Gender of Nouns Countable/Uncountable Nouns Synthetical/ Analytical/ Double Genitive

In this unit you will learn:

Gender of Nouns

Countable/Uncountable Nouns

Synthetical/ Analytical/ Double Genitive

Reading

Read the following fragment from Chapter 2 (The Glorious Whitewasher) of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Underline the nouns and divide them into concrete, abstract, proper and common nouns:

SATURDAY MORNING was come, and all the summer world was bright and fresh, and brimming with life. There was a song in every heart; and if the heart was young the music issued at the lips. There was cheer in every face and a spring in every step. The locust trees were in bloom and the fragrance of the blossoms filled the air. Cardiff Hill, beyond the village and above it, was green with vegetation, and it lay just far enough away to seem a Delectable Land, dreamy, reposeful, and inviting.

Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of whitewash and a long-handled brush. He surveyed the fence, and all gladness left him and a deep melancholy settled down upon his spirit. Thirty yards of board fence, nine feet high.

Life to him seemed hollow, and existence but a burden. Sighing, he dipped his brush and passed it along the topmost plank; repeated the operation; did it again; compared the insignificant whitewashed streak with the far-reaching continent of unwhite washed fence, and sat down on a tree-box discouraged. Jim came skipping out at the gate with a tin pail, and singing "Buffalo Gals." Bringing water from the town pump had always been hateful work in Tom's eyes, before, but now it did not strike him so. He remembered that there was company at the pump.

White, mulatto, and negro boys and girls were always there waiting their turns, resting, trading playthings, quarreling, fighting, skylarking. And he remembered that although the pump was only a hundred and fifty yards off, Jim never got back with a bucket of water under an hour- and even then somebody generally had to go after him. Tom said:

"Say, Jim, I'll fetch the water if you'll whitewash some." Jim shook his head and said:

"Can't, Mars Tom. Ole missis, she tole me I got to go an' git dis water an' not stop foolin' roun' wid anybody. She say she spec' Mars Tom gwine to ax me to whitewash, an' she tole me go 'long an' 'tend to my own business- she 'lowed she'd 'tend to de whitewashin'." "O, never you mind what she said, Jim. That's the way she always talks.

Gimme the bucket- I won 737b12h 't be gone only a minute. She won't ever know."

Ways with Words

Try to translate Jim's speech. It is very hard to understand what he is saying due to the fact that first of all he speaks American English, and he is highly uneducated, so he can't speak grammatically correct

Learn some Americanisms which you might need when you hear spoken American English.

The following are expressions typical of North American English. They are used only in informal speech:

He's gonna wait here. = He is going to wait here.

They wanna come at five. = They want to come at five.

I gotta go now. = I have got to go now.

I otta be there at noon. = I ought to be there at noon.

He ain't * at home. = He is not at home.

* Ain't means am not, isn't, aren't. It is less frequently used than the other Americanisms.

In the sentence: There was a song in every heart, the preposition in introduces an Adverbial of place. Now let's learn some expressions containing the preposition in:

in all probability = după toate probabilitătile;

in all together = în total;

in the beginning = la început;

in contrast to/with = în contrast cu;

in common with = în comun cu;

in itself = în sine;

in order to/ that = ca să, pentru ca;

in particular = în special;

in the place of/ in lieu of = în loc de;

in practice = în principiu;

in progress = în curs de;

in print = tipărit;

in return for = în schimbul a;

in quantity = în cantitate;

in search of = în căutare de;

in spite of = în ciuda faptului că;

in such a manner = în asa mod;

in sum = pe scurt, în două vorbe;

in that = în aceea că;

in token of = în semn de, ca dovadă;

in turn = cu rândul;

to be interested in = a fi interesat de;

to result in = a avea ca rezultat;

to succeed in (+doing sth.) = a avea succes în; a reusi în.(e.g. She succeeded in passing the exam).

Now practice these expressions in sentences of your own.

Look for the preposition at in the text. Now learn some expressions containing the preposition at:

at best = în cel mai bun caz;

at a disadvantage = în dezavantaj;

at ease = linistit, pe îndelete;

at full load = cu sarcină plină/ totală;

at intervals = la intervale, intermitent;

at liberty = fără restrictii, liber;

at most = cel mult;

at once = imediat;

at request = la cerere;

at right angle = la unghi drept;

at stake = în joc;

Now practise these expressions in sentences of your own.

Grammar Reference

The Noun

There are four kinds of nouns in English:

abstract nouns (love, freedom thought);

common/concrete nouns (book, table);

collective nouns (family, herd);

proper nouns (Greg, London).

Gender

Masculine: men and boys (he)

Feminine: women, girls, cars, ships, countries (she)

Neuter: babies, animals, things (it)

Notes:

- Babies and animals are referred to as male or female when we know their sex.

- Cars, ships and countries are sometimes referred to as female but the neuter is more common in modern English.

• Most common nouns referring to people have the same form whether male or female: teacher (man or woman), doctor, etc.
• Some common nouns referring to people have different forms for male and female:

Actor - actress  gentleman - lady policeman - policewoman

Barman - barmaid heir - heiress steward - stewardess

Bachelor - spinster husband - wife son - daughter

Boy - girl  hero - heroine uncle - aunt

Bridegroom - bride host - hostess widower - widow

Duke - duchess monk - nun waiter - waitress

Emperor - empress nephew - niece

Father - mother prince - princess

• Some common nouns referring to animals have different forms for male and female:

Bull - cow  cock - hen tiger - tigress

Drake - duck gander - goose stag - doe

Dog - bitch lion - lioness stallion - mare

Countable/uncountable nouns

Countable nouns are those which can be counted: one book, two books, three books. Countable nouns can be singular or plural: This cup is empty. These cups are full.

Uncountable nouns are those which cannot be counted. Uncountable nouns can only be singular: The water is cold. The weather is fine. The coal has a good quality.

They take a singular verb and are not used with a/an. The words some, any, no, (a) little, much, plenty of etc can be used with uncountable nouns.

Uncountable nouns are:

Names of substances (materials, liquids, gases. etc): leather, paper, wood, metal, silver, water, coffee, bread, meat, butter, wine, flour

Activities and sports: running, swimming, shopping, gardening, football, tennis

Games ending in -s: billiards, darts, bowls, dominos etc

Diseases ending in -s: mumps, rickets

Names of subjects: history, mathematics, music, physics

Languages: Russian, Greek, German, English

Abstract nouns: love, hope, advice, information, intelligence, beauty, hunger, poverty

Collective nouns: furniture, luggage, equipment, accommodation, traffic

Nouns which may be uncountable or countable

Some nouns are uncountable when we talk about the substance, material or abstract concept but countable when we talk about one specific item.

Chicken/a chicken, stone/a stone, hope/ a hope, education/an education

Some nouns which are usually uncountable can be countable when we refer to a particular variety.

Wine/an excellent wine, fruit/ a very sweet fruit

In informal English, drinks and some types of food which are normally uncountable can be counted, particularly when we are making an order in a restaurant

Many uncountable nouns can be made countable by means of partitives:

a piece of cake/information/baggage/advice/furniture/work/equipment;

a glass of water/beer/wine; a slice of bread a tube of toothpaste

a jar of jam; a loaf of bread a bar of soap/chocolate

a sheet of paper;  a pot of tea a blade of grass

an item of news;  a cup of tea a flash of lightning

a drop of water/oil; a lump of sugar a clap of thunder

a box of chocolates; a game of chess a cube of ice

a metre of cloth;  a kilo of meat a roast of meat

a packet of biscuits; a bottle of wine a pint of beer

a pound of flour;  a whiff of garlic a gust of wind

a puff of smoke  a beam of light a breath of fresh air

a strip/acre of land  a pile of rubbish an article of clothing

a grain of sand  a stack of hay a ball of string

a set of cutlery  a word of advice a roar of laughter

an attack of fever  a state of emergency a stroke of luck

a piece of music  a wink of sleep a feat of passion

The Genitive/Possessive Case

Form:

• The 'S Genitive/the Synthetical Genitive: the boy's hat, the boys' hat
• The OF Genitive/the Analytical Genitive: the director of the museum
• Double Genitive: a work of Milton's

1. The Inflected/Synthetical Genitive (the 'S Genitive)

Form

• 's is used with singular and plural nouns not ending in -s: a man's job, men's work, the butcher's (shop), a child's voice, the children's room
• A simple apostrophe (') is used with plural nouns ending in -s: the girls' school, the Smiths' car
• Other names ending in -s can take 's or the apostrophe alone: Mr Jones's/ Mr Jones' house
• With compounds, the last word takes the 's: my brother-in-law's guitar
• 's can only be used after initials: the MP's briefcase, the VIP's escort
• 's is omitted in the phrase for . sake: for goodness sake
• 's is often added to a noun phrase (the group genitive): the Duke of York's eldest son

If joint possession is intended, the apostrophe is placed on the last element: Tom and Mary's baby

Individual possession requires an apostrophe with each element of the series: America's and England's problems.

• The local genitive is used to denote institutions of various kinds (restaurants, churches, theatres, etc), a home, a shop: at Joe's, at the chemist's, at my parents' (home)

The synthetical genitive ('s genitive) is used after:

• nouns denoting people or other beings (animate nouns): John's lecture, my parents' advice, the horse's neck, the dog's bark
• nouns denoting measurement, time, space, quantity, size, distance, weight: a two months' practice, yesterday's newspaper
• in expressions of money + worth: ten dollars' worth of sugar
• collective nouns: the government's decisions, the Parliament's laws
• geographical names, vehicles, natural phenomena, etc.: England's mountains, the spaceship's crew, the afternoon's heat.
• names of seasons, months, days: a winter's day/a winter day
• some expressions (these have an alternative with of): the water's edge, at his journey's end, the water's surface, for charity's sake
• some other expressions (they do not have an alternative with of): at arm's length, within arm's reach, at a stone's throw, their money's worth
• some idiomatic expressions: to one's heart's content, to my mind's eye, to a hair's breadth, at one's wit's end, a bird's eye view

2. The OF Genitive

Form:

It is formed by means of a noun which is preceded by the preposition of: the cover of the book. It is mainly used with inanimate nouns

Usage:

• In titles and formal speech or written text: the Poetical Works of Alfred Tennyson, the welfare of the people
• If a genitive governs another genitive, the former is expressed by the of- phrase: the house of my sister's neighbour
• With nouns coming from adjectives: the contempt of the rich
• When the governing noun is modified by a long phrase or clause: the intelligence of the woman across the street

3. The Double Genitive

Form:

It is made up of the inflected genitive ('s) and the of genitive: a nephew of Queen Mary's, lyrics of Hugo's, two friends of Jack's

Compare:

A portrait of Dali (one portraying him) - a portrait of Dali's (one painted by or belonging to him)

Controlled Practice

Translate into English:

a. Inventatorul telefonului este Graham Bell

b. S-au făcut progrese semnificative în medicina si s-au descoperit medicamente împotriva cancerului .

c. El foloseste multe masini-unelte produse in Franta

d. Doi prieteni de-ai lui John i-au facut o surpriza de ziua lui.

e. Tatăl studentului a venit la universitate să vorbească cu profesorul de chimie.

Translate into English, taking into account the form of uncountable nouns:

a. Aceasta este o mobila prea veche pentru gustul nostru.

b. Orice informatie despre jaful de la banca este vitala.

c. Nu mai am strop de energie ca sa urc si panta aceasta.

d. Un fulger urmat de un tunet asurzitor i-au speriat pe copii.

e. Alaltaieri am cumparat cinci sapunuri si astazi nu gasesc nici unul.

f. Bagajul meu se afla între cele doua doamne grase.

g. Mi-a dat un sfat foarte important: sa nu manânc pâine dupa miezul noptii.

h. I-am rugat sa ne cumpere patru pâini de Extrapan.

i. A baut trei cafele si l-a apucat ameteala.

j. Povestea din razboi cu o pasiune extraordinara.

Match:

Use the correct form of the verb:

a. The audience (is, are) asked to pay attention to the speech.

b. My family (has, have) been living in that chalet for years.

c. The majority (was, were) against the war.

d. That team (is, are) all children.

e. Mathematics (was, were) my favourite subject.

f. Politics (is, are) a matter of no interest to me.

g. The police (has, have) been chasing the thieves for weeks.

h. The audience (has, have) just come back and (is, are) taking (its, their) seats.

i. Your heroics (was, were) useless in that situation.

Put into the possessive and carry out any necessary changes in the wordings of the sentences:

a. Mary, the daughter of the baker, is my best friend.

b. I have done that for the sake of my cousin George.

c. During the holiday of three weeks of their friends, the children had to go to the mountains.

d. The novels of Dickens and Hardy are very often read nowadays.

e. The nephew of Chris and Liz is very smart.

f. She took the coat of somebody else.

g. There is a magazine belonging to Mr. Smith in almost every country.

h. There was a great variety of cars for the disabled in the fair.

i. The speech of the President was received with applause.

j Cotroceni Palace is the residence of the President of Romania.

Rewrite the following sentences using the underlined words in the possessive case. Make any other necessary changes in the wordings of the sentences:

a. The jam I bought weighed half a kilogram.

b. Mike bought some flowers costing a dollar.

c. The highway to the next city was ninety kilometres.

d. The movie lasted three hours.

e. They granted them an interview lasting half an hour.

f. His mother bought some books which cost ten pounds.

g. I have seen a building of 450 metres in the city of Atlanta.

h. The man on the street weighs 250 kilograms.

i. It was a journey of ten days.

Supply the correct collective nouns. Choose from the following: bevy, bunch, swarm, row, fleet, pack, colony, clump, board:

a. My cousin was bitten by a ... of bees.

b. She ate a ... of grapes in two minutes.

c. Although the forest caught fire, some .... of trees were still untouched.

d. A ..... of buildings was destroyed by the earthquake.

e. The teacher told them that wolves attack in ... .

f. George bought Mary a box of chocolates and a ... of flowers on her birthday.

g. The ..... of managers decided to buy the product.

h. A .... of ships had been sent to rescue the survivors.

i. A .... of termites was eating my furniture.

j. A ..... of boys was laughing at the clown.

Put in the missing partitive:

stretch, acre, sip, spell, scrap, pinch, bowl, drop(2), litre, lock, hint, metre, beam, gust

a. You should add a ... of salt and mix the ingredients.

b. A ... of cloth is not enough to make the dress you have dreamt of.

c. She wrote the address on a .... of paper.

d. This morning a .... of wind broke two windows of my house.

e. My neighbours send for the police at the slightest ..... of trouble.

f. They would like a .... of pineapple juice.

g. George has never drunk beer so he tried a .... of mine.

h. They will open a new ..... of road between Tokyo and Osaka.

i. A ... of light from your candle was enough to find the lost ring.

j. A .... of soup will help you get rid of your nausea.

k. They went inside as they had felt a .... of rain.

l. That .... of land is very rich in oil.

m. The painting needs a .... of green here and it will be perfect.

n. The killer cut a .... of hair of the victim to have a souvenir.

o. They've had .... of good weather so far.

Translate into English:

a. Divortul copiilor vecinilor nostri va avea loc luna viitoare.

b. Spune-i domnului Cole, amantul prietenei varului meu, ca daca îl prind îi rup oasele!

c. Casa cea noua a administratorului parcului national al orasului nostru are cel putin treizeci de camere.

d. Am putea sa ne întâlnim la scoala, nu avem de mers mai mult de 15 minute pâna la aeroport.

e. Are 93 de ani si la vârsta ei o calatorie de 12 ore cu trenul este sinucidere curata.

f. O turma de oi mi-a invadat curtea; fii atent, turma ta se împrastie în toate directiile!

g. Face bagajele de cel putin patru ore; daca ea avea un singur bagaj nu dura atât de mult.

h. Trebuie sa aflam toate informatiile necesare; fiecare informatie este vitala.

i. Piesa noastra de mobilier este foarte moderna, dar mobila de dinainte de razboi era de mare clasa.

Write a before the nouns which are used as countable nouns:

a. I am lucky to have had . very good education. . Education does not just take place at school.

b . Beauty is my favourite concern. Mary is . real beauty.

c. His eyes are not very sensitive to . light. Is there . light in Mike's room?

d. Tom has proved of . great help to me. I have to call my family because I desperately need . help.

e. I don't usually drink . tea. I'll have two cappuccinos and . whisky, please.

f. He has . great love of art. Sometimes . love can solve all the problems.

g. You can't get a job without . experience. I'm so glad I read it: it was . wonderful experience.

h. The statue is built of . marble. That is . beautiful stone.

i . Fear is a protective, natural human feeling. He has . terrible fear of snakes.

j. You were so hungry that you ate . whole turkey. I like red meat but I don't eat . pork.

k. John thinks that's . really beautiful painting. . Painting can be a really relaxing activity.

l. I usually eat . fruit for dinner. That's . very unusual fruit. What is it?

m. This meal has . potato in it. Would you like . baked potato?

Choose the right word from the brackets: 

a. The scissors (was/were) on the table a few minutes ago.

b. His luggage (was/were) found without much effort.

c. A (little/few) knowledge (is/are) as dangerous as having none.

d. (much./many) women on the boat (was/were) getting seasick from the waves.

e. There (is/are) several means of reaching the chalet on daylight.

f. Billiards (is/are) a very interesting game.

g. The news printed in that magazine (is/are) always accurate.

h. We should buy (much/many) furniture; there (isn't/aren't) (much/many) chairs and tables here.

i. How (much/many) information do you need to get it done?

j. You gave me (much/many) ideas about the job but very (little/few) advice.

Fill in the blanks with one of the following words: bar, bit, item, piece, slice:

a. He wanted to buy a . of chocolate but the shop was closed.

b. There are three outrageous . of news in today's paper.

c. I cut several . of bread for my kid sister.

d. They will buy a new . of furniture for their bedroom.

e. We are allowed to take four . of luggage in our trip.

f. With a . of luck you can still catch the train.

g. You can't eat that . of cold beef left because it is off.

h. This is a . of good advice, you should take it into consideration.

Use either the analytical or the synthetical genitive with the nouns in brackets:

a. They painted only one (wall, their room).

b. The (neighbours, friends) were invited to the party.

c. Do you know the (Moon, distance) from the Sun?

d. We are amazed by (that girl, lies).

e. The Amazonian jungle is one of the (world, natural wonders).

f. Your business depends on his (country, future).

g. When they got to the (bottom, the stairs) they realized that was not their house.

h. I'll never forget (Helen, words).

i. Have you read (today, newspaper)?

j. Father is trying to fix the (leg, chair).

Fill in the blanks with nouns derived from the words in brackets:

a. He is a fantastic (basketball), but also a good volley (play).

b. We were able to give a satisfactory (explain) for our (behave).

c. Children have a great deal of (curios).

d. The (begin) of the book was boring, but the (end) was more exciting.

e. There is a great (differ) between to remind and to remember.

f. She will give the detective a detailed (describe) of the thief.

g. (Visit) are requested to sign their names in the book.

h. The (advertise) will have to be published in the morning paper.

In the following fragment, articles are missing. Put in a/ an / the as appropriate:

I remember in dim and distant past my children being obsessed by man called Bob Dylan. I have no idea if he's still alive, but impact he had in sixties and seventies was huge. I remember one song called 'Blowing in Wind'; my son - he's in his fifties now - sang it all day and all night, month in and month out, for several years. And it was so silly: 'How many times must man look up before he can see sky?' I mean, question like that can't be taken seriously, can it? And, 'How many times must white dove fly before it sleeps in sand?' And then answer to profound questions: 'Answer, my friend, is blowing in wind.' Generation after mine didn't know what life was all about, did they? We did, of course. 'Very thought of you.' 'Just way you look tonight.' 'Night they invented champagne.' They were real songs. But what came next? 'How many years can mountain exist before it is washed to sea?' And there was whole generation singing alone to song. Funny world we live in, I say it's funny world we live in.

Put one of the nouns in each of the sentences.

dislikes, travels, authorities, matters, heavens, hopes, expenses, means, sights, terms, sands, feelings, odds, interests, talks, basics, arms, movements

a. The Blue Killer was never arrested and was never handed over to the (.).

b. The (.) opened and, we didn't have any umbrellas, so we got soaked.

c. The actor thinks he can win the award but we suspect the (.) are against him.

d. What is the purpose of your going to Hawaii? Well, just to see the (.).

e. There's no need for us to discuss the (.) of this marriage, I suppose.

f. Don't be rude! What about her (.), can't you imagine you hurt her?

g. Civilians are forbidden to carry (.) during peacetime.

h. Peace (.) in Palestine are meant to put an end to the guerrilla fights.

i. I suppose they won't claim travel (.) for their voyage to the island of Crete!

j. My boss's likes and (.) shouldn't be of any interest to the employees.

k. I'm warning you, if you keep teasing my daughter, start considering yourself on shifting (.).

l. Jack trusts his aunt, he tells her all his (.) and fears.

m. He's up and about, isn't he? I hear that he is off on his (.) again.

n. Have you found out what our enemies (.) are over the following days?

o. I'm sure the gangsters discussed a range of important (.) since the Godfather was present.

p. We'll have to get back to (.) to understand the grammar of the English language.

q. Try as I might, I won't find any (.) of transport at this hour of the night.

r. In the (.) of the citizens, could you answer these questions, Mr. Mayor?

Write a new sentence as similar as possible in meaning to the original sentence, using the word given. This word must not be altered in any way.

a. All the money they managed to earn was spent on clothes. (proceeds)

b. She wasn't as innocent as it seemed to be. (means)

c. George got on very well with his father-in-law. (terms)

d. There's little chance of raining this week. (odds)

e. Parents don't agree with their children's liberal ideas. (eye)

f. They play football, even if it's snowing, raining or extreme cold. (weathers)

g. I don't think John is planning to buy that expensive house. (designs)

h. It will be best for her to help them right now. (interests)

i. Once the causes of Mike's death are made public, the policemen will arrest the suspects. (open)

j. She is convinced her daughter is going to be as successful as herself. (high)