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Use of A/An/The ...... Articles


Seanus  15 | 19666  
11 Jun 2011 /  #91
Sorry, I was in random chat :)

OK, AS first. We don't say 'a good advice'. A good piece of advice, yes :) We can also say 'words of advice'. Maaarysia, peace is pokój like the V-sign of the fingers.

Any other questions?

Grammatically speaking, what's the difference between 'a lot of' and 'lots of'?? Please think grammatically and not how natives mistakenly use those terms.
Antek_Stalich  5 | 997  
11 Jun 2011 /  #92
what's the difference between 'a lot of' and 'lots of'??

Now, you got me on that ;)

By the way, teflcat a lot of thanks for the "however" schematics, very useful!
Maaarysia  
11 Jun 2011 /  #93
Any other questions?

But wait a minute, what about furniture, knowledge, news, information? All are used with this "piece" word or are there some other words which we can use it this case?
Seanus  15 | 19666  
11 Jun 2011 /  #94
Pieces of furniture or even bits though pieces is better :)

Areas of knowledge, parts of knowledge or fragments even.

News is a tough one. We'd likely say 'news clips' or 'news broadcasts', in that way.

Screeds of information (a lot of), swathes of info (the same) or, also uncountable, there is a dearth/shortage of info :)

A lot of should be used with uncountable things, e.g beer, oxygen or hope. 'Lots of' with countable, e.g lots of birds, lots of cars or lots of tables etc etc. Oh, etc means et cetera, Mods. It is also quite common :) :) Is it acceptable?? ;) Maybe I shouldn't be using a Latin words, sorry, Latin words ;) ;) ;)
Antek_Stalich  5 | 997  
11 Jun 2011 /  #95
A lot of money but lots of cars? OK. Oll Korrect (Mods). E.g. is exempli gratia (for example).

Do you place a comma before "but"?

Also explain the use of the word "far". Far more? Far much?
Seanus  15 | 19666  
11 Jun 2011 /  #96
Exactly! I like to show students that they are not always mutually exclusive either. Let's choose a subject, i.e beer :) :)

I drink a lot of beer (przykładowy, lol) but I drink 'lots of beers'. The latter means many different types of beer(s). I go through lots of bottles of beer in a week :) Bottles is the counter :) Glasses could apply too :) I like 'a glass of beer' at the weekend :)

Comma before but? I don't want to go off-topic ;) ;) (usually not, no, but many put one there).

Far much?? What do you mean here?
Maaarysia  
11 Jun 2011 /  #97
A lot of money

do we say too much money or too many money?

Do you place a comma before "but"?

No, they don't.
How many points I've scored for this answer? ;)

Far more? Far much?

and far enough. Does it mean "wystarczy"?
Antek_Stalich  5 | 997  
11 Jun 2011 /  #98
Well... Perhaps I've misled you.

There are far more cars in the US than they are in Poland. Correct? Talking on far and countable noun.
I drink far more beer than you do. Correct or wrong?
Maaarysia  
11 Jun 2011 /  #99
I drink far more beer than you do. Correct or wrong?

Can you give me an example when you say 'far much'? ;)

You can say much more (uncountable) or many more (countable). Far more applies to both, am I right?
alexw68  
11 Jun 2011 /  #100
Far more applies to both, am I right?

Yep.
Seanus  15 | 19666  
11 Jun 2011 /  #101
OK, another dimension. When using the intensifiers, so and such, what is the difference when it comes to using the indefinite articles, 'a' and 'an'?
Wroclaw  44 | 5359  
11 Jun 2011 /  #102
Do you place a comma before "but"?

please, keep to a/an/the (some, countable/uncountable, singular/plural)

a thread on mixed grammar will probably get moved to off topic.
Maaarysia  
11 Jun 2011 /  #103
such big house - Look, there is such big house on the conrer. Maybe we should go there. (Patrz, tam jest taki duży dom. Może powinniśmy tam właśnie pójść?)

such a big house - Such a big house, still it's too small for them! (Taki duży dom a nie mogą się w nim pomieścić!)
Seanus  15 | 19666  
11 Jun 2011 /  #104
We would never say 'such big house', Maaarysia. A house is one, one of a general group. Such a big house, very good :) :) With such, you can include an article where appropriate but not with so, e.g 'such a beautiful day' but 'such beautiful weather'. We don't count weather so no indefinite article is included.
Maaarysia  
11 Jun 2011 /  #105
We don't count weather so no indefinite article is included.

So the only difference is countable/uncountable nouns. There is no difference in meaning or context?

not with so

yeah, I never heard anybody saying it's a so beautiful morning... ;)
Seanus  15 | 19666  
11 Jun 2011 /  #106
No :) 'A' just means one of a general category :) Such an idiotic man (one of many but with the focus on him at this moment). The government shows such idiocy in their decision-making processes. They general exhibit this quality. Always remember that 'a' is one and general :) :)

You could say 'so a good thing to do would be....' but it doesn't serve the function of an intensifier then, more one of advice :)
Maaarysia  
11 Jun 2011 /  #107
idiocy

btw. what would be the plural form of this noun?
Seanus  15 | 19666  
11 Jun 2011 /  #108
We would tend not to pluralise it but it would be 'I could forgive you for your multiple idiocies'. It doesn't look right but is grammatically sound. Anyway, let's stay on track, Maaarysia. I know you have questions :)
Maaarysia  
11 Jun 2011 /  #109
The government shows such idiocy in their decision-making processes.

So can I say:
The government shows such strenght in their decision-making processes
or:
The goverment shows such a strength when dealing with the recent opponents' objections.

Do I feel it right now?
Seanus  15 | 19666  
11 Jun 2011 /  #110
Let me ask you this. Is strength countable or uncountable??
Maaarysia  
11 Jun 2011 /  #111
Is strength countable or uncountable??

Umm.. I've never thought about it. Probably you're right - it's not countable but my point is if I had used a countable noun these sentences would be correct? :)

btw.
but my point is if I had used a countable noun these sentences would be correct?
or
but my point is whether if I had used a countable noun these sentences would be correct?
Seanus  15 | 19666  
11 Jun 2011 /  #112
Let's stay on track with the articles, Maaarysia :)

Please fill in the missing word:

NATO's initial attack on Afghanistan (Tora Bora) was a violent .... of strength :)
Maaarysia  
11 Jun 2011 /  #113
NATO's initial attack on Afghanistan (Tora Bora) was a violent .... of strength :)

act

NATO's initial attack on Afghanistan (Tora Bora) was such a violent act of strength.
NATO's interventions aren't generally such violent act of strength.
Antek_Stalich  5 | 997  
11 Jun 2011 /  #114
I have made a new thread for general English grammar. Seanus, could you help please?
Seanus  15 | 19666  
11 Jun 2011 /  #115
Maaarysia, that works :) I was thinking 'show' of strength :)

AS, ok. Let's keep the focus here though.
strzyga  2 | 990  
11 Jun 2011 /  #116
'show' of strength

would "a demonstration" or "a display" be OK too?
Seanus  15 | 19666  
11 Jun 2011 /  #117
I also thought of those options, strzyga :) I want to keep the options open so people can contribute with their own ideas like you did, so many thanks :)

OK, another aspect. We generally use the indefinite article 'an' with a following vowel, e.g an apple, an egg, an igloo, an orange or an umbrella. So, resident Poles, why do some natives choose to say 'an historian'? That's a hard case, I'm being a bit brutal here so maybe why don't we say 'an European' or 'an university'?? (given that e and u are vowels).
Lyzko  
11 Jun 2011 /  #118
The difference between "a little [money]" vs. "little money" is that the former is more limiting within the circumscribed area of "money" and the latter isn't. "A little..." means that something might cost more than one bargians for, whereas "little money" usually means "cheap" in the use of "inexpensive" rather than "poor quality"-:) Quantifying adjectives are often of particular for Slavic speakers.

Regarding the definite article however, typically certain Romance languages such as Italian or French, use it where in English, even in German, it would seem superfluous, e.g. simple naming of various daily comestible articles like "bread", "vegetables", "fruit", "meat". In English, all are named in the abstract without a compulsory definite article, but never in, say, Italian: IL pan, LA verdura etc..., even foreign languages, LO spagnolo, IL italiano, etc.. and furthermore, always masculine!
Maaarysia  
11 Jun 2011 /  #119
say 'an historian'?

I guess that history is a French word originaly and the French don't pronounce "h". Is that the correct answer?

That's a hard case, I'm being a bit brutal here so maybe why don't we say 'an European' or 'an university'?? (given that e and u are vowels).

REALLY?! So I made those mistakes in every single sentence for over a year of my stay on this forum and no one dared to tell me that?! :)

Does it apply to usual as well?
codger  
11 Jun 2011 /  #120
why don't we say 'an European' or 'an university'?? (

Is it due to the phonetic sound 'yoo'.

strzyga, most fluent speakers would likely say show of strength for alliterative reasons, like slippery slope

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