- •Grammar Revision Tables terminology of English grammar
- •Nouns: singular and plural
- •Nouns: common and possessive case
- •Count and noncount nouns
- •Some common noncount nouns
- •Using nouns as modifiers
- •The indefinite article
- •The definite article
- •No article
- •Personal pronouns
- •Possessive pronouns
- •Reflexive pronouns
- •Indefinite pronouns
- •Quantitive pronouns
- •Demonstrative pronouns
- •Degrees of comparison of adjectives and adverbs
- •Numerals
- •Numbers in measurement
- •Особові форми дієслова finite forms of the verb
- •Indefinite tenses (to work, to write)
- •Continuous tenses (to work, to write)
- •Perfect tenses (to work, to write)
- •Perfect continuous tenses (to work, to write)
- •The functions of the verb «to be»
- •The functions of the verb «to have»
- •The functions of the verb «to do»
- •General Questions
- •Tag questionS
- •Question words
- •More questions with How
- •Summary chart of verb tenses Active Voice
- •Passive Voice
- •Passive Voice Present
- •Modal verbs Can; could; to be able to
- •May; might
- •Must; be to; have to; have got to
- •Should; ought to
- •Will; would
- •Indefinite pronoun «one»
- •The pronouNs «both, either and neither»
- •Sequence of Tenses Direct and Indirect Speech
- •The Infinitive
- •Reference list of verbs followed by infinitives
- •The Prepositional Infinitive Complex
- •The Objective Infinitive complex
- •The Subjective Infinitive complex
- •The Participle
- •Complexes with the Participle the Objective Participle complex
- •The subjective Participle complex
- •The absolute Participle complex
- •The Gerund. Forms and Functions
- •Reference list of verbs followed by gerunds
- •The Gerundial complex
- •Conditional sentences
- •Irregular VerBs
Using nouns as modifiers
1. The soup has vegetables in it. It is vegetable soup. 2. The building has offices in it. It is an office building. |
When a noun is used as a modifier, it is in its singular form. |
3. The test lasted two hours. It was a two-hour test. 4. Her son is five years old. She has a five-year-old son. |
When a noun used as a modifier is combined with a number expression, the noun is singular and a hyphen (-) is used. |
The indefinite article
Use of a/an |
Examples |
1. Before a singular countable noun, when it is mentioned for the first time and represents no particular person or thing: |
I can see a book on the table. They live in a flat. He bought an ice-cream. |
2. Before a singular countable noun which is used as an example of a class of things: |
A child needs love = All children need/Any child needs love. |
3. With a noun complement. This includes names of professions: |
My friend is a manager. She'll be a dancer. |
4. With certain numbers.
Before half when half follows a whole number. But kg = half a kilo, though a + half + noun is sometimes possible. With ,,etc a is usual: |
a dozen, a hundred, a million (but one dozen, one hundred, one million is also possible). kilos = one and a half kilos or a kilo and a half; a half-holiday, a half-portion, a half-share;
a third, a quarter etc., but one is also possible. |
5. In expressions of price, speed, ratio etc.: |
5p a kilo, sixty kilometres an hour, four times a day; (Here a/an = per) |
6. Before a singular countable noun after the word what in exclamatory sentences and after the words such, quite, rather: |
Such a long queue! Such long queues! What a pretty girl! What pretty girls! She is still quite a child. It is rather a difficult problem. |
7. With the nouns in the function of apposition. But when the apposition refers to a well-known person the is used: |
The report was made by Petrenko, a student of our University. Jack London, the great American novelist, was born in San Francisco. |
8. In a number of set expressions: a lot of, a great many, a great deal of, a good deal of, a great number of, a good many, a couple, a little, a few, at a speed of, at a time when, at a time, in time, on a large (small) scale, all of a sudden, by bus (train), to be in a hurry, to be in a position, to be at a loss, it’s a pity, for a short (long) time, as a result of, as a matter of fact, to have a good time, to have a mind, in a loud (low) voice, to have a look, to have a headache, to take a sit, to have a cold, to go for a walk. |