Training log 07.06
Session 30(7th June 8:30-10:00)
Useful language:
Using countable and uncountable nouns:
- Common uncountable nouns:
- Liquids: water, wine, milk etc.
- Abstract ideas: advice, news, information, motivation
- Weather: sunshine, snow, rain, weather
- Feelings: happiness, sadness, anger, etc.
- Energy: electricity, gas, power, oil etc.
- Sport: football, tennis, volleyball etc.
- Others: furniture, hair, transportation, stress, money, luggage, rice, bread, music, sand, soup
- Common mix-ups for German speakers: bread, information, advice
- Making uncountable nouns countable: mostly they are used like the singular (my hair is wet; the water is cold), but if you need to use numbers, give them a unit, e.g. a grain of sand, a glass of water, a piece of advice/information, a loaf/slice of bread NEVER just “an information”
- Exceptions and special cases: scissors, trousers etc are always in the plural and need the unit of “a pair of …” to be countable, e.g. two pairs of trousers, a pair of scissors; some words are the same in the singular and plural, e.g. sheep, fish, deer but they are still countable (a fish, three sheep etc.); people is the plural of person, so it is also countable (there are three people in the room).
- Using some and any: you don’t have to make an uncountable noun countable to talk about it, e.g. we have some/a lot of water in the cellar after the storm; Do you have any sugar? I don’t want any advice. (also my hair is wet, etc above)
- Using much and many: much is often used in questions for uncountable nouns, many with countable, e.g. How much time do you have? How many bottles of water do you need?
Describing trends using graphs (using tenses correctly)
Which past tense is used when you describe what has already happened? How can we make predictions about how trends will continue?
Examples/rules
- (present perfect) Imports have followed a similar pattern – have/has +3rd form
…but has increased dramatically recently close AND relevant to now; The rate of infant mortality has remained the same since (…) the mid 80s past AND now
- (past simple/simple past)This trend was even more marked in Africa… – 2nd form
The number of tourists visiting Grammarton rose steadily from the 70s on (/to the 90s);The crime rate increased sharply in the early 70s Finished and/or WHEN