General English A1 · Lesson 2A

Grammar Bank

The rules behind this lesson — form, use, model sentences and the mistakes to avoid.

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Grammar focus of this lesson

a / an and plural nouns

2 structures

Articles: a / an / the / zero
a/an introduces; the identifies; no article generalises.
I've got this
Rules & form
- ›a / an = one of many, first mention (an hour, a university — go by sound).
- ›the = we both know which one, or there's only one.
- ›No article with plural or uncountable generalisations: Meetings are useful.
- ›No article before most countries, meals and by + transport.
Examples
- “I had a call with a client. The client wants a discount.”
- “Coffee keeps me awake, but the coffee here is terrible.”
- “She goes to work by train.”
Watch out · the life is hard ✗ → life is hard ✓ (general ideas take no article).
Your own example
Plurals and third person -s
The same -s spelling rules work for nouns and for he/she/it verbs.
I've got this
Rules & form
- ›Most words: + s → jobs, meetings, works.
- ›-ch, -sh, -s, -x, -o: + es → watches, boxes, goes.
- ›Consonant + y: y → ies → company/companies, study/studies.
- ›Irregular nouns: person/people, child/children, man/men.
Examples
- “Our companies share two offices.”
- “He finishes at six and catches the metro.”
- “Three people are waiting for you.”
Watch out · Never add -s to an adjective: two bigs offices ✗.
Your own example