Count and noncount nouns are partly distinguished by the determiners they can take. A great deal of and much only go with noncount nouns:
The tourist office didn't have a great deal of/much information.
a iot of goes with noncount or plural nouns:
They gave us a lot of advice/a lot of brochures.
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Nouns and their determiners
Underline all the words that fit the following sentences without any other alterations. If necessary, consult a good dictionary.
1 Not a great deal of experiments/investigations/work/research has been done on this. 2 Almost every detail/explanation/information/news he gave us seemed inaccurate to me. 3 You see a lot of bad behaviour/conduct/custom/manner at football matches. 4 Does it do much damage/harm/hurt/injury? 5 That picture isn't of much importance/price/value/worth. 6 They have such terrible climate/storms/temperature/weather. 7 Each bag/baggage/luggage/suitcase should be labelled. 8 Neither computer/equipment/machine/machinery is suitable. 9 There's not enough fun/joke/joy around these days. 10 - but plenty of complaint/courage/patience.
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some, any, no
Complete the following, using some, something, any or no.
1 Tom should be here ANY minute now. He says he forgot before. 2 That's ...................... excuse at all. He's terribly inconsiderate.
3 He certainly knows what he's doing. He's ........................ fool.
4 ......................................... child can see that: it's elementary.
5 You've given yourself quite ....................... problem, promising to help him like that.
6 Well, ..................................... days you win; 7 and ....................................... days you lose.
8 I'd be grateful for ................................. help you can give. 9 I'll meet you .................................. time you like, to discuss it. 10 There's ............................... time like the present.
11 Some people always want ........................ for nothing; 12 but I believe there's .................................. free lunch!
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Central, pre- and post-determiners
When more than one determiner can be used together, there is usually a special order they have to be in.
Unscramble these sentences.
Example: I been have months very all few last these trying Answer: All these last few months have been very trying.
2 are complaints matter alone one about more several this there
3 both every second these two day surgical dressings be changed have to
4 amount food needed people times for of all that those three they
5 take hours tablet a every four half
6 all few first the those worse were rest than days
7 at because it's now disgraceful half get double a you the packet pric
8 age husbands were Mary's both her twice two last
9 another other new ten the she day dresses bought
10 one one ones you the dozen as for could little big same severe price get
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few, a few, little, a little
Few and little are rather negative in meaning, and contrast with a few and a little, which are positive.
Rewrite the following using few, a few, little or a little in place of the underline words, making any other changes necessary.
Example: Not many people are exactly the weight they would like to be. Answer: Few people are exactly the weight they would like to be.
1 Hardly anv women nowadays want to spend hours cooking, and even fewer want to spend all day in the kitchen. 2 Some people say they're not interested in food, and a small number actually mean it. 3 Crazy starvation diets offer hardly any prospect of success. 4 It is all right to have some butter, but try to cut down the amount. 5 Some people do overeat, but not as many as you might think. 6 A small amount of salt is all right, isn't it? 7 There's not much chance of keeping slim, unless you stick to a diet. 8 Many people enjoy foreign restaurants, but not many people know anything about Tibetan food.
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Articles: a or the? [ORG 10.16]
Complete the following using a/an or the.
South Africa became (1) ..................... first country to declare (2) .................
great white shark (3) ................... protected species when (4) ..................... hunting
ban within 200 miles of (5) .............................. coast was imposed yesterday,
(6) jawbone can fetch $4,000.
'If (7) ....................... thief is determined andprofessional, he's going to break into
your house.' This blunt assertion is all (8) ...................... more alarming when uttered by PC Alan Husher, (9) .................... crime prevention officer for
(10) ...................... Metropolitan Police. More than 500 crimes were committed
every hour in England and Wales last year, according to (11) ....................... latest
figures. In (12) ................... effort to persuade (13) ....................... public to play (14) ................ greater role in tackling crime, (15) ........................ Home Office
has launched (16) ...................... $4.5 million nationwide advertising campaign.
(17) ...................... public's general attitude, according to PC Husher, is 'It won't
happen to me.'
In his own part of London, many residents head for (18) ......................... country
at (19)....................... weekend, leaving (20) .................... way free for committed
thieves. But he says that 94 per cent of crime against property last year was largely preventable.
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a/an, the or zero [ORG 6.2]
Insert a, an, the (or nothing at all) as necessary.
(1) ................ world wildlife is in (2) ........................ danger. (3)
reasons are complex - (4) ....................... world's population is expanding, and increasingly (5) ................... man is destroying more and more of (6) ................... natural environment.
(7) ................... 1ast dodo in (8) ................. world died on (9)..................
island of Mauritius in (10) ................ 1ate seventeenth century. Today, (11).
............... black rhino in Kenya could go (12) .................... same way. There is (13) world-wide trade - much of it illegal - in (14)........................ rare
animals and birds. (15) ..................... particular favourite, and one severely threatened with(16) .................... extinction through smuggling is (17) .................
orang-utan, which only survives in (18) ....................... forests of Borneo and Sumatra.
(19) ................. fierce argument is now raging about how to protect (20) ............... most endangered species. Some people argue that (21) ...............
zoos, with their research work and breeding programmes, offer (22) ...............
best hope, and (23) ...................... protection from international smugglers. But
some of (24) ............. older zoos have (25) .................... disadvantage of (26) ............... cramped city conditions, though (27)..................... zoo with (28)
............... wide open spaces like Whipsnade Zoo in (29)....................
Bedfordshire countryside north of London is seen as offering (30) ............... pleasant habitat.
However (31) ................ public - at any rate in (32) ..................... West - is
less interested than they once were in looking at (33) ............... captive animals,
so (34) .................... zoos, particularly traditional ones, lose (35) .................. money.
Some zoos have sought (36) ................ solution in modernising. In (37)
............... recent years, (38) .................... Bronx Zoo in New York, for example,
has increased (39) ................. attendances by introducing (40).....................
natural habitats - (41) ...................... jungle world, (42) ................... Ethiopiar
mountain and so on. But (43).................... increased attendances must be partly
due to (44) ......................... fact that it opens free three days (45).............. week and (46) ................ zoo still gets (47) ................government subsidy. Neither (48) .................. traditional zoos, nor (49) ................ 'theme' zoo'
appeal to all animal lovers however. Some 'conservationists' would apparent!,
like to see all zoos abolished, and their inmates returned to (50) ................ wild
But this could perhaps lead to some endangered species becoming extinct.
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Articles in fixed phrases
Complete the questionnaire by inserting suitable prepositions, and adding a or the if necessary.
1 When you wake up, do you get OUT OF bed immediately?
2 Do you get dressed before or.............. breakfast?
3 Do you walk .............. school/work?
4 If the answer to (3) is yes, do you go .............. foot, because you like th~ exercise, or because there's no suitable transport?
If the answer is no, do you travel ........ car ........ bus/or ........... train? 6 When do you work best? (a) ......... morning (b) ............ afternoo'
(c) ............... evening or (d) .............. night?
7 What time do you normally get ........... home? 8 If you had to work (a) ................ night, could you sleep (b) ............... day? 9 Do you ever travel .............. air, as part of your job? 10 If yes, what do you do ............... plane (a) read (b) sleep (c) watch th' movie? 11 Have you ever had ........ infectious disease such as (a) .................
measels(b) ............... mumps (c) ................. whooping cough?
12 If so, were you ................ hospital with it?
13 Do you get up at your usual time when you are ............ holiday?
14 Do you prefer to have a holiday ............. spring/.............. summer/
............... autumn or ................ winter?