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Learn how to shop smartly for groceries with these expert tips on quantity and selection. Improve your shopping experience today!
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We can use some, any or 'no article' before plural or uncountable nouns. They all mean something similar to a/an before a singular noun. • For example: Can I have a banana? [One banana, but any one is okay.] • Can I have some bananas? [More than one banana, but any small group is okay.]
The difference between some and 'no article': • Often, there isn't a big difference in meaning between 'no article' and some. However, we use some when we are talking about a limited number or amount (but we don't know or we don't want to say the exact quantity).Some means 'a certain number of' or 'a certain amount of'. We don't use some if we are talking about something in general or thinking about it as a category. When we use some, we don't say the exact quantity, but we could probably find it out if we needed to. • For example: Can you buy some milk? [We don't know exactly how much, but I'm talking about a certain amount of milk – I don't want all the milk in the world.]
On the other hand, we use 'no article' when we aren't thinking about the quantity. It's used to talk about the noun as a category, rather than a certain amount of it: We need Ø milk to make pancakes. [I'm thinking about milk as a category. I'm not thinking about a certain amount of milk.] • More examples: We need to buy Ø coffee [I'm talking about coffee as a category, not thinking about the amount]. • Would you like some coffee? [I mean a certain amount of coffee, probably a cup.] • I ate some bread [I mean a certain amount of bread]. • I ate Ø bread [not pasta or rice].
Remember that often it doesn't make a big difference: Do you want Ø tea? [I'm not thinking about the amount.] • Do you want some tea? [I'm thinking about the amount, but the meaning is really the same as the first sentence.]
1) Can you buy pasta? (I'm thinking of the amount we need for tonight.) • 2) We need mushrooms. (I'm not thinking about the amount.) • 3) John drinks coffee every morning. (Coffee, not tea.) • 4) Add water to the soup if it's too thick. (A certain amount of water.) • 5) I really want tea - could you get me a cup? • 6) We could have rice for dinner. (Rice, not pasta.) • 7) I ate bread and two eggs for lunch. (I'm thinking about the amount.) • 8) She bought new furniture. (A certain amount of furniture.) • 9) Did you get carrots? (I'm not thinking about the amount.) • 10) I'd like tea, please! (Tea, not juice or coffee.)
The difference between some and any: • Generally, we use any in the same way as some: when we are thinking about a certain amount or number of something. Remember, usually both some and anycan only be used with plural countable nouns or uncountable nouns, but not usually with singular countable nouns.
We usually use some with affirmative (positive) sentences and any with negatives and questions: • She bought some tomatoes [positive sentence]. • She didn't buy any tomatoes [negative sentence]. • Did she buy any tomatoes [question]?
1: Any can be used in a positive sentence to mean 'it's not important which one'. When we use any in this way, it's most often used with singular countable nouns: You can take any bus. • Pass me any glass. • Come over any Sunday.
2: Any can also be used in positive sentences that have a negative feeling, for example if they include never, hardly, without: Shenever eats any fruit. • We hardly watch any television. • Julia left the house without any money.
3: Some can be used in questions when we expect that the answer will be 'yes'. This is very common in offers and requests: Would you like some coffee? • Do you want some sandwiches? • Could you give me some help? • Could you pass me some sugar?
Compare the following two sentences: Do you have any letters for me? [This is a real question. I don't know if you have any letters or not.] • Do you have some letters for me? [I think you do, so I'm expecting that you will say 'yes'.]
1) Have we got bread? (A real question, I have no idea.) • 2) student will tell you that they don't have enough money. (It doesn't matter which student.) • 3) We've got furniture, but we still need a table. • 4) She bought new clothes. • 5) You can buy beer in pub. (It doesn't matter which pub.)
6) Can I have more juice? (I expect you will say 'yes'.) 7) Did you buy juice? (I have no idea, this is a real question.) 8) I can speak French. 9) Would you like tea? (An offer - I think you will say 'yes'.) 10) In London in the winter there's hardly sunlight.
11) Go into shop on the high street and ask. (It doesn't matter which shop.) • 12) Would you like more meat? (An offer - I think you will say 'yes'.) • 13) There's money in my handbag. • 14) Did you buy chicken? (I expect you will say 'yes', because we talked about it before.) • 5) I don't have sunblockwith me.
16) She never drinks water. 17) Do you have sugar? (I expect you will say 'yes', because usually you have sugar.) 18) It's hard in a new city without friends. 19) I didn't find problems. 20) Could you give me paper? (A request - I expect you will say 'yes'.)
1. When do we use much and when many? • much: uncountable nouns (milk, marmalade, money, time etc.) • many: countable nouns (bottles of milk, jars of marmalade, dollars, minutes etc.) • Examples: • How much money have you got? • How many dollars have you got? • In informal English these questions are often answered with a lot of, lots of. There is no much difference between the two phrases.
2. When do we use a little/little and when a few/few? • a little: non countable nouns (milk, marmalade, money, time etc.) • a few: countable nouns (bottles of milk, jars of marmalade, dollars, minutes etc.) • Examples: • He has a little money left. • He has a few dollars left. • We use few and littlewithout the article a to point out a more negative meaning. • Examples: • A few students of our school know this. (There are some student who know it.) • Few students know this. (It is almost unkonown.)
More exercises • https://www.englishgrammar.org/grammar-exercise-25/
