Company
Gang team Group

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Function

• We can use these group nouns either as singular nouns or plural nouns:

My family is very dear to me.

I have a large family. They are very dear to me. = The members of my family …

The government is very unpopular.

The government are always changing their minds.

• Sometimes we think of the group as a single thing:

The audience always enjoys the show.

The group consists of two men and three women.

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• Sometimes we think of the group as several individuals:

The audience clapped their hands.

The largest group are the boys.

• The names of many organisations and teams are also group nouns, but they are usually plural in spoken English:

Barcelona are winning 2–0.

The United Oil Company are putting prices up by 12 per cent.

• and the police is always plural:

The police are offering a £5,000 reward.

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Things with Two parts

• A few plural nouns refer to things that have two parts. They have no singular form. These are always things we
wear:

Glasses Trousers Shorts

Pajamas Pants Boxers
Tights Jeans Knickers

Those trousers are too long.

or implements:

pliers scissors binoculars pincers

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• These binoculars were very expensive.

To make it clear we are talking about one of these items, we use a pair of …:

I need a new pair of spectacles.

I've bought a pair of blue jeans.

• If we want to talk about more than one, we use pairs of …:

We've got three pairs of scissors, but they are all blunt.
I always carry two pairs of binoculars.

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Future simple and Continuous Tense usage

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Future simple tense

• The simple future is a verb tense that’s used to talk about things that haven’t happened yet.

This year, Jen will read War and Peace. It will be hard, but she’s determined to do it.
Use the simple future to talk about an action or condition that will begin and end in the future.

• How to Form the Simple Future

The formula for the simple future is will + [root form of verb].

I will learn a new language. Jen will read that book. My brothers will sleep till noon if no one wakes them up. You will
see what I mean.

• It doesn’t matter if the subject is singular or plural; the formula for the simple future doesn’t change.
But…
• There is another way to show that something will happen in the future. It follows the formula [am/is/are] + going to
+ [root form verb].
• I am going to learn a new language. Jen is going to read that book. My brothers are going to sleep till noon if no
one wakes them up. You are going to see what I mean.
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• The “going to” construction is common in speech and casual writing. Keep in mind though that it’s on the informal
side, so it’s a good idea to stick to the will + [root form] construction in formal writing.

How to Make the Simple Future Negative

To make the simple future negative, the formula is will + not + [root form].
• Jen will not quit before she reaches her goal. Make sure you arrive on time tomorrow because the bus will not
wait for you. He will not say anything bad about his boss. I will not finish my homework in time for class.
• Using the “going to” construction, the formula is [am/is/are] + not + going to + [root form].
• Jen is not going to quit before she reaches her goal. Make sure you arrive on time tomorrow because the bus is
not going to wait for you. He is not going to say anything bad about his boss. I am not going to finish my
homework in time for class.

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How to ask a question

To ask a question in the simple future, the formula is will + [subject] + [root form].

• Will Jen finish War and Peace over the summer? Will I have the discipline to study Spanish every day? What will
you buy with the money you found?
• The formula for the “going to” construction is [am/is/are] + [subject] +going to + [root form].
• Is Jen going to finish War and Peace over the summer? Am I going to have the discipline to study Spanish every
day? What are you going to buy with the money you found?

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