NOBODY, FEW, A FEW, LITTLE, A LITTLE,MANY, MUCH, A LOT OF
Illustrative Situations
/. Listen and imitate:
1 — There is something on the table. _ What is it?
— A bottle.
— There is something in the bottle.
— What is it?
— It's water.
2. — I've got something in my hand.
— What is it?
— It's a packet.
3. There isn't anything in the cupboard. It's empty.
4. There isn't anything in this bottle. I'm thirsty.
5. What have you got in your hand5 — I haven't got anything in my hand, or I've got nothing in my hand.
6. What is he doing? — Nothing. He isn't doing anything.
7. What are they drinking? — Nothing. They aren't drinking anything.
8. Richard: Are you doing anything this afternoon? His friend: No, nothing.
Richard: Let's go to the football match. Have you got any
money?
His friend: Not much.
9. Somebody is talking in the corridor.
10. Is anybody talking? — Nobody is talking.
11. Who is talking? — Nobody.
12. I'm helping somebody. Are you helping anybody?
13. She isn't helping anybody. Who are you helping? — Nobody.
14. Stella: There is somebody in the other room. Richard: No, there isn't anybody in that room.
Stella: Yes, there is. Somebody is moving round the room.
Go and see.
(Richard goes out. Then he comes back again.) Stella: Well, who is it? Who is in the other room.'' Richard: The room's empty. There isn't anybody there. But
the window is open, and the wind is blowing.
15. Freddy: Where's my screw-driver? It's somewhere in this
room, I know.
Marian: No, it isn't anywhere in here.
Freddy: And is my hammer anywhere in the house?
Marian: No, nowhere.
16. Has Mr. West many books' Yes, he has a lot of books. How many books has Mr. West? He has about two thousand books.
17. Has Mr. Green many books? No, he has not many books. He has only a few. How many books has Mr Green? He has about fifty books.
18. Has Tom much money' No, Tom has not much money. He has only a little money. How much money has Tom? He has about five shillings Has Tom's father much money? Yes, Tom's father has a lot of money. How much money has he? He has about five hundred pounds. (500)
19. Have we much sugar? Yes, we have a lot of sugar. We have about eleven pounds (II Ib). How much tea have we? We have
not much tea. We have only a pound and a half (ly)
20. There are few flowers in my garden. There are a few flowers in my garden.
21. I have little time today. I have a little time today.
22. There are too many mistakes in your exercises. You have so much fruit in your garden.
Practice
/. Make up your own dialogues. Use the prompts:
e.g. — There is something on the plate, (cheese)
— I think it's cheese.
Prompts: on the shelf — tea; in the bookcase — my dictionary; on the desk — your umbrella; on the bed — my book; under the bed — Kitty's ball e.g — Is there anything in the bag'
— Yes, there are some pencils there.
Prompts: in the cupboard — napkins; in the suitcase — shirts; on the balcony — chairs; on the desk — newspapers; on the wall — pictures e.g. — There is nothing on the desk.
— That's right. There isn't anything here.
Prompts: in the bag; in the cupboard; on the radio-set; in the bookcase; in the fridge; on the shelf; in the drawer e.g. — There is somebody in the office.
— I think it's Mr. Hanson.
Prompts: in the classroom — Miss Black; in the corridor — our teacher; in the library — Mary, in room 24 — Peter; in the dining-room — Mrs. Baxter; in the garden — Mike
e g. — Is there anybody in the classroom?
— No, there is nobody there.
Prompts: in the English study; in the office; in the yard; in the corridor; in room 46; in the street; in the laboratory e.g. — There is nobody in the room.
— That's right. There isn't anybody there.
Prompts: in the laboratory; in the library; in the sitting-room; in room 34; in the dining-room; in the study; in the garden; in the kitchen; in the hall; in the bedroom e.g. — Have you got anything in your bag?
— No, I have nothing there.
Prompts: in your suitcase; in your hand; in your basket; in your fridge; on your balcony
//. Extend the statements. Do it as in the example:
e.g. There is something in the basket, (in the box)
There is something in the basket, but there isn't anything in the box.
1. There is something in the bookcase, (in the cupboard).
2. There is something in the fridge, (on the table)
3. There is something in the bag. (in the suitcase)
4. There is something on the wall, (on the floor)
5. There is something in the bottle, (in the jar)
e.g. There is somebody in the kitchen, (in the living-room)
There is somebody in the kitchen, but there isn't anybody in the living-room.
1. There is somebody in the yard, (in the street)
2. There is somebody in room 12. (in room 13)
3. There is somebody in the laboratory (in the classroom)
4. There is somebody in the corridor, (in the study)
5. There is somebody in the garden, (in the yard)
///. Ask disjunctive questions. Do it as in the examples:
e.g. — There is something on the shelf, isn't there?
— Yes, there is a vase there.
e.g. — There isn't anything in the cupboard, is there?
— Yes, there is a cup there.
e.g. — There is somebody in the study, isn't there?
— No, there is nobody there.
e.g. — There isn't anybody in the laboratory, is there?
— Yes, there are some students there.
e.g. — You've got something in your hand, haven't you?
— No, I haven't got anything.
IV. Make up dialogues as in the examples:
e.g. — Have you got many stamps?
— Yes, I've got a lot of stamps.
Prompts: Dick — books; you — dictionaries; Mary — mistakes; John — records; she — relatives; you — friends; you — cousins e.g. — Is there much light in your study?
— Yes, there is a lot of light in it.
Prompts: sugar/in the sugar-bowl; tea/in the tea-pot; water/in the well; wine/in the bottle; ice-cream/in the freezer; butter — on the dish e.g. — Are there many oranges in the box?
— Yes, there are a lot of oranges there.
Prompts: fruit-trees/in the garden; cups/in the cupboard, books in the bookcase; notebooks/on the desk; newspapers/on the shelf; students/in your group; children/in the park; people/in the room; students/in the hall e.g. — Have you got much money?
— Not much. (= I haven't got much.)
Prompts: time; work; food; chocolate; wine; sugar; bread e.g. — Are there many hotels in your town?
— Not many. (= There aren't many.)
Prompts: shops; offices; bars; banks; schools; cinemas; parks; clubs e.g. — There are some hamburgers in the fridge.
— How many are there?
— There are a lot.
Prompts: eggs; apples; tomatoes; bananas; pears; lemons; oranges e.g. — There is some butter in the fridge.
— How much is there?
— There's a lot.
Prompts: meat; ice-cream; fish; butter; cheese; milk; sausage; cream e.g. — Jack hasn't got many friends, has he?
— Yes, he has. He has very many friends.
Prompts: Kate — French books; they — relatives; John — stamps; Betty — dresses; you — notebooks; Lucy — mistakes e.g. — He hasn't got much money, has he?
— Yes, he's got very much money.
Prompts: you — coffee; she — work; he — free time; you — bread
V. Make questions with "How much" or "How many" (...have you got?)
e.g.chocolate. How much chocolate have you got?
Prompts: pieces of chocolate; bread; sandwiches; bacon; wine;
, ^[es of beer; children; tobacco; cigars; glasses; butter; money; time
yj. Make negative sentences with either "not much" or "not
many"-
e e people/in the hall. There aren't many people in the hall.
Prompts: trees — in the garden; coffee — in the box; books — in the bookcase; eggs — in the fridge; butter — on the dish; children — in the park; students — in the room; pictures — on the walls; sugar — in the packet; cups — in the cupboard; apples — in the basket
VII. Make up dialogues. Use "a little" or "a few":
e.g. — Are there many benches in the park?
— There are only a few.
e.g. — Is there much butter in the fridge?
— There is only a little.
Prompts: people — at the meeting; students — in the classroom; children — at the river; work — in the garden; money — in the purse; pictures — in the book; fish — in this lake; rice — in the packet; sweets — in the vase; ice — in the fridge; tea — in the tea-pot; books — in the bookcase; water — in the well; ink — in your pen; cars — in the streets; ice-cream — in the freezer e.g. — Can you give me some envelopes?
— Yes, certainly. I have a few. e.g. — Can you lend me some butter?
— Certainly. I have a little.
Prompts: stamps; notebooks; paper; matches; chalk; wineglasses; chocolate; sugar; cigarettes; coffee; records e-g. — Can you give me some pencils?
— I'm sorry but I can't. I have very few (pencils). e-g- — Can you lend me some money?
— Sorry but I can't. I have very little (money). Prompts: tea; envelopes; notebooks; butter; apples; flour; bread; sweets; cigarettes; oranges
VIII. Respond. Use either "a few" or "a little":
e-S- — There are no sweets in that box.
— Why, there are a few sweets there. You may take some. 1- There are no apples in the basket. 2. There is no money in the
Purse. 3. There are no cups in the cupboard. 4. There are no cigarettes in the box. 5. There's no bacon in the fridge. 6. There are no notebooks in the drawer. 7. There's no salt in the packet. 8. There are no records on the desk 9. There's no paper on the shelf. 10. There are no magazines in the bookcase.
IX. Paraphrase the following sentences. Use either "little" or "few":
e.g. There aren't many flowers in the park. There are few flowers in the park.
1. There aren't many apple trees in my garden. 2. There isn't much bread in the shop. 3. There isn't much water in the well 4. There aren't many books in the library. 5. There isn't much fish in the lake this season. 6. There isn't much money in the handbag. 7. There aren't many berries in the forest this summer 8. There isn't much tea in the packet. 9. There aren't many records in her collection. 10. There isn't much wine in the bottle.
Fluency
/. Listen to the text. This is Anna's letter about her new apartment to her friend Lily.
Dear Lily!
I've got a new apartment and I'm very busy. First I'm cleaning the apartment. Maria is helping me. She's very friendly, but she's not very hard-working. She's very talkative. We aren't doing much work.
The apartment is small. There isn't much space, but there is a lot of noise. The neighbours are very loud. There are a few windows, so there is some light. But there is a little dirt on the windows We are going to clean them.
There are some chairs and a few small tables. There's no sofa, there are a lot of books in the living-room and some books in the bedroom. There are even a few books in the kitchen. But there isn't much food. There aren't many plates or glasses. There are no knives or forks.
I'm happy (pleased) with the apartment, but I'm very tired. Please, write.
Love
Anna
Questions: What is Anna's news? Who is helping her to clean the apartment? What is Maria like? They aren't doing much work, are they? What is the apartment like? Are the neighbours quiet or loud? Is the room light? What's there on the windows? What furniture is there in the room? Are there many books in the apartment? What cutlery has the apartment got? Is Anna pleased with her new apartment?
//. Tell about Maria's new apartment, (your own apartment) III. Listen to the text:
There is a small demonstration in a London park. There are some demonstrators and some policemen in the park, but only a few. There are not any soldiers, but there are a few tourists. There are also some reporters there; in fact there are quite a few. There ~re also some birds in the trees, but they are not very interested in the demonstration.
Questions: What's there in a London park? Are there many policemen in the park? Who else is there in the park?
IV. Say what is going on in a London park. V. Listen to the text, ask and answer questions on the text:
Susan is going to bake a cake. She has some eggs, butter, sugar and milk. She is going to use only a few eggs and a little butter. She is going to use a lot of sugar. She hasn't got any chocolate. She is going to buy some. It is going to be a chocolate cake.
Questions: What is Susan going to bake? What has she got? What is she going to use to make a cake? Are you going to make a pie or a cake this weekend? What are you going to use?
VI. Listen to the text:
This is a shop. It is a baker's shop. This is bread. There is a lot of bread here. Some of the bread is white and some of it is brown. There is white bread and brown bread. The bread is on a large table.
What is there on this tray? There is a plate. What is there on the plate? There is some bread. Is there a lot of bread on the plate? No, there is not much bread on the plate. There is a small dish on the tray, too. It is a butter dish. There is only a little butter on the dish. There is not a lot of butter on it.
This is a purse. Is it full or empty? It is empty. Is there any money on the table? Yes, there is some money on the table. Is there much money on the table? No, there is not much money on the table. There is only a little.
Look at this picture. Is there a purse in this picture? No, there is not. Is there any money in this picture? Yes, there is a large amount of money in this picture. There is a lot of money. There is a large number of banknotes.
This is a box. It is a square box. Is it empty? No, it is not empty; there is some chalk in it. Is there a lot of chalk in the box? No, there are only a few pieces of chalk in the box. There are five or six pieces of chalk in it.
Here is another box of chalk. Is this box empty? No, this box is full There is a lot of chalk in this box. There are about seventy pieces of chalk in this box. Is all the chalk in the box? No, one piece is not in the box.
These are glasses. One of the glasses has water in it. This glass is quite full. One of the glasses has beer in it. This glass is half empty. The third glass has some wine in it. There is not much wine in this glass. The glass is nearly empty.
Look at this picture. Are there many books on these shelves? No, there are not many. There are only a few books. There are only six.
VII. Read the text. Ask and answer questions. VIII. Listen to the conversation:
Jill: How many eggs are there (in the fridge), Steve?
Steve: A lot. But there aren't any apples and there are only a few tomatoes.
Jill: And milk? How much is there?
Steve: There's a lot of milk, but there isn't much butter. There isn't any cream and we've got too little ice-cream. There's a lot of orange juice but there isn't much beer. There are only a few bars of chocolate. And buy some biscuits, please and some more of that lovely chocolate cake.
IX. Read and role-play the conversation.
X. Situation: You and your husband (wife, mother, etc.) aremaking a shopping list.
XI. Listen to the conversation:
Steve: How many students are there in your class?
Jill: There are fourteen altogether.
Steve: Are there any students from Venezuella?
Jill: No, there aren't from Venezuella. Not in my class.
Steve: Oh, I'm surprised. There are usually students from Venezuella.
Jill: There are some from Asia. There is a student from Japan. And there is a student from China, too.
Steve: And is there a student from Thailand this time?
Jill: No, there isn't. But there is one from Mexico.
Steve: But I expect there are some Dutch students.
Jill: No, there aren't. But there is one from Brazil.
Steve: Is there a student from Sweden?
Jill: Yes, there is. She's a very pretty girl! But she's married, Steve, and you are, too!
XII. Ask and answer questions. Role-play the conversation.
XIIL Imagine you are a teacher at a language school. Answer your friend's questions about your students.
Self check
/. Fill in the gaps with proper indefinite pronouns:
a) something, anything, nothing, somebody, anybody, nobody
1. There is ... in the bag. 2. There isn't... in the room. 3. Give me
... to read. 4. Has ... got a red pencil? 5. Is there ... new? 6. I can see
at the window. Who is that? 7. ... can answer this question.
It's too difficult. 8. — Where is the book? — It's on the table.—
But there is ... there. 9. Is ... absent today?
b) a lot of, many, much, few, a few, little, a little
1. Hurry up! We have very ... time. 2. Don't make so ... noise. The child is sleeping. 3. There are ... tape-recorders in this lab. but very ... TVsets. 4. Is there...or ... snow in England in winter? 5. — Are there ... mistakes in my dictation? — No, your dictation is very good. 6. — Are there ... or ... pictures in this book? — Only... 7. There is still... sugar in my tea. May I ask you for some more sugar? 8. Can you describe the situation in ...words? 9. We haven't got ... pear-trees in our garden, but there are ... apple-trees there. 10. —How ... water is there in the tea-pot? — Very ... . 11. We haven't got... work today. We can go to the cinema. 12. Dick is a sociable man and he has ... friends. 13. Why are there so ... children in the street? It's very late. 14. How ... students are there in your group?
//. Translate into English:
1. Сколько кинотеатров в вашем городе? — Есть несколько, два или три, по-моему. 2. У тебя есть мел? — Да, есть немного. Возьми в ящике. 3. У них слишком много мебели в гостиной. 4. Дай мне что-нибудь почитать. 5. В вазе ничего нет. 6. Сколько у него сестер? — У него нет сестер. У него два брата. 7. В квартире никого нет. 8. На столе что-то лежит. 9. В конторе кто-нибудь есть? 10. Сколько у тебя денег? 11. В парке много детей. 12. В холодильнике нет масла. 13. У меня мало родственников. 14. У тебя много книг? — Нет, очень мало. 15. В нашем городе есть несколько парков. 16. В гостиной нет стульев. 17. Кто-то стоит у окна. 18. В сумке ничего нет. 19. У меня нет времени пойти туда. 20. У меня очень мало бумаги. Я собираюсь купить немного. 21 На этой фабрике много женщин, но очень мало мужчин. 22. У него не много друзей. 23. В чайнике мало чая. 24. У нас не много работы сегодня. 25. В вашем диктанте не много ошибок.
26. В вашем саду много роз? 27 На столе несколько газет. 28. У меня есть немного времени. Я собираюсь сходить в кино.
U N IT 11
GRAMMAR: MODAL VERBS. CAN (ABILITY,