Grammar

Nouns. Articles

В английском языке есть существительные исчисляемые и неисчисляемые.

Исчисляемые: исчисляемые существительные (например: ship) могут быть в единственном числе (a ship – one ship or two ships).

Неисчисляемые: неисчисляемые существительные (например: water) не могут изменяться ни на единственное, ни на множественное число и используется без неопределенного артикля (water or some water).

We could see a ship in the distance. Can I have some water?

Claire has only got one sister. Shall we sit on the grass?

I’ve got a problem with the car. The money is quite safe.

Do you like these photos? I love music.

I’m going out for five minutes. Would you like some butter?

Множественное число существительных в английском языке образуeтся путем прибавления окончания –s- к существительному в единственном числе. Некоторые английские существительные имеют свою собственную форму множественного числа:

man – men woman – women foot – feet tooth – teeth goose – geese	child – children mouse – mice louse – lice sheep – sheep deer – deer
brush – brushes box – boxes church – churches inch – inches fox – foxes but ox – oxen	cargo – cargoes hero – heroes mosquito – mosquitoes potato – potatoes tomato – tomatoes
leaf – leaves half – halves wolf – wolves knife – knives thief – thieves but roof – roofs chief – chiefs relief – reliefs still life – still lifes hoof – hoofs fellow-student – fellow-students school-girl – school-girls Englishman – Englishmen man-servant – men-servants woman-writer – women-writers	baby – babies lady – ladies fly – flies army – armies city – cities body – bodies but donkey – donkeys key – keys day – days guy – guys passer-by – passers-by man of war – men of war sister-in-law – sisters-in-law

Притяжательный падеж существительных в единственном числе образуется путем прибавления к существительному окончания ‘s (т.е. знака апострофа и буквы s), которое произносится согласно тем правилам, которым подчиняется произношение окончания –s множественного числа имен существительных:

The girl’s hat шляпа девочки

Jack’s friend друг Джека

The horse’s leg нога лошади

Притяжательный падеж во множественном числе обозначается одним только знаком апострофа: the boys’ books, the girls’ friends.

Если существительное во множественном числе не имеет окончания –s, то притяжательный падеж образуется как и в единственном числе, путем прибавления окончания –s:

The children’s toys игрушки детей

The men’s club мужской клуб

The sheep’s wool овечья шерсть

Exercise 1. Write down countable and uncountable nouns in two columns with or without articles:

Wool, air, airship (дирижабль), word, assistance (помощь, содействие), assistant (помощник, ассистент), paper (бумага), paper (газета), hour, bread, darkness, water, sea, cheese, happiness, event (случай), glass (стекло), glass (стакан), hero (герой), sand (песок), music, piano, friend, friendship, quickness (быстрота), tobacco, cigarette, copper (медь), armchair (кресло с подлокотниками), coffee, ship, coin (монета), university, money, ink (чернила), banknote (bank-note) (кредитный билет, банкнота), meat, obligation (обязательство, обязанность), silver, watch (часы карманные, ручные), timber (лесоматериал, строевой лес), tree, idea, ice, furniture, chalk, heat (жара, жар), cow, milk, butter, horse, machine, equipment (военное оснащение, техника, обмундирование), instrument, speed (скорость, скорость хода, быстрота), umbrella.

Исчисляемые существительные Неисчисляемые существительные

(артикль «а» или «an») (без артикля)

Exercise 2. Write down nouns in plural:

Place, library, language, dress, fly, watch, clock, country, eye (глаз, око), bus, bush (куст), party, ray (луч, проблеск), thief (вор), company, mass (масса, груда), leaf (лист, листва), wolf, glass, key, fox (лисица, лиса), half, life, day, play, factory, city, colony, roof (крыша, кров), month, opportunity (удобный случай, благоприятная возможность), shelf, hero.

Man, woman, tooth, foot, goose, child, mouse.

Postman, son-in-law, editor-in-chief (главный редактор), fisherman (рыбак, рыболов), schoolgirl, sister-in-law (невестка, золовка), text-book, pocket-knife, passer-by=passer (случайный прохожий, проезжий), statesman (государственный/амер. политический/деятель).

place – places

Exercise 3. Look at the underlined nouns: are they are countable or uncountable?

There was a car behind us. countable

I never eat meat. uncountable

1. Do you play golf? ……………..

2. I had to wait ten minutes. ……………..

3. Just tell me one thing. ……………..

4. Love makes the world go round. ……………..

5. Good Luck in your new job. ……………..

6. Power stations produce energy. ……………..

7. I’m taking a photo. ……………..

8. Would you like an apple? ……………..

Exercise 4. Complete the conversation. Choose the correct form:

Jessica: What are you doing, Andrew?

Andrew: I’m writing ()essay/an essay.

Jessica: Oh, you’ve got (1) computer/a computer. Do you always write (2) essay/essays on your computer?

Andrew: Yes, but I’m not doing very well today. I’ve been working on my plan for about three (3) hour/hours now.

Jessica: You’ve lots of books to help you, though. I haven’t got as (4) many/much books as you. That’s because I haven’t got much (5) money/moneys. Quite often I can’t even afford to buy (6) food/a food.

Andrew: Really? That can’t be (7) many/much fun.

Jessica: I’d like to get (8) job/a job I can do in my spare time and earn (9) a/some money. I’ve got (10) a few/a little ideas, but what do you think I should do?

Andrew: I know someone who paints (11) picture/pictures and sells them. Why don’t you do that?

Jessica: Because I’m no good at painting.

Exercise 5. Some of these sentences need a/an. Correct the sentences which are wrong. If the sentence is already correct, put ‘RIGHT’.

1. Jim goes everywhere by bike. He hasn’t got car. …a car…

2. Ann was listening to music when I arrived. …RIGHT…

3.We went to very nice restaurant last weekend.

4. I clean my teeth with toothpaste.

5. I use toothbrush to clean my teeth.

6. Can you tell me if there’s bank near here?

7. My brother works for insurance company in London.

8. I don’t like violence. ……………………………………………………

9. Can you smell paint? …………………………………...……………….

10. We need petrol. I hope we come to petrol station soon. ........................

11. I wonder if you can help me. I have problem. ………………………...

12. John has got interview for job tomorrow. ……………………………..

13. Liz doesn’t usually wear jewellery but yesterday she was wearing necklace. ………………………………..

14. I think volleyball is very good game. …………………………………

Exercise 6. Complete the sentences using one the following words. Use a/an where necessary:

biscuit blood coat decision electricity key letter moment question sugar

1. It wasn’t your fault. It was …an accident…

2. Listen! Can you hear …music?

3. I couldn’t get into the house because I didn’t have …………...………

4. It’s very warm today. Why are you wearing ………………...……… ?

5. Do you take …………………………… in your coffee?

6. Are you hungry? Would you like ………………… with your coffee?

7. Our lives would be very difficult without.

8. I didn’t phone them. I wrote …………… instead .

9. The heart pumps …………………………………… through the body.

10. Excuse me, but can I ask you ……………………...……………...?

11. I’m not ready yet. Can you wait …………….………………, please?

12. We can’t delay much longer. We have to make …….………… soon.

Exercise 7. Complete the sentences using one of the following words. Sometimes the word need to be plural (-s.):

air country friend meat language letter patience people queue space

1. I had my camera but I didn’t take many …photographs…

2. There are seven ……………………………………………. in a week.

3. A vegetarian is a person who doesn’t eat ……………………………. .

4. Outside the cinema there was ……… of people waiting to see the film.

5. I’m not very good at writing ………………………………………… .

6. Last night I went out with some ………………….………….. of mine.

7. There were very few …… in the shops today. They were almost empty.

8. I’m going out for a walk. I need some fresh …………………………. .

9. George always wants things quickly. He’s got no ………………….... .

10. Do you speak any foreign …………………………………………. ?

11. Jane travels a lot. She has been to many …………………………… .

12. Our flat is very small. We haven’t got much ………………………. .

Exercise 8. Rewrite these sentences using –‘s, -s’:

1. This bicycle is for a child.

This is a child’s bicycle.

2. That belongs to Doris.

3. That umbrella belongs to James.

4. This pen belongs to the teacher.

5. He described the career of the actress.

6. That’s a job for a stewardess/

7. These toys belong to the children.

8. This is a club for women.

9. It’s a school for girls.

10. This is the lounge for residents.

Exercise 9. Use –‘s or –s’ only where possible:

1. An absence of a year year’s absence

2. At the door of death.

3. The surface of the earth.

4. Work of seven years

5. The price of success.

6. The inside of the box.

7. The book of the film.

8. The shade of the tree.

9. A journey of four days.

10. A delay of an hour.

Nouns. Revise all the material concerning nouns:

The life comes from and depends on the nature.

The students at the university are also assigned homeworks.

Dam is a wall constructed across a valley to enclose an area in which water is stored.

4. The light travels in a straight line.

5. I prefer having my coffee with the milk.

6. The peace in the world is the goal of all nations.

7. They were accustomed to speak the English at home at that time.

8. The happiness is an abstract notion.

9. Staring at a computer screen for long periods of times can cause severe eyestrain.

10. The water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit and freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

11. The mathematics were her favourite subject at school.

12. She is the good economist.

13. She is such the clever girl.

14. A director wants to see you.

15. The Washington is the capital of the USA.

Revise grammar (nouns, articles) to be ready for the test.