Ooh! This English language ...
Although I am supposed to be in a pretty good level by now, I still have an embarrassing trouble with articles. I HATE ARTICLES. I use all the tricks to beat this weakness, but it just didn't work. Sometimes it is totally illogic.
My teacher told me, it is all about countable and non-countable nouns, if u master them, the problem of articles will just vanish. Okay man, but how on earth can I master the count and non-count nouns when Food and People are countable, and Evidence and Advice are uncountable :(
Peoples, Foods ... but not Evidences, and Advises!!! Can we count fishes???!!
This whole thing doesn't make any sense to me ...
Any English teacher out there ... HELP!!!
...
Okay enough crazy English, let's move to another happy subject, I'd like to congratulate one of my friends who got engaged lately, and as most of the girls do, she got a little frightened from the whole idea of marriage after her engagement, she is that kind of girl who is full of ambition, and totally dependent on herself, and achieved a lot in her professional life, she is not afraid of losing this, this is not the issue, she is just doubting if she have made the right choice, which is in my opinion is a totally normal feeling. There is no way to know if he is the right choice. Even if the couples had known each other since childhood, there will always be a risk, and the challenge is to take that risk. So be strong my friend and go on. I will take this opportunity and dedicate this song for you my friend, and I invite everybody else let's share this rhythm and enjoy.
11 comments:
ohh sorry i'm not teacher any more if u told me last year !!!!;)
happy news for your friend
take care sweet libyan girl
Hence you are learning English the American way, I am afraid I won’t be able to give you any advice regarding this as my English knowledge based on UK method, however I could give you this link for an American site which gives tips about countable and non countable nouns best of luck :o)
http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwesl/egw/nouns/online.htm
My best wishes to your friend on her engagement, Mabrook.
Hi:
Ohh, Thanks deary, It was a really impressive lovely song. I am sure it will touch (your friend)deeply....LOL.
Regarding English....Try to gain as much as you can WITHOUT pressure..I always say: English s not my mother tongue and everybody knows this for which think it's Ok to have some few mistakes from time to time....good idea?
Again thanks alot..I am sure (your friend) will have the bravecy and courge to announce it loudly sooooooooon
gg
Practice makes perfect and the more you try the better you become, for me I never learnt these terms or grammar but if I read something I know its right or wrong naturally like us and arabic ... dont worry it takes time but i believe you will PASS with flying colours
Congratulations to your friend and I understand how she feels as it is a daunting task and may allah be with her (& him)
Fe Aman Allah
My advice to your friend is to follow her instincts and they are usually are right.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7NjHtxjDRQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll_G4QFYVhA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6NiZitg9l8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuzswRpQhCI
By the way Happy Thanksgiving in advance :-)
Hello , Congr. for your friend , wish get over this feeling.
regarding the countable and non-countable, what I do is to try to count it, for example:
(a)- when thinking of "olive oil", you say 1 cup of oil, or spoon of oil
(b)- when it comes to "cans", you say 2 cans, 1 can , & so on.
in case (a), you couldn't give a quantity for the oil directly, you had to use another word like cup, spoon, etc. so it's uncountable.
in case (b) you can specify a quantitiy directly. so it's countable.
other examples:
people => 3 people (logical)=> countable
sugar => 3 sugars (not logical)=> non-countable
screen => 3 screens (logical)=>
countable
love => 3 loves (not logical) => non-countable
I'm not an english teacher , just sharing how I figure it out, with ya, good luck
Using Articles with Countable and Uncountable Nouns
A countable noun always takes either the indefinite (a, an) or definite (the) article when it is singular. When plural, it takes the definite article if it refers to a definite, specific group and no article if it is used in a general sense.
The guest of honor arrived late.
You are welcome as a guest in our home.
The guests at your party yesterday made a lot of noise.
Guests are welcome here anytime.
Uncountable nouns never take the indefinite article (a or an), but they do take singular verbs. The is sometimes used with uncountable nouns in the same way it is used with plural countable nouns, that is, to refer to a specific object, group, or idea.
Information is a precious commodity in our computerized world.
The information in your files is correct.
Sugar has become more expensive recently.
Please pass me the sugar.
great news for ur friend i wish her all the best, i got ur message DR i will post soon , hope this notes will help u get ur amirican english spot on, gd luck sis .
N.Ali...
:) thank you,so u r a resigned teacher, hmmm.
thanx anyway.
Weldemdina...
do u know that Hence is rarely used in American sopken language?
it doesn't matter that u r not able to help, what matter is ur intention, thanx for the link.
Allah ybarek feek.
Good Girl...
Oh at last some one mentioned the song :) I tut it will touch every one, not only my friend ;)
thanx for the advice I 'll keep that in mnd.
A_akak...
the problem that I want to be fluent in a very short period of time, and that of course next to impossible when I still do these mistakes.
thanx for the encouragement though.
yeah a daunting task, hope u go through it smoothly.
glad u r still around, and painting our comment sections with ur colorful comments :)
Fe 7efth Allah
MusicLover...
yes she did, and she is doing aright right now.
another nice voice. my posts are really pale without ur links.
"By the way Happy Thanksgiving in advance :-)"
what that mean? I 'll ask my teacher ;)
HEBA...
thanx for ur wishes.
Before it was as simple as u explained, and I used ur method and it was working, but not any more.
actually u can say three sugars, and u can even say two coffees, in some occasion of course, but how to recognize these special situations and relate it to the definite and indefinite articles, here is my dilemma.
anyway I really appreciate ur effort sweeti.
dusk till dawn...
Oh man! I can't believe that the groom got some moments from his busy life to pass by her, and look for this piece of information for me, oh I feel so honored... lucky me.
ok.. I am just kidding I am really pleased to see a comment headed with ur name :) hear from u soon.
and thanx alot for the grammer hints.
thank u all
OK - I hope this helps you with articles. They are tricky and need practice.
a, an , the and no article:
We use a or an :
- with jobs (a doctor)
- to talk about a person or thing for the first time
We use the :
- to talk about a person or thing for the second, third, fourth, etc. time
- when there is only one or one in a particular place (the world, the theatre)
- with superlatives ( the worst, the greatest)
We don't use an article
- to talk about people or things in general (Libyans, apples)
- for most cities and countries (Tripoli, Libya)
Mrs. Khadija
I think you have reached the level when you have to learn words and expression case-by-case, as native speakers do, rather than searching for rules and applying them (they of course have a legion of exception in English, as in any other natural language).
The mere fact that the equivalents of the same nouns in other languages behave differently shows that the logic of "countable" doesn't work very much.
Your English is excellent IMO.
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