Article: indefinite

 

Articles are small words used to show whether a noun they precede has a general or specific meaning. We use articles before most nouns.

 

There are three types of articles:

1. Indefinite: ‘a/an’
2. Definite: ‘the’
3. Zero: no article

 

Got it

 

 

A/An

 

We use the indefinite article – ‘a/an’ – mostly with countable nouns to talk about general things. If the noun refers to one of many of its kind or is non-specific, we use the indefinite article.

•  Mary is a teacher. (Profession in general meaning)
•  Peter works in an office. (General type of workplace, not a specific office)
•  Is there a school in your village? (School in general, not a particular school)

 

Note: We use ‘a’ before words that begin with a consonant (with a few exceptions): a tree, a ball, a pupil, a dog We use ‘an’ before words that begin with a vowel or vowel sound: an apple, an engineer, an hour (vowel sound), an honour (vowel sound)

 

Basically, we use ‘a/an’ in the following ways:

 

1) to talk about a general thing among many of its type:

•  I’m planning to buy a car next month. (type and make of that car are not known)
•  Jane would like to have a pet. (not specific)
•  Is there a bank near here?

 

2) to talk about jobs and occupations:

•  Mary is a student and Tom is a teacher.
•  Shakespeare was a writer.
•  When I grow up, I want to become a doctor.

 

3) with singular countable nouns to talk about only one person or one thing:

•  Juliette has a brother.
•  Do you want a piece of cake?
•  A cat plays with a ball.

 

4) to talk about something for the first time:

•  I bought a new pen for you, Charlie. Don’t forget to put the pen* into your school bag.

*When we mention the pen again, we use the definite article the.

 

5) in certain structures such as ‘this is/that is’, ‘there is/there was’, ‘such a/what a’:

•  This is an important meeting.
•  What a tasty cake!
•  He is such a nice man.

 

Some/Any

 

In positive statements with plural nouns, use ‘some’ instead of ‘a/an’.

•  There are some books on the shelf.
•  I see some runners crossing the street.

 

In questions and negative statements with plural nouns that are non-specific, we use ‘any’ instead of ‘some’:

•  Are there any cafes in your town?
•  Are there any places of interest on this street?
•  There aren’t any leaves left on the tree.
•  On Mondays there aren’t any visitors in our museum.

Неопределенный артикль

 

Артикль в английском языке – это служебная часть речи, которая выражает определенность или неопределенность предмета, выраженного существительным.

 

Существует три вида артиклей:

1. Неопределенный: ‘a/an’
2. Определенный: ‘the’
3. Нулевой: без артикля

 

A/An

 

Неопределенный артикль ‘a/an’ обычно используется с исчисляемыми существительными. Существительное с неопределенным артиклем описывает предмет как один из многих, любой, не какой-то конкретный.

• Mary is a teacher. (Мэри – учительница)
• Peter works in an office. (Питер работает в офисе)
• Is there a school in your village? (В вашей деревне есть школа?)

 

Артикль ‘a’ используется с существительными, которые начинаются с согласных (с некоторыми исключениями): a tree, a ball, a pupil, a dog Артикль ‘an’ используется с существительными, которые начинаются с гласных (букв или звуков): an apple, an engineer, an hour (гласный звук), an honour (гласный звук)

 

В целом, артикль ‘a/an’ используется в следующих случаях:

 

1) для описания предмета как какого-нибудь, одного из многих:

•  I’m planning to buy a car next month. (Через месяц я планирую купить машину.)
•  Jane would like to have a pet. (Джейн хотела бы завести питомца)
•  Is there a bank near here? (Здесь есть банк?)

 

2) для описания профессий и должностей:

•  Mary is a student and Tom is a teacher. (Мэри – студентка, а Том – преподаватель.)
•  Shakespeare was a poet and playwright. (Шекспир был поэтом и драматургом.)
•  When I grow up, I want to become a doctor. (Когда я вырасту, стану врачом.)

 

3) с исчисляемыми глаголами в единственном числе для описания только одного человека или предмета:

•  Juliette has a brother. (У Джулиет есть брат.)
•  Do you want a piece of cake? (Хочешь кусок пирога?)
•  A cat plays with a ball. (Кот играет с мячом.)

 

4) при первом упоминании какого-либо предмета:

•  I bought a new pen for you, Charlie. Don’t forget to put the pen* into your school bag. (Чарли, я купила тебе ручку. Не забудь положить эту ручку в сумку.)

*Обратите внимание, что при повторном упоминании предмета используется определенный артикль the.

 

5) в конструкциях ‘this is/that is’, ‘there is/there was’, ‘such a/what a’:

•  This is an important meeting. (Это важное совещание.)
•  What a tasty cake! (Какой вкусный торт!)
•  He is such a nice man. (Он такой хороший человек.)

 

Some/Any

 

В утвердительных предложениях с существительными во множественном числе вместо ‘a/an’ используется ‘some’.

•  There are some books on the shelf. (На полке лежит несколько книг.)
•  I see some runners crossing the street. (Вон несколько бегунов переходят дорогу.)

 

В вопросах и отрицаниях с существительными во множественном числе вместо ‘some’ используется ‘any’:

•  Are there any cafes in your town? (В вашем городе есть какие-нибудь кафе?)
•  Are there any places of interest on this street? (На этой улице есть какие-нибудь достопримечательности?)
•  There aren’t any leaves left on the tree. (На дереве совсем не осталось листьев.)
•  On Mondays there aren’t any visitors in our museum. (По понедельникам в нашем музее нет посетителей.)

Глаголы: инфинитив

 

Инфинитив – это базовая (неопределенная) форма глагола. В английском языке перед инфинитивом обычно ставится частица ‘to’ (полный инфинитив), однако иногда инфинитивы употребляются без ‘to’ (голый инфинитив):

 

полный инфинитив	голый инфинитив
to be to have to make to sleep to go	be have make sleep go

 

Полные инфинитивы используются в следующих случаях:

 

1) в качестве подлежащего

• To err is human, to forgive divine. (Ошибаться свойственно людям, прощать – богам.)

 

2) во фразах, выражающих намерение или цель

• My plan is to go to the zoo tomorrow. (Завтра я планирую сходить в зоопарк.)

 

3) после косвенного дополнения

• My secretary told me to call you back. (Секретарь попросил вам перезвонить.)

 

4) после ряда других глаголов, например, attempt (пытаться), choose (выбрать), decide (решить), hope (надеяться), manage (суметь), plan (планировать), promise (обещать), refuse (отказаться), seem (казаться) и т.д.:

• She attempted to find a free place in the hall. (Она попыталась найти в зале свободное место.)
• I hope to meet you here next month. (Надеюсь, через месяц мы встретимся здесь же.)
• Mike promised to be more attentive at school. (Майк пообещал быть в школе более внимательным.)

 

Голые инфинитивы используются в следующих случаях:

 

1) после модальных глаголов (кроме глаголов ought to, have to, be to)

• You should wear a warm coat. (Тебе надо надеть теплое пальто.)

 

2) после will/shall

• I shall call her tomorrow. (Я ей позвоню завтра.)

 

3) после глаголов, обозначающих восприятие

• She heard the door close. (Она услышала, как дверь закрылась.)

 

4) после глаголов let, make, have

• Let him behave the way he wants. (Пусть делает, что хочет.)

 

5) после выражений would rather/had better

• I would rather go to the cinema. (Я бы лучше в кино пошел.)

 

6) для формирования повелительной формы

• Leave me alone! (Оставь меня в покое!)
• Pass me the salt, please. (Передай соль, пожалуйста.)

Adjectives: Common and Demonstrative

 

Common Adjectives

 

We use common (descriptive) adjectives to describe nouns. 

 

Adjectives usually go before nouns:

•  This is a nice house.
•  I am reading an interesting book.
•  We have a small dog.
•  I have blue eyes.

 

Adjectives can also go after link verbs such as be, look, feel, smell, sound and taste. They still describe a noun or nouns.

•  This car is fast.
•  It looks great!
•  That cake smells delicious!

Note: Adjectives of the same type require commas to separate them. ●  We have red, green, and gold lights.

 

Demonstrative Adjectives

 

Demonstrative adjectives this, that, these and those are used to point out or refer to specific people or things.

 

This/These

 

We use this and these (plural) to point out something that is nearby, close, or in our hands.

 

This is used with singular nouns:

•  This book is very old.
•  I would like this cake, please.

 

These is used with plural nouns:

•  These keys do not fit this door.
•  Can I get these shoes, mom?

 

That/Those

 

We use that and those (plural) to point out someone or  something that is farther away or not reachable.

 

That is used with singular nouns:

•  That house is about a mile away.
•  Who’s that girl over there?

Those is used with plural nouns:

•  Look at those hills! They are so beautiful.
•  I don’t like those pants.

 

We can use demonstrative adjectives and common adjectives together.

 

When we use both demonstrative and common adjectives, the demonstrative comes before the common (descriptive) adjective.

•  I love these new shoes I just got.
•  What is moving in those tall trees over there?
•  I don’t want that ugly animal in my house.

Imperative

 

We use Imperative to ask or tell people to do things:

• Open your books to page 24, please.
• Look at the picture.
• Read the questions and write your answers.

 

To make the imperative, we use the infinitive of the verb without ‘to’.

• Sit down!
• Marry me!

 

We use ‘Don’t’ for negative imperatives:

• Don’t write in pencil. Use a pen.
• Don’t use your dictionary too often.
• Please don’t forget to do your homework!

 

We often use ‘please’ to make imperatives less direct. ‘Please’ can come at the beginning or the end of the sentence.

• Please shut up!
• Don’t smoke here, please.

 

You can also use ‘let’s’ before the verb if you are including yourself in the imperative. The negative of ‘let’s’ is ‘let’s not’.

• Let’s play!
• Let’s have something to eat.
• Let’s not argue.
• Let’s not tell them about it.

 

We also use imperatives to give advice:

• Eat lots of fruit and vegetables.
• Drink lots of water.
• Do some exercise every day.

 

• Don’t eat too much chocolate.
• Don’t drink too many soft drinks.
• Don’t smoke.

 

We often use imperatives in recipes or manuals:

Making Pancakes

1. Put 125g of flour into a bowl.
2. Add three large eggs.
3. Pour in 250ml of milk.
4. Mix everything together well.
5. Heat a large frying pan.
6. Melt a little butter in the pan.
7. Pour some of the mixture into the pan.
8. Cook it for a couple of minutes.
9. Turn it over and cook the other side.
10. Put it on a plate.
11. Eat it with your favourite toppings.
12. Don’t eat too many!

 

Other common uses of imperatives:

• Have a good day / weekend / holiday.
• Enjoy your meal.
• Don’t work too hard.
• Don’t worry!

 

Verbs: infinitive

 

Infinitive is the base form of a verb. It names an action or state but it cannot show person, number, or mood.

 

Infinitives may be used with the particle ‘to’ in front of it (‘full infinitive’) or without ‘to’ (‘bare infinitive’):

 

full infinitive	bare infinitive
to be to have to make to sleep to go	be have make sleep go

 

Full infinitives may be used in a sentence in several ways:

 

1) as a subject of a sentence

• To err is human, to forgive divine.

 

2) in a phrase that expresses some purpose or intent

• My plan is to go to the zoo tomorrow.

 

3) after an indirect object

• My secretary told me to call you back.

 

4) after certain other verbs, like attempt, choose, decide, hope, manage, plan, promise, refuse, seem, and more:

• She attempted to find a free place in the hall.
• I hope to meet you here next month.
• Mike promised to be more attentive at school.

 

Bare infinitives are used:

 

1) after modal verbs (except for ought to, have to, be to)

• You should wear a warm coat.

 

2) after will/shall

• I shall call her tomorrow.

 

3) after verbs of perception

• She heard the door close.

 

4) after the verbs let, make, have

• Let him behave the way he wants.

 

5) after the expressions would rather/had better

• I would rather go to the cinema.

 

6) to form imperatives

• Enjoy your stay at our hotel!
• Pass me the salt, please.

Verbs: overview

 

We use verbs to talk about actions:

• He gets up at 7.30 every morning.
• They play football on Saturdays.
• I didn’t want to work yesterday.

 

We also use verbs to talk about states:

• The weather is very hot today.
• I don’t know the answer.
• She doesn’t like classical music.

 

Main Verbs

 

These are main verbs:

• He gets up at 7.30 every morning.
• They play football on Saturdays.
• I didn’t walk to work yesterday.

Main verbs carry meaning.

• The weather is very hot today.
• I don’t know the answer.
• She doesn’t like classical music.

 

Auxiliary Verbs

 

These are auxiliary verbs:

• I don’t know the answer.
• She doesn’t like classical music.
• I didn’t walk to work yesterday.

 

We can use them to form negatives and questions. For example, in the present simple tense:

 

Present Simple Negatives:

• I don’t know the answer.
• She doesn’t like classical music.

 

I You We They	don’t (do + not)	base verb
He She It	doesn’t (does + not)	base verb

 

Present Simple Questions:

• Do you know the answer?
• Does she like classical music?

 

Do	I you we they	base verb
Does	he she it	base verb

 

In the past simple:

• I didn’t walk to work yesterday.
• Did you walk to work yesterday?

 

We can also use them to form different tenses:

 

• He’s studying hard for an exam.
• I have never been to Canada.
• We have been learning English for two years.

 

Modal verbs

 

These are modal verbs (or modal auxiliary verbs):

• He can speak Japanese very well.
• You shouldn’t eat so much chocolate.
• I must not forget my Mum’s birthday.

We use modal verbs with main verbs to add to the meaning.

Article: indefinite

 

Articles are small words used to show whether a noun they precede has a general or specific meaning. We use articles before most nouns.

 

There are three types of articles:

1. Indefinite: ‘a/an’
2. Definite: ‘the’
3. Zero: no article

 

A/An

 

We use the indefinite article – ‘a/an’ – mostly with countable nouns to talk about general things. If the noun refers to one of many of its kind or is non-specific, we use the indefinite article.

•  Mary is a teacher. (Profession in general meaning)
•  Peter works in an office. (General type of workplace, not a specific office)
•  Is there a school in your village? (School in general, not a particular school)

 

Note: We use ‘a’ before words that begin with a consonant (with a few exceptions): a tree, a ball, a pupil, a dog We use ‘an’ before words that begin with a vowel or vowel sound: an apple, an engineer, an hour (vowel sound), an honour (vowel sound)

 

Basically, we use ‘a/an’ in the following ways:

 

1) to talk about a general thing among many of its type:

•  I’m planning to buy a car next month. (type and make of that car are not known)
•  Jane would like to have a pet. (not specific)
•  Is there a bank near here?

 

2) to talk about jobs and occupations:

•  Mary is a student and Tom is a teacher.
•  Shakespeare was a writer.
•  When I grow up, I want to become a doctor.

 

3) with singular countable nouns to talk about only one person or one thing:

•  Juliette has a brother.
•  Do you want a piece of cake?
•  A cat plays with a ball.

 

4) to talk about something for the first time:

•  I bought a new pen for you, Charlie. Don’t forget to put the pen* into your school bag.

*When we mention the pen again, we use the definite article the.

 

5) in certain structures such as ‘this is/that is’, ‘there is/there was’, ‘such a/what a’:

•  This is an important meeting.
•  What a tasty cake!
•  He is such a nice man.

 

Some/Any

 

In positive statements with plural nouns, use ‘some’ instead of ‘a/an’.

•  There are some books on the shelf.
•  I see some runners crossing the street.

 

In questions and negative statements with plural nouns that are non-specific, we use ‘any’ instead of ‘some’:

•  Are there any cafes in your town?
•  Are there any places of interest on this street?
•  There aren’t any leaves left on the tree.
•  On Mondays there aren’t any visitors in our museum.