Manser Useful Grammar of English

1. Auflage 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4835-5358-0
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 90 Seiten

This basic English grammar is aimed at those who are taking their first steps in learning English. It will also be helpful to native speakers who want to improve their grasp of the grammatical rules of English. The text is divided into sections consisting of several units, each of which considers an aspect of English grammar, for example: nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions and conjunctions. English grammar is not easy, but this introduction will make it less difficult.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Manser, Martin

Leseproben

Nouns Countable and uncountable nouns One way in which nouns are thought of is to separate them into countable and uncountable. Most ordinary nouns are countable. Examples are boy, computer, phone, shirt, jacket, banana, washing-machine, bus, airport. If a noun is countable, this means it is possible to put a number in front of it: two boys, three computers. It is also possible to put a or an in front of a countable noun. (On the use of a or an, see articles). Countable nouns can appear in the plural: boys, computers, buses. Grammar extra Spellings of plurals Most countable nouns are made plural by adding -s: boys, computers, bananas. •   Nouns that end with the letters -ch, -s, -sh and -x generally add -es: batches, buses, crosses, fishes, boxes. •   Nouns that end in a consonant and -y have the plural -ies: armies, babies, cities, stories, territories. But proper nouns sometimes take the regular -s ending: the O’Reillys. •   Some nouns that end in -f or -fe add -s: beliefs, gulfs, roofs, while others end -ves: calves, halves, selves, thieves. No one rule covers every noun; you have to learn individual words. With certain words, the plurals -fs and -ves are both acceptable: dwarfs/dwarves; hoofs/hooves; scarf/scarves. •   Words that end in -is generally have -es in the plural: axis/axes, crisis/crises. •   Many nouns that end in -o add an -s in the plural: pianos, solos, videos. Others have an -es ending: echoes, tomatoes, volcanoes. •   Some words are completely irregular: the plural of mouse is mice (sometimes mouses for computer devices). Also: child/children, foot/feet, goose/geese, man/men, person/people and woman/women. Uncountable nouns cannot normally be used with a or an and cannot be counted or made plural; it is not possible to put a number in front of them. Examples of uncountable nouns are mud, rice, juice, money, traffic, congestion, ignorance. Uncountable nouns are words that refer to:   examples food rice, chocolate, butter, cheese, margarine, fish, sugar, salt, spaghetti materials paper, plastic, cotton liquids water, oil, milk, tea, coffee, juice abstract qualities information, knowledge, ignorance, beauty, happiness, absence, fear, patience, luck other general words money, advice, time, experience, music, homework, work, weather With uncountable nouns, a phrase is often added that means ‘a quantity of’ or ‘a piece of’: advice: a piece of advice chocolate: a bar of chocolate luck: a stroke of luck rice: a grain of rice thunder: a clap of thunder Some nouns are both countable and uncountable: This year more coffee was grown in Kenya than last year [uncountable: refers to roasted powder or seeds from the coffee plant]. Please can I have three coffees [countable: refers to a cup, mug or drink made from such powder or seeds]. Words that refer to materials are uncountable, but when talking or writing about something made from that material, the word is a countable noun. For example, paper: We need some more photocopying paper [uncountable: the material]. I’m going to buy this week’s local paper [countable: a newspaper]. Grammar extra More on spellings of plurals: •   Some nouns, especially names of animals, have the same form in the singular and plural, for example: aircraft, crossroads, crew, deer, cattle, fish (though fishes is also found), series, and sheep. This class of nouns also includes some nationalities (e.g. Chinese). •   With nouns that come from other languages, the plural may be formed by adding -s in the usual way, or by following the rules of the original language, or both: words from French ending -eau: chateaus/chateaux; gateaus/gateaux words from Latin or Greek: criterion/criteria; phenomenon/phenomena; formula/formulas or formulae (especially in scientific contexts); appendix/appendices (additional material in a book) or appendixes (part of the body); index/indexes (alphabetical list) or indices (ratio). Often a general uncountable word has a particular countable word linked with it: uncountable countable accommodation flat, apartment, house bread loaf furniture chair, table knowledge fact luggage suitcase money coin, (bank)note publicity advertisement traffic car travel journey work job Fewer is used with countable nouns and less with uncountable nouns. Similarly, more is used with countable nouns and much with uncountable nouns: There are more cars on the roads during school term than in the holidays. There is less traffic on the roads during the school holidays than in school terms. There is not much congestion outside the rush hours. There are fewer cars on the roads outside the rush hour. Nouns without articles An article is not used when general statements are being made, even if an adjective comes before the noun: •   with plural countable nouns: Dogs should be kept on a lead at all times. Birds of a feather flock together. Plants need sunlight to grow. The hotel has large rooms. I’m very interested in classical music. Reference books must be returned to the shelves after use. Railway trains will soon run from Shanghai to Beijing in four hours. In some countries, women are still paid less than men for the same work. Oranges are rich in vitamin C. Footballers earn massively more than nurses. Romanians are noted for their diversity in cuisine. Nurses have to work very hard. •   with uncountable nouns: Rice is the staple food for many people. I like Swiss cheese. They discussed love, death and happiness. Water is necessary for life. Wine is enjoyed by many people. It’s made of paper. Life is difficult. Time is money. Green is his favourite colour. My brother loves football. Cricket is difficult to...