Answers Lesson 18: (Week 7 to 11 september)

Contents: THE NOUN PHRASE.The structure of the English noun phrase: determiners, pre-modifiers, head and
post-modifiers. Determiners: Pre, central and post determiners. Co-occurrence of determiners with noun classes:
singular count, plural count, and non-count. Countable and Uncountable nouns. Nouns which can be both count
or non-count.

NOUN PHRASE
A noun phrase is a phrase which can act as subject, object, or complement of a clause, or prepositional
complement. It is called a noun phrase because the word which is its HEAD (i.e. main part), is typically a
noun. (An adjective, a pronoun or a gerund can also be heads of a noun phrase). A sentence may contain
several noun phrases.
In the following sentence:
“John found the new secretary in his office a very attractive woman,”
John, secretary, office, and woman are NOUNS. The subject John, the object the new secretary in his
office, the object complement a very attractive woman are NOUN PHRASES. Also part of the object, his
office, is a prepositional complement constituting yet another noun phrase.
The head noun can be accompanied by DETERMINERS (the, his, a, etc.) and one or more MODIFIERS.
Modifiers which precede the head are called PREMODIFIERS (e.g. new, very attractive), and those which
follow the head are called POSTMODIFIERS (e.g. in his office)
Thus, the structure of the English noun phrase can be written:
NOUN PHRASE

(determiner/s) (premodifier/s) HEAD (postmodifier/s)

Here the brackets are reminders that determiners and modifiers can be left out, However, determiners are
more essential to the noun phrase structure than modifiers. The only situation in which a noun phrase has no
expressed determiner is where it has a “zero article”. Some example of noun phrases are:

DETERMINER(S) PREMODIFIER(S) HEAD ´POSTMODIFIER(S)

The boys
A tall boy
boys in general
All tall boys with long hair

PREMODIFIERS
Premodifiers in a noun phrase are placed after determiners but before the noun which is head of the phrase.
There are the following types of premodifiers, all of which can be related to complements in sentences with
linking verbs.
a. Adjectives
He’s rented a delightful cottage
(Compare: the cottage is delightful)

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 b. Participles
He’s rented a crumbling cottage I’ve seen a broken window
(the cottage is crumbling) (the window is broken)
He’s rented a converted cottage (the cottage is converted)

c. Nouns
He’s rented a country cottage I need a coffee cup
(the cottage is in the country) (the small cup)

POSTMODIFIERS
Postmodifiers occur after the head in a noun phrase. We have the following range of postmodifiers:
a. Relative clauses
Did you see the girl who was sitting in the corner?

b. Prepositional phrase
Did you see the girl in the corner?
Is this the road to Paris?
The house beyond the church was rather dull.
All passengers on board the ship had to pass a medical examination.

c. Non-finite clauses equivalent to relative clauses

Did you see the girl sitting in the corner?
The people working in the factory asked for a pay increase last month.
(=who are/were working in the factory)
When you enter, please hand your tickets to the man standing at the door.
(=who [will be/is] standing at the door)
The question debated in parliament yesterday was about abortion laws
(=that was debated in the parliament)
The next train to arrive was from Chicago (=the train which arrived next)

d. Appositive clauses
The fact that she’s good looking is not the only reason why I’d like to meet her.

d. Clauses of time, place, manner and reason

We visited the house where Mozart stayed in 1789
They don’t know the reason why she wasn’t there

e. Adverbs
The way out is over there
The way in is on the left

f. Adjectives (after indefinite pronoun)

There’s something odd about her
She went somewhere different
Extra information: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/noun-phrases-dependent-
words
Practice: http://sana.aalto.fi/awe/grammar/nounphrase.htm

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DETERMINERS
A) PREDETERMINERS B) CENTRAL C) POSTDETERMINERS
DETERMINERS
a. All, both, half a. Articles: the, a (n). a. Cardinal numbers: one, two,
three, etc.

b. Double, twice, etc. b. Demonstratives: b. Ordinal numbers: first,

this, these, that, second, etc.
those.

c. One, third, etc. c. General ordinals: next, later,

c. Possessives: my, other, etc.
your, etc. and
d. What, such, etc. genitives. d. Quantifiers: many, few,
little, several, more, less,
d. Quantifiers: some, etc.
any, every, no,
each, either,
neither, enough,
much.

e. Wh-determiners:
what (ever),
which(ever),
whoever, whose.

A) Predeterminers
All, both, half

SINGULAR COUNT NOUNS

a Pen
Half
Book
this, that

All
the, my
Book

NOUN-COUNT NOUNS

Half the, my
Ink

All Ø article

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PLURAL COUNT NOUNS

Half the, my, these,

those Pen

All, both Ø article

COUNT NOUN-COUNT
Bottle SINGULAR
Furniture
PLURAL Bottles

✔ ✔ a) The
Possessive (my, out, etc.)
✔ Whose, which (ever), what(ever)
Some (stressed), any (stressed)
No

✔ b) Zero article (as in they need furniture)

Some(unstressed), any(unstressed)
✔
More, enough

✔ ✔ c) This, that

d)Several,
these, those
✔ many, few, both

✔ e) A(n). ever, each, either, neither

✔ f) Much, little, less

NOTE:
- Many of the determiners can be pronominal

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 Either book - Either of the books-You can have either

COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

1. If a noun is countable:
a. We can use a/an in front of it: I bought a book. (not I bought book)
b. It has a plural and can be used in questions with How many:
How many books…?
c. We can use a number in front of it: one book, two books,…
2. If a noun is uncountable:
a. We do not normally use a/an in front of it:
I bought some bread. (not a bread)
b. It does not normally have a plural and can be used in questions with how much: How much bread…?
(not How many bread…?)
c. We cannot normally use a number in front of it.
3. We need to talk whether nouns are countable or uncountable in English to be able to use a/an, some, any,
much, many, a few, a little, etc., correctly
Compare:
- It was a marvelous experience (countable=something that happened)
- We need someone with experience (uncountable=skill and knowledge)

Write: Underline the noun in each sentence and write “C” or “U” o show whether the noun is countable or
uncountable:
Example: This is an excellent painter. C
1. I don’t like milk. U
2. How many photos did he take?. C
3. Add a little more oil. U
4. His drawings really interest me. C
5. Hope keeps me going. U
6. He hasn’t a hope. C (because it’s preceded by the indefinite article “a”)
7. How much flour did you buy? U
8. Where are my two new shirts? C
9. We’ve got plenty of coal. U

NOUNS WHICH CAN BE EITHER COUNTABLE OR UNCOUNTABLE: “AN EGG/EGG”

1. Some nouns are countable when they refer to single items, but they are uncountable when they refer to
substances.

Countable (single item) Uncountable (substance / material)

He ate a whole chicken. Would you like some chicken?
I had a boiled egg for breakfast. There’s egg on your tie.

2. Some nouns are uncountable when they refer to a material, but they are countable when they refer to an
object made from that material:

Countable (thing) Uncountable (material)

I broke a glass this morning. Glass is made from sand and lime.
I picked up a stone. We used stone to build our walls.

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Write: Underline the noun in each sentence and write “C” or “U” to show whether the noun is being used as
a countable or an uncountable:
Example: Add more onion. U
1. Would you like some fish? U
2. I eat two eggs every day. C
3. Too much cake isn’t good for you. U
4. They’ve built a new motorway. C
5. Would you like an ice? C
6. I need two clean glasses. C
7. Don’t throw stones. C
8. A lot of paper is wasted. U
9. We brought a new iron yesterday. C

NORMALLY UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS USED AS COUNTABLES:

“A COFFEE/ (SOME) COFFEE”

Words for drinks like coffee are normally uncountable. This means:

-We use no article: Coffee is important to the economy of Brazil.

-Or we use some/any: Is there any coffe? I’d like some coffee, please.

Write: Use I’d like…, please to ask for drinks in each situations.
Example:
You have come down to breakfast. There is a choice between tea and coffee.
I’d like (some) tea, please. I’d like (some) coffee, please.
I’d like a tea and two coffees. /I’d like a (cup) of tea and two (cups) of coffee.
1. You are ordering drinks. You want coffee for yourself. Your two friends want tea.
We’d like a coffee and two teas, please.
We’d like a (cup of) coffee and two (cups of) teas, please.
2. You are ordering drinks for three people; beer, lemonade, tomato juice.
We’d like a beer, a lemonade and a tomato juice.
We’d like a (can of) beer, a (glass of) lemonade and a (glass of) tomato juice.
3. You are ordering drinks. Two want coffee. Three want tea. One wants milk.
We’d like two coffees, three teas, and a milk.
We’d like two {cups of) coffee, three (cups of) tea, and a (glass of) milk.

NORMALLY UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS USED AS COUNTABLES:

“OIL/A LIGHT OIL”
1. Words like oil and plastic for substances and materials are normally uncountable:
Oil is produced in the North Sea.
2. We often use a/an with nouns like this when we are describing them with and
adjective:

The North Sea produces a light oil which is highly prized in the oil industry

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Write: rewrite these sentences using the nouns as countable.
Example:
The North Sea produces oil. (light) The North sea produces a light oil.
1. This factory produces clothes. (traditional) This factory produces traditional clothes.
2. This region produces wine. (excellent) This region produces an excellent wine.
3. This box is made of wood. (rare) This box is made of a rare wood.

SOME COMMON NON-COUNT NOUNS (UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS)

The following are typical of nouns that are commonly used as non-count nouns. This list serves as a sample:
a. WHOLE GROUPS MADE UP OF SIMILAR ITEMS: baggage, clothing, equipment, food, fruit,
furniture, garbage, hardware, jewelry, junk, luggage, machinery, mail, makeup,
money/cash/change, postage, scenery, traffic.
b. FLUIDS: water, coffee, tea, milk, soup, gasoline, blood, etc.
c. SOLIDS: ice, bread, butter, cheese, meat; gold, iron, silver, silver, glass, paper, wood, wool, etc.
d. GASES: steam, air, oxygen, nitrogen, smoke, smog, pollution, etc.
e. PARTICLES: rice, chalk, corn, dirt, dust, flour, grass, hair, pepper, salt, sand, etc.
f. ABSTRACTIONS:
– beauty, confidence, courage, education, enjoyment, fun, happiness, health, help, honesty,
hospitality, importance, intelligence, justice, knowledge, laughter, luck, music, patience, peace,
pride, progress, recreation, significance, sleep, truth, violence, wealth, etc.
– advice, information, news, evidence, proof.
– time, space, energy.
– homework, work.
– grammar, slang, vocabulary.
g. LANGUAGE: Arabic, Chinese, English, Spanish, etc.
h. FIELD OF STUDY: chemistry, engineering, history, literature, mathematics, etc.
i. RECREATION: baseball, soccer, chess, bridge, poker, etc.
j. GENERAL ACTIVITIES: driving, studying, swimming, travelling, walking (and other gerunds)
k. NATURAL PHENOMENA: weather, dew, fog, hail, heat, humidity, lightning, rain, sleet, snow,
wind, darkness, light, sunshine, electricity, fire, gravity.

PRACTICE
1. Complete the sentences with the given nouns. Add final –s/-es if necessary. Use each noun only one
time.
advice information screwdriver change
junk stuff city luggage/baggage
thunder garbage music traffic
hardware progress travelling homework
river trip
Examples: 1. I have some coins in my pocket. In other words, I have some change in my pocket.
2. The Mississippi, the amazon, and the Nile are well-known rivers in the world.
3. I like to listen to operas, symphonies, and folk songs. I enjoy_music
4. Since I came to the United States, I visited Chicago, New York, and Miami. I want to visit other_cities
before I return to my country.
5. The street is full of cars, trucks, and buses. This street always has heavy_traffic, especially during rush
hour.

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6. In the last couple of years, I’ve gone to France India, and the Soviet Union. I like to take_trips. In other
words, _travelling is one of my favorite activities.
7. I put some bananas peels, rotten food, and broken bottles in the waste can. The can is full of _garbage.
8. They have a rusty car without an engine, broken chairs, and an old refrigerator in their front yard is full of
junk.
9. Paul has books, pens, papers, notebooks, a clock, scissors, a tape recorder, and some other things on his
desk. He has a lot of_stuff on his desk.
10. The children got scared when they heard _thunder during the storm.
11. Tools are that are used to fasten screws into wood are called screwdrivers.
12. I went to the store to get some nails, hammers, and screws. In other words, I bought some_hardware
13. Tonight I have to read 20 pages in my history book, do 30 problems in algebra, and write a composition
for my English teacher. In other words, I have a lot of _homework to do tonight.
14. Ann took three suitcases, a shoulder bag, and a cosmetics case. In other words, she took a lot of
luggage/baggage on her trip.
15. Toronto is 356ft/ 109 m above sea level. The average annual precipitation in Toronto is 32in./81 cm. The
population of the metropolitan area is over 3.000.000 . I found (this, these) this information in the
encyclopedia.
16. I didn’t feel good. Ann said, “You should see a doctor.”
Tom said, “You should go home and go to bed.”
Martha said, “You should drink fruit juice and rest.”
I got _advice from three people.
17. My English is slowly getting better. My vocabulary is increasing. It’s getting easier for me to write and
make fewer mistakes. I can often understand people even when they talk fast. I’m satisfied with the progress
I’ve made in learning English.

2. Add –s/-es to the nouns in italics if necessary. Don’t add or change any other words.
Examples: 1. I had chicken and rice for dinner last night. (no changes)
2. Mary always has fresh eggs available because she raises chickens in her yard. (eggs-chickens)
3. Outside my window, I can see a lot of trees, bushes, grass, dirt, and flowers.
4. Tom gave me some good advice. Millie also gave me some good suggestions.
5. Yoko learned several new words today. She increased her vocabulary today.
6. I drank two glasses of water.
7. Windows are made of glass.
8. Jack wears glasses because he has a poor eyesight.
9. It took me a lot of time to finish my homework. I had a lot of assignments.
10. I have been in Mexico three times. I’ve spent a lot of time there.

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11. There are typewriters, copiers, telephones, and staplers in a typical business office. A business office
needs a lot of equipment.
12. The air is full of smoke, dust, carbon, monoxide, and many other harmful substances. We must seek to
reduce air pollution.
13. I like to read good literature. I especially like to read novels, poetry, and essays. My favorite poets are
Longfellow and Wordworth. I have always liked their poems.

EXERCISES
A. Use these uncount nouns to complete the sentences below.

advice 1. We’ve got a lot of luggage but it’s not too heavy.
electricity 2. At that time my knowledge of German was minimal.
3. I’d like some information about trains, please.
equipment
4. They exported a million dollars of stereo equipment.
happiness 5. Do you have any money on you?
help 6. If you want my advice I think you ought to start all over again.
information 7. There’s always a lot of traffic in the rush hour.
knowledge 8. Do you cook by gas or electricity?
luggage 9. You can always telephone, if you need any help
money 10. Money doesn’t always bring happiness.
traffic

B. Look at the following pairs of sentences. In one the noun in bold is used as a count noun and
in the other as an uncount noun. Mark the sentences “C” for count or “U” for uncount.
1. Shakespeare’s language is magnificent. U = a particular style o speaking or writing
It’s easier to work with someone who speaks our own language. C= the system of
communication used by people of a particular country or area
2. She’s had nine months’ experience as a secretary. U = knowledge and skills you have
gained through doing sth. for a period of time
The funeral was a painful experience. C = an event or activity that affects you in some
way
3. People spend their lives worrying about money. C=the period of time when something
exists or functions
How is life? U =the experience and activities that are typical of all people’s existences
4. Are you in San Francisco for business or pleasure? U= work that is part of your job
He set up a small travel business C= a commercial organization such as a company, shop
or factory
5. She never completely gave up hope. U= a reason to believe that something good may
happen
Ken has high hopes of a promotion before the end of the year. C= a feeling of wanting
and expecting a particular thing to happen; something that you wish for
6. There was general agreement on the problem. U= the state of sharing the same opinion or
feeling
We hope to come to a general agreement on future action. C = an arrangement, a promise
or a contract made with somebody
C. Use these phrases with the and an uncount noun to complete the sentences which follow:
The news about Bill the furniture in the sitting room the traffic in London

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 The advice you gave me the information you need the strength to go on
Example:
1. I liked the furniture in the sitting room. I thought it looked very smart.
2. I’d like to thank you for the advice you gave me.
3. I’m tired. I haven’t got the strength to go on.
4. You can find the information you need in any grammar book.
5. The traffic in London is dreadful particularly in the rush hour.
6. Have you heard the news about Bill?

D. Which of the underlined parts of these sentences is right?

Example: Sue was very helpful. She gave me some good advice/advices. (Advice is right)
1. Margaret has very long black hair/hairs.
2. We had a very good weather/very good weather when we were in vacations.
3. Can I help you with your luggage/luggages?
4. I want something to read. I’m going to buy a/some paper.
5. I want something to write some letters. I need a/some writing paper.
6. It’s very difficult to find a work/job at the moment.
7. Bad news don’t/doesn’t make people happy.
8. Our travel/trip from Paris to Frankfurt by train was very interesting.
9. The apartment is empty. We don’t have any furnitures/furniture yet.
10. When the fire alarm ran, there was a complete chaos/complete chaos.
11. Can I talk to you? I need an/some advice.
12. Do you have any experience/experiences in sales?

E. Complete these sentences using these words:

progress advice hair work experience
air information paper permission
Example: The room was very crowded. We had to open the windows for (some) air.

1. I don’t think Ann will get the job. She hasn’t got experience.
2. They’ll tell you all you want to know. They’ll give you plenty of information.
3. You’ll recognize Alan easily. He’s got green hair.
4. Carla’s English has improved. She has made progress.
5. I want to write down your address. Do you have paper?
6. If you want to leave early, you have to ask for permission.
7. George is unemployed at the moment. He’s looking for work.
8. I didn’t know what to do. So I asked Jack for advice.

F. Write what you would say in these situations. Each time begin in the way shown and use one
of the words in section E.
Example: Your friends have just arrived at the stations. You can’t see any suitcase or bags.
You say: Do you have any luggage?
1. You go into the tourist office. You want to know about the places to see in the town. You
say: I’d like some information about the place to see in town.
2. The weather is beautiful. You say: What a beautiful weather!
3. You are a student. You want your teacher to advise you about which exams to take.
You say: can you give me some advice about which exams to take?
4. You want to watch the news on television, but you don’t know what time it is on. You ask
your friend: what time is the news on TV?
5. You are standing at the top of the mountain. You can see a very a long way. It’s beautiful.
You say: what a beautiful way!
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G. Underline the determiners in the following sentences. the numbers in brackets tell you how
many determiners there are.
Example: My friend Alex works in a hotel on the corner of this street. (4)
1. There weren’t many people at the match. But it was very exciting and our team scored
twice in each half. (4)
2. Would you like another piece of cake, or would you prefer a chocolate biscuit? (2)
3. Most of young people like this sort of music. (2)
4. Every child at the party was given a present to take home. (3)
5. Thank you for your letter and the lovely flowers. (2)
6. We live in a small village in the country. It’s a quiet comfortable place with several useful
shops. (4)
7. I hope to spend another month in your country sometime this summer. (3)
8. There was little information at the airport. Few people seemed to have any idea what time
the flight was likely to leave. (5)
9. Can you give me another call at the office? I don’t have much time to spare right now. (3)

H. Now do these. Remember that a determiner comes at the front of a noun phrase.
1. These oranges cost ten pence each. (1)
2. Each orange cost ten pence. (1)
3. A: Is this your coat? (2)
B: No, I’m fairly sure it belongs to that man over there in the corner. I left my coat in the
cloakroom. (4)
4. Most students read both books, but they didn’t find either very useful. (2)
5. There were several people at the meeting earlier, but most of them left early so there
aren’t many left now. (2)
6. This is what I always have for my breakfast. (1)
7. If I haven’t any books, I can’t do my homework. (2)
8. There’s another bottle of milk in the fridge. Help yourself to a glass if you’d like some.
(3)
9. Have you finished that glass of milk? There’s plenty more in the fridge if you’d like
another. (2)
10. Most people enjoyed the show, but I was definitely the one who enjoyed the most. (3)

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