Упражнения

Countable – Uncountable Nouns

Ex. 1. Decide whether the following statements describe countable (C) or uncountable (U) nouns. One has been done for you.

Have singular and plural forms C . Take only singular verbs . Can have amount of before them . Can have some before them as modifier in the plural . Can have much/little before them .

Take both singular and plural forms . Cannont have a, an or one before them ____ . Can have many or few before them . Can be used with a number of . Have only one form .

Ex. 2. Arrange the following nouns first into countable and uncountable and then according to the class they belong to.

Heroism, conference, activity, water, salt, bread, a boy, a tulip, an inch, ice, membership, a fox, an ear, lightness, a plant, a student, a person, grass, love, air, pressure, France, darkness, work, an animal, money, news, ability, mathematics, people, tea, butter, a wing, a city, a house, an idea, Chinese, milk, oxygen, peace, a degree, people, German, a computer, a help, a family, a scientist, an enemy.

A. Countable

Names of persons, animals, plants, etc	Real objects	Units of measurement	Classifications in society	Some abstract words
A teacher, a flower	A table	A meter	A party	A job

B. Uncountable

Food	Materials and metals	Qualities	Liquids, gases	Names of languages	Abstract nouns
Sugar	Cotton	Strength	Water	English	Freedom

Ex. 3. Many words which are uncountable in English are countable in other languages. From the list below choose those which in your language are countable or used only in plural.

Cattle, advice, earrings, behavior, outskirts, beauty, content, chess, courage, glass, grass, binoculars, equipment, fear, hair, work, machinery, the police, medicine, money, music, news, permission, goods, photography, safety, scenery, trouble, violence, weather, scales, sledges.

Ex. 4. Fill in the blanks using the proper form of the noun in italics. Mind that some uncountable nouns can have a countable meaning. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1. … is metal. Don’t let children play with … iron/an iron. 2. … goes so quickly. She phoned six … yesterday times/time. 3. Three …, please. … makes you fat a beer/beers. 4. There’s … in the garden. Do you want … or beef? a chicken/chicken. 5. My mother never drinks … . Spain produces some wonderful … wines/wine. 6. He hasn’t got much … . It was … I won’t forget an experience/experience. 7. She goes to … by underground. At the art exhibition we enjoyed fascinating … of art work/works. 8. She has beautiful long dark … . He has got not many … left on his bold head hairs/ hair. 9. Most children like … . We bought some … chocolates/chocolate. 10. The needle of … points north. You can draw a circle with … a compass/compasses. 11. The actor does this for … . There are very many … in Hyde Park amusement/amusements. 12. During the afternoon there will be thunder and lightning/thunders and lightnings in many areas. 13. Students must pass their paper/papers to the front. 14. I’d like coffee, toast/toasts and marmalade please. 15. Different countries have different weather/weathers. 16. Jack is a millionaire and owns a lot of business/businesses. 17. None of the passengers had insured their baggage/baggages.

Ex. 5. Choose the most suitable word to be used with constable or uncountable nouns.

1. Have you read many/much books in English? 2. We don’t have much/many rain in summer. 3. You have much/many friends in this town, don’t you. 4. How much/many time have you got left? 5. How much/many times a day do you brush your teeth? 6. There is/are a lot of children in the pool. 7. There is/are a big dark cloud over there. 8. There is/are a theatre and two cinemas in our city. 9. I bought a/– new piece of furniture. 10. I heard a/– beautiful piece of music. 11. One wall is made of a/– glass, so there is/are a lot of light in the room. 12. Shall we have a/– fish? The restaurant is famous for it. 13. Few/little plants and animals can live on the land – it’s too cold for them. 14. There were little/many snow-falls last year. 15. There is a great amount of/number of snowfall this year. 16. Do you like an/– orange juice.

Ex. 6. Match nouns in A with B as in the example. Remember these word combinations.

A	B	A	B
a jar of – a cube of – a bar of a slice of a bar of a bottle of a sheet of a box of a pot of	jam ice chocolate bread soap milk paper matches tea	a tube of a drop of a pinch of a sip of a splash of a piece of a wisp of a glass of	toothpaste water salt tea soda furniture smoke water

Singular – Plural Nouns

Ex. 1. Read the nouns and give their corresponding singular or plural forms.

Glass, photo, analyses, boxes, lady, wives, valley, thief, man, woman, child, foot, teeth, life, handkerchief, basis, tomato, scarf, criteria, sheep, economics, deer, information, fish, boss, gas, zoo, phenomena, church, prizes, tax, bee, clothes, army, journey, sportsman, editor-in-chief, crowd, speech, curriculum, statesmen, data, Englishman, headquarters, customs, forget-me-not, news, thanks, mothers-in-law, means, media, public, merry-go-round.

Ex. 2. Comment on the use of the singular and plural nouns in italics. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1. Athens is a city in Greece.

2. Don’t you see that shoes you are buying are not a pair.

3. He can’t leave the country until the police return his passport.

4. The most important news is broadcast on this channel.

5. There is hardly any furniture in this room.

6. Potatoes are cheap in Belarus.

7. Have you ever spoken to this woman before?

8. Where is your money? It is on the table.

9. Five thousand dollars is a reasonable price for this car.

10. There is a cinema and two shops in our street.

11. Where are my glasses? I can’t find them.

12. The contents of the book are not much varied.

13. The staircase is long and narrow.

14. Sheep are grass-eating animals.

15. Americans are consumers. They like to buy things.

16. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you last week. I was in trouble myself. I had some troubles with the traffic police.

17. I haven’t had much experience of travelling in the mountains.

Ex. 3. Change the words in brackets into the plural where necessary.

a)

• Did you go shopping last … (Saturday)?

• Yes, I did. I bought lots of … (thing).

• What did you buy?

• I bought two … (scarf) and three … (T-shirt).

• Did you buy anything else?

• Yes. I went to some lovely … (shop) and bought six …(cup) and four crystal … (glass).

• Gosh! You really bought … (lot) of … (thing)!

• And I also bought two silver … (candlestick) for my aunt.

b)

• I went to the … (zoo) yesterday.

• Really? What … (animal) did you see?

• Well, first I saw … (lion), and then I saw two … (giraffe).

• Is that all?

• No. I also saw three … (deer) and two … (rhino).

• Did you go to the monkey house?

• Yes, and there were three … (monkey) there. It was a great day.

Ex. 4. Use the proper form of verbs in brackets.

1. Bad news don’t make/doesn’t make people happy. 2. Mathematics isn’t/aren’t his favourite subject. 3. Measles is/are a catching disease. Billiards is/are a widely spread game among men. 4. The contents of the book is/are exciting. 5. Outskirts of the city is/are very picturesque. 6. Youth is/are different today. 7. His advice is/are very helpful. 8. The USA has lost/ have lost the football match this season. 9. I can’t find my scissors. Where is/are they/it? 10. Look at Ann’s hair. It’s/They are red. 11. They say that money is/are the soul of business. 12. Two tea/teas and a coffee, please. 13. Too much/many knowledge make/makes the head bold. 14. Two is/are a company, but three is/are a crowd. 15. I am surprised at the variety of cheese/cheeses that have appeared in our shops. 16. Most people prefer a job/work which is near home. 17. People/Peoples eat more fruit/fruits nowadays that they used to. 18. The fruit/fruits of nature belong to all mankind. 19. Fish/fishes, travel long distances and different fish live/lives at different levels of water. 20. A man/men makes a house, a woman/women makes home. 21. When is/are the latest news on? 22. Your advice was/were very useful. I usually use your advice, advices when I’m in trouble//troubles. 23. The local government has/have agreed to repair the road outside our house. 24. In order to prove that Mr. Smith is guilty, we must find some evidence/evidences.

Ex. 5. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Это хорошее вино. Молдавия производит хорошие вина. 2. Фрукты полезны для здоровья. В этом магазине много фруктов. 3. У нее красивые волосы. В тарелке был волос. 4. Десять километров – большое расстояние. 5. Купи пять килограмм картошки и килограмм моркови. 6. Твои сережки очень модные. 7. Морковь, лук и картошка – полезные и дешевые овощи. 8. На полях растет много картофеля и помидоров. 9. Позвольте мне дать вам один совет. 10. Деньги на столе. Возьмите их. 11. Я дам вам всю информацию по этому вопросу. Она надежная. 12. База данных вполне достаточная. 13. Эти явления трудно объяснить. 14. Полиция ищет убийцу. 15. Сто тысяч долларов – большая сумма для меня. 16. Эти джинсы тебе коротки. 17. Мне надо несколько яблок для пирога. 18. Петр – миллионер, он владеет несколькими бизнесами. 19. Мы просмотрели меню и решили заказать цыпленка. 20. Мой друг подарил мне кофемолку на день рождения. 21. Нина купила себе новую одежду на зиму. 22. У меня нет никакой возможности помочь тебе.

Male – Female Nouns

Ex. 1. Put (M) for male, (F) for female, (M/F) for both.

Student – M/F Bride Scientist King Prince Duchess

Child Policewoman Lord Wife Nurse Nun

Headmaster Heroine Monk Musician Pilot Clerk

Actor Shop assistant Queen Brother-in-law Driver Friend

Ex. 2. Write the name of the opposite gender.

He-wolf – she-wolf Sales-girl – Headmistress – Bachelor – Heir – Peacock – Witch –

Barmaid – Tom-cat – Chairwoman – Ballet-dancer – Tsar – Tigress – Lion –

Ex. 3. Common names in this exercise don’t correspond to male names and female names. Match them all as in the example. Consult the dictionary, if necessary.

Common name	Male	Female
1. cattle 2. horse 3. pig 4. sheep 5. deer 6. chicken 7. goose 8. duck	1. bull 2. stallion 3. boar 4. ram 5. buck 6. cock, rooster 7. gander 8. drake	a. duck b. hen c. ewe d. cow e. mare f. sow g. doe h. goose

Case

Ex. 1. Study the following examples and explain the use of the possessive case.

1. These are Repin’s paintings. 2. A man’s hands are stronger than a woman’s. 3. This shop has a large number of children’s books. 4. Have you read any of Dreiser’s novels? 5. I spent my holidays at my cousin Emily’s. 6. See you at John’s. 7. Goat’s milk is good for health. 8. Can I buy any posters at the bookseller’s? 9. It’s Derek Jones’ new car. 10. Britain’s exports to the US have fallen recently. 11. The region’s main industry is tourism. 12. You can buy this medicine at the chemist’s. 13. She went to the baker’s. 14. He is my sister’s husband’s father. 15. This is a few hours’ work. 16. It is 20 minutes’ walk. 17. They met in a couple of years’ time. 18. They have covered 20 minutes’ distance. 19. They gave her some old clothes of Jane’s. 20. Bring some friends of your sister’s, please. 21. He is a friend of the manager’s. 22. Every student gets a student’s card. 23. Look at the picture of my mother’s. – It belongs to her. (but: Look at the picture of my mother. She is the person in the picture.) 24. I’ve inherited the house belonging to my grandmother’s sister. 25. When the teacher called out the girls’ names they stepped out.

Ex. 2. Fill in the right forms with possessive case.

1. That building is Jack and Mary’s/Jack’s and Mary’s house.

2. John and Jane’s/John’s and Jane’s stories are completely different.

3. Sam and Joe’s/Sam’s and Joes’s coffee shop is going out of business because Sam and Joe can no longer stand working together.

4. Last Friday/Friday’s meeting was extremely long and boring.

5. My mother’s-in-law/mother-in-law’s cooking is really amazing.

6. Mary put the papers on her bosses /boss’s desk.

7. Excuse me. Could you tell me where the men’s /mens’ restroom is?

8. Bob and Jim’s/Bob’s and Jim’s girlfriends are arguing again.

9. My cooking is much better than Anns’/Ann’s.

10. That bicycle belongs to a friend of mine/my friend’s.

11. The children’s/childrens’ faces were quite thin from the lack of food.

12. When is Alice/Alice’s birthday?

Ex. 3. What’s the difference between “a shoe shop” and “Ann’s shop”? Read the word combination below and make your choice.

a bus station – a bus’s station a horse race – a horse’s race a telephone box – a telephone’s box Peter plan – Peter’s plan computer disks – computer’s disks man friendship – man’s friendship

my mother house – my mother’s house a war film – a war’s film children toys – children’s toys my friend car – my friend’s car Britain history – Britain’s history the company office – the company’s office

Ex. 4. Translate the following combinations of Noun + Noun into Russian.

A spring day, a month’s holiday, the philosophy department, the world’s championship, Ireland’s wool, Oxford University, a school reform, a book shelf, the law faculty, a football fan, a week’s rest, a railway station, tourist camps, winter months, October weather, the departure time, the flight number, a morning newspaper, the city council, a computer company, hair spray, a driver’s license, a summer school, a baggage reclaim area, a reception desk, a department store, a new school director.

Ex. 5. Change the structure of the following word combinations.

Model: a school director – director of the school

a college professor, students’ life, taxi driver, the family life, population growth, the airport building, city transport, sea salt, the doctor’s surgery, education value, my father’s birthday, hero’s death, London museums, working class families, hotel service, the sailor’s story.

Ex. 6. Translate the following word combinations into English.

а) 1. Сын моего друга; сыновья моего друга; cын моих друзей; сыновья моих друзей. 2. Имя врача. 3. Хвост лисицы. 4. Мнение юриста. 5. Картина Моне. 6. Крылья птицы. 7. Глаза собаки. 8. Сегодняшняя газета. 9. Прошлогоднее событие. 10. Подпись учителя. 11. Рецепт врача. 12. Свадьба подруги. 13. Население Великобритании. 14. Дом моих дяди и тети. 15. Игрушки детей. 16. Экономическая политика правительства. 17. Команда корабля. 18. Самая большая библиотека в городе. 19. Основная промышленность региона.

b) открыть глаза; обменять валюту; посещать театры; сказать Диме; встречать друзей; рождение ребенка; собственность партии; послать в Америку; одолжить деньги друзьям; купить сувениры коллегам; написать письмо родителям; дать информацию посетителям; рисовать карандашом; отрезать ножом; рассказать о поездке; спросить о впечатлении; обсуждать проблему с врачом; много знать о машинах; выражение лица; обложка книги; стена дома; название улицы; автор книги; чувство юмора; пара очков; группа студентов; направление ветра; тысячи туристов; буханка хлеба.

Ex. 7. Translate the following sentences into Russian.

1. Many young people go to cyber cafes. 2. Nearly all teenagers have visited Internet chat rooms. 3. People function best with a regular pattern of sleep and wakefulness that is in tune with our natural environment. 4. I always watch the weather forecast on TV to see what tomorrow’s weather will be. 5. Today's countryside has its own infrastructure: roads, service establishments, stadiums. 6. Britain's most popular “fast food” has got to be fish and chips. 7. Elizabeth I’s father, Henry VIII, made the Tower the dreadful place of his enemies. 8. The London Underground, or 'tube' as it is often known, was the world's first urban underground railway.

Ex. 8. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Это пальто его жены. 2. Это тетрадь Джона. 3. Подруга моей матери – бухгалтер. 4. Чей это гараж? – Это гараж моего соседа. 5. Вы видели новый офис моего брата? 6. Во дворе гуляет собака наших соседей. 7. В комнате находятся вещи нашего хозяина. 8. Там лежат учебники студентов. 9. Это сумка моей тети. 10. В коридоре стоят лыжи моей сестры. 11. Квартира моего друга – на соседней улице. 12. Отец моей подруги – профессор университета. 13. Принесите костюм моего брата. 14. Это книга моего коллеги. 15. Какого цвета глаза Анны? 16. Сестра Виктора учится в нашем университете. 17. Самойлова – любимая актриса моей мамы. 18. Ты уже видел новую машину Тома и Джейн?

TEST

a) Choose the right word in brackets.

1. She gave me some useful … (advice, advices) but I didn’t listen.

2. I am surprised at the variety of … (cheese, cheeses) that have appeared in our shops.

3. Could you pass me … (a glass, glass) of water? This table is made of … (a glass, glass).

4. By the … (time, times) the bell rang I managed to read the poem several … (times, time). It seemed to me the best piece of literature of all … (times, time).

5. I was presented with a dozen … (handkerchives, handkerchiefs)

6. I need a piece of … . The house was near … (the wood, wood)

7. She looked at him with … . It’s … Ann isn’t here. (a pity, pity).

8. I bought two … (dozen, dozens) eggs at the market. Pack the eggs in … (dozens, dozen). Is it … (egg, an egg) in your sandwich?

9. He cooked … (potato, potatoes) for dinner.

10. We’ve looked at the menu and we’d all like … (chicken, chickens).

11. The Bolshoi Theatre is our … (country, country’s) best opera house.

12. From this tower I can get a … (bird’s, birds) view of the city.

13. They gave him some old clothes of … (Simon, Simon’s).

14. Look at the picture of my … (mother, mother’s). She is a person in the picture.

15. Look at this picture of my … (mother’s, mother). It belongs to her.

16. Here are some photos of my … (friends, friends’). – They are shown in the picture.

17. Here are some photos of my … (friends, friends’). They belong to them.

18. This is a few … (hour’s, hours’) work.

19. It’s twenty … (minutes’, minute’s) walk.

20. Don’t forget to bring me some of your fantastic … (carrot, carrot’s) cake, will you?

21. … (Steve and Jane’s, Steve’s and Jane’s) stories were completely different.

22. Schoolchildren have their physical training lessons twice a week. … (A number/The number) of them is not limited by the Ministry of Education. … (A number/the number) of schools have even more classes of physical culture.

23. … (Peter and Helen’s, Peter’s and Helen’s) flat is large and comfortable.

24. You can buy this medicine at the … (chemist, chemist’s).

25. Britain’s … (export, exports) to the US have fallen recently.

26. Her new job offers her the opportunity to work at the … (company, company’s) office in Tokyo.

27. No one dared to disobey the … (Commander-in-Chief’s, Commander’s-in-Chief) orders.

28. My … (father-in-law’s, father’s-in-law) house is in Woolen Street.

29. 10, Downing Street is … (the Prime Minister of England’s, the Prime Minister’s of England) official residence.

30. He had a few (forget-me-nots, forgets-me-not) in his hands.

31. We found the boy looking through a (children’s, children) magazine.

32. Nobody could explain the young girl’s behaviour at … (yesterday’s, yesterday) dinner.

33. …(My friend Peter’s, my friend’s Peter) watch was five minutes slow.

34. Various … (fruit, fruits) grow in this country.

35. Two … (hundred, hundreds) delegates took part in the forum.

36. She has got long blond … (hair, hairs). All areas of the skin are covered in tiny … (hair, hairs).

37. All plane passengers were searched at the … (custom’s, customs).

38. There isn’t enough room in the car for all the … (luggage, luggages).

39. Make sure, you arrange some … (accommodation, accommodations) before you leave.

40. This … (means, mean) of transport saves energy.

41. The wagon is being pulled by two … (oxen, ox) .

42. I told the children a fable about … (wolves, wolfs).

43. In science class, we studied various … (phenomena, phenomenon) of nature.

44. When I was in the park yesterday I saw a lot of … (gooses, geese).

45. Every day I read in the newspaper about a new … (crises, crisis) in the world.

46. Selfridges/Selfridges’s is one of the biggest stores in London as well as Harrods/Harrod’s.

47. We shall meet at … (“Arrivals and departures”, “Arrival and departure”).

48. Write … (a 150-word, 150-words) essay on the topic.

49. I shall be back in … (an hour or two, an hour or two’s) time.

50. Too much … (knowledge, knowledges) makes the head bald.

b) Choose the correct form.

Dear Polly,

Thank/thanks for your letter. Your news was/were interesting. We must talk soon. What about us? Well, we are living on the outskirt/outskirts of town, not far from the company headquarter/headquarters where Bill works. We’ve spent nearly all our saving/savings on the house. That wouldn’t matter so much if I hadn’t crashed the car last week and done some damage/damages to the front of it. More bills! But at least I wasn’t hurt. The house is nice actually, but the surrounding/surroundings isn’t/aren’t very pleasant. We are on a very busy crossroad/crossroads.

I’m doing the course I told you about. Statistics is/are an easy subject, but economics give/gives me problems.

I am looking forward to seeing you soon.

With love.

Rita.

c) Use the nouns in the singular or plural. Retell the text.

Times and Crimes

(Thief) have been around for (century), probably for as long as (human), but armed (robbery) is a more recent (phenomenon). Unfortunately (woman) always have been (victim) of rape and domestic violence. (Forgery) has been around ever since printing has been used to make (money) or produce (document). Rich people or their (child) are sometimes kidnapped and are not set free until a ransom has been paid.

The twentieth (century) saw the appearance of many organized (crime) such as hijacking and drug-smuggling or drug-trafficking. Statistics show an alarming rise in the rate of violent (crime) and (crime) to do with the illegal sale of arms across the world. Perhaps the most recent crime of all is hacking (computer) to access (information) that helps (competitor) in industry. This increase in international (crime) makes one wonder whether it is still true to say “(Crime) doesn’t pay!”