Appunti Inglese B2

General English lesson: introduction to quantifiers

Quantifiers

• Large quantities
• Small quantities
• More or less than you want / need
• Zero quantity
• Talking in general and talking specifically
• Comparing unequal quantities

Countable (C) and uncountable nouns (UC)

Countable: banana – bananas. They are possible to count.

Uncountable: rice. There is only one form, you cannot count them.

Common uncountable nouns

If you want to specify an amount of an uncountable noun, you can say, for example:

• A piece of cake / four slices of cake
• A piece of cheese / a slice of cheese / a lump of cheese
• A cup of tea / a glass of milk / three bottles of beer

Large quantities

A lot of / lots of
Use a lot of or lots of with countable and uncountable nouns in positive sentences: My sister has a lot of money. James talks a lot. They go to the gym a lot.

Plenty of
Use plenty of with countable and uncountable nouns to mean more than enough: I’ve seen Titanic plenty of times. She has got plenty of money.

Much / many
Use much (uncountable) and many (countable) in negative sentences and questions: My brother doesn’t have much money. We have not seen many films recently.

You can also use lots of and a lot of with both countable and uncountable nouns in negative sentences and questions: My brother does not have lots of / a lot of money. My mum does not watch lots of / a lot of films.

Small quantities

A little / a few
A little and a few mean some, but not a lot. Would you like some more cake? Only a little.

Use a little with uncountable nouns: Did you write any more emails after I left? Only a few.

Use a few with plural countable nouns: I have little free time at the moment.

Little / few
Little and few mean some, but not enough, which has a negative connotation. Use little with uncountable nouns: There are few shops in the town centre.

Use few with plural countable nouns: Sarah has few friends at school.

Very little / very few
Use very little (uncountable) and very few (countable) to mean a very small amount: Anna always has very little money. We are going to need very few chairs, as there are only three or four people coming to the meeting.

More than you want/need

This city is too polluted and too noisy. He is too young to buy alcohol.

Use “too + adjective”: This city is too much polluted.

Never use: It is not warm enough to go to the beach. You don’t study enough. There is too much traffic and too much noise.

Use “too much + uncountable nouns”: There are too many cars on the road and too many red traffic lights.

Use “too many + plural countable nouns”: He drinks too much. I’m thinking about my exams too much. My son sleeps too much.

Less than you want/need

To describe less than you want or need, use “enough + noun (uncountable and countable)”: I don’t have enough money to buy that coat. We didn’t buy enough eggs to bake three cakes.

Zero quantity

Any
Use “any + noun (countable and uncountable)” for zero quantity with a negative verb: There isn’t any space in the car. He didn’t leave any money for me. We don’t have any carrots.

No / none
Use “no + noun (countable and uncountable)” with a positive verb: There is no space in the car. He left no money for me. How much money do you have on you? None, I’m broke.

Talking in general

All computers need restarting sometimes. Many people drive too fast. Most Mondays I go to the gym. Some people like mustard, some people don’t. No car can go without an engine. (You don’t need an article before the noun)

Talking specifically

All of the people at the meeting were from France. Many of my friends live abroad. Most of his neighbours are quiet. Some of the shoes in that shop were quite expensive. None of my friends speak Russian.

Both / either / neither

We use a positive verb with “both”, “either” / “or” and “neither” / “nor”: Both the Who and The Rolling Stones were popular in the 1960s. Neither Mick Jagger nor Roger Daltry want to retire. Either they will die on stage or in the recording studio. They both want to play music until they die. They are both in their 70s now.

Use with an object pronoun (us, them etc): Both of them have won Grammy Awards in the US. Neither of them have ever stopped singing. Either of them could live until they are 100 and still be on stage! Use with “the” + noun: Both of the records were successful. Neither of the concerts were cancelled. Either of the singers could live to be 100.

Comparing unequal quantities

As…as
With uncountable nouns use “as much” + noun + “as”: I don’t have as much money as last year. We did not have as many holidays as last year. Rob does not earn as much as Jane (does).

With countable nouns use “as many” + noun + “as”: With verbs use “as much as” (after the verb phrase).

Present perfect simple & vocabulary: illnesses and injuries

What’s the difference between an illness and an injury?

Illness = Sickness (malattia)
Injury = Harm to the body (ferita)

Past simple

Used when something happens in the past and is now finished, and we can’t change it. We often say when it happened, or we understand that it happened in the past.

EX: I prepared lunch for my mother-in-law yesterday. I studied Latin when I was at school. Did you see the movie on TV last night? Yes, I did.

Present perfect simple

Have + past participle

EX: If someone has fallen and you think they may have broken their leg, you should… I’ve been to an osteopath, but I’ve never been to a chiropractor. He’s been a nurse since he was 22 years old.

It’s very important in English. It is considered a “present tense” as it connects the past to the present in some way.

Past experiences – We use it when we are talking in general and do not give specific details such as past times. So, we use it for general life experiences: I’ve been to London, but I haven’t been in Paris. He’s seen Star Wars 58 times.

“Been” or “gone”?

Ann’s been to the dentist. Ann’s gone to the dentist.

“Been” – Ann has been to the dentist and returned. She is not at the dentist now. “Gone” – Ann is at the dentist now. She has not returned yet.

We often use ever (?) and never (-) to talk about experiences as they mean “in my life”. They go before the main verb. (It’s also possible to use never in a question for emphasis: Has Richard never seen Games of Thrones?!)

The Godfather is the best film I’ve ever watched. They’ve bought a new car. I’ve moved house. She hasn’t sent the email to Tony.

Just

As we use it for recent past actions, we often use just (which means very recently). I’ve just cut my finger. Just goes before the main verb. Again, we do not say when the action happened.

Already

Already is used in positive sentences, before the main verb, and means “before now”: I’ve already seen this film twice.

Yet

Yet is used in negative sentences and questions. It goes at the end of the phrase and means “until now”: My brother hasn’t found a job yet. Have you finished the report yet?

Present perfect or past simple?

Present perfect = To talk about past experiences and recent past actions when we don’t specify a time. Past simple = When the time is said or understood, often with a time expression. EX: I’ve been to Rome twice / I went there in 2013 and 2016, last month, yesterday.

Often a conversation will begin with a general question about a person’s life experience: Have you ever been to the United States?

Then, if the other person answers yes, the first person might ask more specific questions: Did you like it? When did you go? How long did you go for? Who did you go with?

We also use the present perfect simple for an action/time which is not finished (it started in the past and will probably continue into the future): I’ve lived in Bergamo since 2007. I’ve known Amy since we were little. I’ve lived here for 7 years, I live there from 7 years!!

For / since

Indirect questions

A. With question words:

Direct question Indirect questions: Can/Could you tell me…? Or Do you know?

• What time is it? Can you tell me what the time is? Do you know what the time is?
• Where is the bank? Could you tell me where the bank is? Do you know where the bank is?
• When did the film start? Can you tell me when the film started? Do you know when the film started?

NOT: Can you tell me what is the film? Or Can you tell me when does the film start?

B. With Yes/No questions you need if/whether

Direct question Indirect questions: Can/Could you tell me…? Or Do you know?

• Is the hotel far from here? Can you tell me if the hotel is far from here? Do you know whether the hotel is far from here?
• Does my hair look okay? Could you tell me whether my hair looks okay? Do you know if my coat is still on the chair?

NOT: Can you tell me is the hotel far from here? Or Can you tell does my hair look okay?

Present perfect continuous

Have + been + verb + -ing

I’ve been seeing a chiropodist regularly because of my bad toe. He’s been having nosebleeds since last week. She’s been taking paracetamol for three weeks now because of her back pain.

For unfinished time we also use the present perfect continuous:

How long have you been playing piano? I’ve been playing the piano since I was 7 years old. Have you been playing piano for a long time? Yes, I have / No, I haven’t. They’ve been waiting for them since January.

In these examples, we use the present perfect continuous:

• How long have you been playing piano? I’ve been playing it since I was 7 years old.

But in these examples, we can’t, and we need to use the present perfect simple:

• How long have you known Amy? I’ve known Amy since I was little.
• John’s known Jack since school.
• How long have you had this cold? How long have you been waiting for me?

Generally, for unfinished time, we use:

• Present Perfect Simple with non-active verbs.
• Present perfect continuous with active verbs.

I’ve been listening to music for hours. We haven’t been eating meat as much.