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some, any, much, many and a lot of + countable and uncountable nouns
Countable nouns have a singular and a plural form.
apple apples
Use a / an with singular countable nouns.
a pear an apple
Countable nouns have a plural form.
The apple is in the bag.
The apples are in the bag.
Uncountable nouns don't have a plural form.
The soup is very healthy. NOT The soup are very healthy.
Use the or zero article with uncountable nouns. Don't use a / an or numbers.
meat, rice, the bread, the pasta
NOT a meat, arice, two-breads, three pastas
Use some, any and a lot of with plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns.
Use some in affirmative sentences for an undefined amount of something.
I've got some grapes.
There's some pasta for lunch today.
Use a lot of in affirmative sentences for a large quantity of something.
There are a lot of sweets in this shop.
There's a lot of chicken for dinner.
Use any in negative sentences and questions.
There aren't any vegetables in this dish.
There isn't any soup on the menu.
Is there any cheese in that burger?
Use much in negative sentences with uncountable nouns.
There isn't much bread in the shop.
Use many in negative sentences with plural countable nouns.
There aren't many chips in the bowl.
Use not much and not many for a small amount of something.
There isn't much unhealthy food at our school.
There aren't many sandwiches in the lunchbox.
Verb + -ing
After the verbs like, love, prefer, hate and don't mind, we use the -ing form of the verb.
| Subject | Verb | -ing form |
| I You | like don't like | cooking. studying. |
| He She It | doesn't hate loves likes | chatting. swimming. running. |
| You We They | prefer hate don't mind | playing games. singing. waiting. |
Be careful with the spelling of the -ing form. Check the Spelling Rules on page 127.
Usage
We can use like, love, prefer, hate and don't mind + -ing to talk about everyday things that we like or don't like.
My sister loves running and playing basketball.
My brother prefers eating healthy food.
Do you like doing sport?
Imperatives
| Affirmative | Negative |
| Eat healthy snacks. Go to bed early. Be quiet. | Don't eat unhealthy food. Don't go to bed late. Don't be noisy. |
The imperative form is the base form of the verb. There is only one form of the verb for the singular and plural.
Be active! Cycle to school every day.
Go to the doctor. You're very ill.
To make the negative form of the imperative, use don't and the base form.
Don't eat a lot of sweets or unhealthy snacks.
Usage
We use the affirmative form of the imperative to give advice, instructions and orders.
Drink more water.
Read the questions.
Sit down.
We use the negative form of the imperative to express prohibition.
Don't eat before dinner.
Don't get up late.
Don't talk in class.
