Practical English Grammar - AJ Thomson.doc
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1、1 Articles and one, a little/a few, this, that1 a/an (the indefinite article)The form a is used before a word beginning with a consonant, or a vowel with a consonant sound:a man a hat a university a Europeana one-way streetThe form an is used before words beginning with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or wo
2、rds beginning with a mute h:an apple an island an unclean egg an onion an houror individual letters spoken with a vowel sound:an L-plate an MP an SOS an x a/an is the same for all genders:a man a woman an actor an actress a table2 Use of a/an a/an is used:A Before a singular noun which is countable
3、(i.e. of which there is more than one) when it is mentioned for the first time and represents no particular person or thing:/ need a visa. They live in a flat. He bought an ice-cream.B Before a singular countable noun which is used as an example of a class of things:A car must be insured =All cars/A
4、ny car must be insured.A child needs love =All children need/Any child needs love.C With a noun complement. This includes names of professions:It was an earthquake. Shell be a dancer. He is an actor.D In certain expressions of quantity: a lot of a couplea great many a dozen (but one dozen is also po
5、ssible)a great deal ofE With certain numbersa hundred a thousand (See 349 ) Before half when half follows a whole numberll/2 kilos = one and a half kilos or a kilo and a half But 1/2 kg = half a kilo (no a before half), though a + half + noun is sometimes possiblea half holiday a half portion a half
6、 share With 1/3 1/4, 1/5 etc a is usual a third, a quarter etc , but one is also possible (See 350 )F In expressions of price, speed, ratio etc5p a kilo 1 a metre sixty kilometres an hourlOp a dozen four times a day (Here a/an = per )G In exclamations before singular, countable nounsSuch a long queu
7、e What a pretty girl But Such long queues What pretty girls (Plural nouns, so no article See 3 )H a can be placed before Mr/Mrs/Miss + surnamea Mr Smith a Mrs Smith a Miss Smitha Mr Smith means a man called Smith and implies that he is a stranger to the speaker Mr Smith, without a, implies that the
8、speaker knows Mr Smith or knows of his existence(For the difference between a/an and one, see 4 For a few and a little, see 5 )3 Omission of a/an a/an is omittedA Before plural nounsa/an has no plural form. So the plural of a dog is dogs, and ofan egg is eggsB Before uncountable nouns (see 13)C Befo
9、re names of meals, except when these are preceded by an adjectiveWe have breakfast at eightHe gave us a good breakfastThe article is also used when it is a special meal given to celebrate something or in someones honour/ was invited to dinner (at their house, in the ordinary way) but/ was invited to
10、 a dinner given to welcome the new ambassador4 a/an and oneA a/an and one (adjective)1 When counting or measuring time, distance, weight etc we can use either a/an or one for the singular:1 = a/one pound 1,000,000 = a/one million pounds (See chapter 36.)But note that in The rent is 100 a week the a
11、before week is not replaceable by one (see 2 F)In other types of statement a/an and one are not normally interchangeable, because one + noun normally means one only/not more than one and a/an does not mean thisA shotgun is no good (It is the wrong sort of thing )One shotgun is no good (I need two or
12、 three )2 Special uses of one(a) one (adjective/pronoun) used with another/othersOne (boy) wanted to read, another/others wanted to watch TV(See 53 )One day he wanted his lunch early, another day he wanted it late(b) one can be used before day/week/month/year/summer/winter etc or before the name of
13、the day or month to denote a particular time when something happenedOne night there was a terrible storm One winter the snow fell early One day a telegram arrived(c) one day can also be used to mean at some future date.One day you II be sorry you treated him so badly (Some day would also be possible
14、 ) (For one and you, see 68 )B a/an and one (pronoun)one is the pronoun equivalent of a/anDid you get a ticket? Yes, I managed to get one The plural of one used in this way is someDid you get tickets? Yes, I managed to get some5 a little/a few and little/fewA a little/little (adjectives) are used be
15、fore uncountable nouns:a little salt/little salt a few/few (adjectives) are used before plural nouns.a few people/few people All four forms can also be used as pronouns, either alone or with of:Sugar? A little, pleaseOnly a few of these are any goodB a little, a few (adjectives and pronouns)a little
16、 is a small amount, or what the speaker considers a smallamount, a few is a small number, or what the speaker considers a small number.only placed before a little/a few emphasizes that the number or amount really is small in the speakers opinion:Only a few of our customers have accounts But quite pl
17、aced before a few increases the number considerably:/ have quite a few books on art (quite a lot of books)C little and few (adjectives and pronouns)little and few denote scarcity or lack and have almost the force of a negative:There was little time for consultation.Little is known about the side-eff
18、ects of this drug.Few towns have such splendid trees.This use of little and few is mainly confined to written English (probably because in conversation little and few might easily be mistaken for a little/a few). In conversation, therefore, little and few are normally replaced by hardly any A negati
19、ve verb + much/many is also possible:We saw little = We saw hardly anything/We didnt see much.Tourists come here but few stay overnight =Tourists come here but hardly any stay overnight. But little and few can be used more freely when they are qualified by so, very, too, extremely, comparatively, re
20、latively etc. fewer (comparative) can also be used more freely.Im unwilling to try a drug I know so little aboutThey have too many technicians, we have too fewThere are fewer butterflies every year.D a little/little (adverbs)1 a little can be used-(a) with verbs: It rained a little during the night.
21、They grumbled a little about having to wait.(b) with unfavourable adjectives and adverbs: a little anxious a little unwillinglya little annoyed a little impatiently(c) with comparative adjectives or adverbs:The paper should be a little thickerCant you walk a little faster?rather could replace a litt
22、le in (b) and can also be used before comparatives (see 42), though a little is more usual. In colloquial English a bit could be used instead of a little in all the above examples.2 little is used chiefly with better or more in fairly formal styleHis second suggestion was little (= not much) better
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