Grammar topic
Articles, nouns and quantifiers
Before every noun, English asks two questions: can you count it, and does the listener know which one you mean? The answers decide between a, an, the or no article, and between much and many or few and little. Start with the articles, then move on to countable nouns and the quantifiers.
Lessons in learning order
Each lesson explains one rule and ends with a 20-question drill.
Articles: a, an and the
New or known, sound not letter, and the zero article for general statements.
A vs an: choose by sound
Choose a before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound. Spelling is not the test; your ears are.
The or no article: general and specific
The points to one specific thing. No article speaks about things in general. The difference changes the meaning of a sentence.
Articles with school, hospital and bed
No article when the place is used for its normal purpose; a or the when it is just a building or a specific one.
The with geographic names: the UK, the USA, no article
Most single country names take no article. The takes over with plural names, group names and rivers, seas, oceans and mountain ranges.
Countable and uncountable nouns
The two noun groups, the words that only work with each, the measures that make uncountables countable, and the nouns with two meanings.
Some vs any
Some for positive sentences, any for negatives and questions, and the polite exceptions that use some.
Much vs many
Many counts things you can number. Much measures what you cannot, and positive sentences prefer a lot of.
How much vs how many: count the noun
How many counts separate things. How much measures an amount, a price or an uncountable idea.
A few vs a little
A few counts things you can number. A little measures what you cannot, and both mean enough.
Few vs little: not enough
Without the little word a, both phrases turn negative: few things and little stuff are not enough.
Too much vs too many: countable and uncountable
Too much takes uncountable nouns such as water and time. Too many takes countable plural nouns such as books and people. Enough goes after an adjective and before a noun.
Each vs every: one by one or all together
Each sees the members of a group one by one. Every sees the whole group together. Both take a singular noun and a singular verb.
Another vs other vs others
Another adds one more of the same kind, other describes different things, and others stands alone as a pronoun.
Both, either and neither: pairs and choices
Both means the two together, either means one or the other, and neither means not the one and not the other. Both and either take a plural view; neither is usually singular.