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Grammar Reference
• comparative + and + comparative • people, clothes, goods, police (usually)
The car was going faster and faster. His clothes are always clean.
• The + comparative..., the + comparative • All nouns that consist of two parts: glasses,
The more you study, the more you learn. trousers, jeans, sunglasses, scissors, etc. We use the
expression a pair of to express quantity with these
• half as +adjective/adverb + as words.
My drawing isn't half as good as yours is.
Angie wears glasses.
• as + close/near/far + as George has bought two new pairs of jeans.
Tracy's house isn't as close as Kelly's is. • Words such as family, team, group, audience, class,
NOTE government, crew are collective nouns and may
take either a singular or a plural verb without a
To emphasise a comparative we use the words much, change in meaning.
a lot, rather, a bit, even and far. Tina’s family is rich. Tina’s family are on holiday.
She’s much prettier than her friend Sally. Uncountable nouns
Uncountable nouns are only used with a singular form
verb and we can’t use a/an or numbers with them.
Past Simple To express quantity we use some, any, much, little,
We use the Past Simple: a lot of, etc.
• for actions that started and were completed at a Uncountable nouns usually describe:
speci ic time in the past.
I went out with Jim yesterday. food meat, sugar, cheese, butter, etc.
• for habitual or repeated actions in the past. liquids milk, water, co fee, etc.
Mary often went ishing with her dad when she was
a child. materials wool, gold, paper, glass, etc.
• for completed actions that happened one after the ideas/situations love, help, freedom, time, etc.
other in the past. © MM Publications
natural phenomena
He opened the door, got in quietly and turned on the rain, snow, etc.
lights. some concrete nouns baggage, furniture, money,
• for permanent situations in the past. luggage, tra ic, business, etc.
I lived in London for 20 years.
NOTE
• The Past Simple of the verb can is could. • With uncountable nouns that refer to food or liquid,
• The Past Simple of the verb be is was/were. we can use the following expressions to show
quantity: bottle, cup, glass, can, slice, piece, loaf,
carton, box, packet, kilo, litre, bar, bowl, bit, bunch,
TIME EXPRESSIONS bar, jar, sip, etc. + of
yesterday, in 1980, etc. a loaf of bread four cartons of milk
two hours ago, ive years ago, etc. • The words hair, light, glass, wood, rain, experience
last night/week/Sunday/March, etc. can also be used as countable nouns in the plural
then, the day before yesterday form, with a di ference in meaning.
Steve’s hair is dark. There are cat hairs on the sofa.
NOTE
My room doesn’t get The lights are on, but there’s
Look at the list of irregular verbs. much light. nobody home.
This isn’t a diamond Have you seen my glasses
ring, it’s just glass. anywhere?
Module 2 This table is made of Would you like to go for a walk
wood. in the woods?
Nouns My sister likes How often do the rains come in
Countable nouns walking in the rain. Thailand?
Countable nouns can be counted and have singular
and plural forms. We can use a/an, one in the singular Have you got any We had some fascinating
form and some, any, (a) few, etc. in the plural. previous work experiences when we visited
China.
experience?
Certain nouns are always in the plural form.
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