A singular countable noun never stands alone; use a or an to say what kind of thing or person something is, including jobs; use some with plurals for a number of things or for some but not all.
A Singular countable nouns need a word in front
Countable nouns are singular or plural: a cat, cats; a child, some children; an umbrella, two umbrellas.
Before a singular countable noun you can use a/an. You cannot use it on its own: it needs a, the, my, this or similar.
- See you! Have a good weekend.
- Do you need an umbrella?
- He never wears a coat. (not wears coat)
- Watch out for the dog.
- What a gorgeous day!
- Have you hurt your wrist?
B a/an for what kind of thing or person
a/an classifies: it tells you what kind of thing or person something is. In the plural, use the noun on its own, without some.
Describing features: somebody has a long nose, a kind face, blue eyes, not the long nose.
Jobs take a/an too.
- That's a smart jacket.
- Those are smart jackets. (not some smart jackets)
- A whale is a mammal. Whales are mammals.
- I'm a pessimist. We're pessimists.
- My sister is a vet. My sisters are both vets.
- Aled is a really decent bloke. Aled and Siân are really decent people.
- What a lovely scarf! What horrible weather!
- Kev has a crooked nose. Kev has green eyes.
- Bethan is a paramedic. (not Bethan is paramedic)
- Would you like to be a driving instructor?
C some with plural countable nouns
Some with plurals has two uses.
- A number of, a few of, a pair of. Often it can be left out. Do not use it for things in general (see Unit 75).
- Some but not all.
- I've read some good books lately. (not I've read good books)
- Some friends of ours are coming for Sunday lunch.
- I need some new trainers. (a new pair)
- I need (some) new clothes.
- The room was empty except for a table and (some) chairs.
- I love oranges. (not some oranges)
- My aunt is a novelist. She writes books. (not some books)
- Some children learn to read very early. (but not all)
- Tomorrow there will be showers in some places, but most areas will stay dry.
Exercises
71.1 What are these? Write a sentence using a word from the box.
bird(s)flower(s)game(s)insect(s)language(s)planet(s)river(s)tool(s)vegetable(s)
a robin
It's a bird.
It's a bird.
a sparrow, a gull and a puffin
They're birds.
leeks and parsnips
They're vegetables.
a daffodil
It's a flower.
Venus, Saturn and Neptune
They're planets.
draughts
It's a game.
a spanner, a chisel and a drill
They're tools.
the Thames, the Severn and the Tyne
They're rivers.
a wasp
It's an insect.
Welsh, Urdu and Polish
They're languages.
71.2 What are their jobs? Choose from the box.
chefinterpreterjournalistnurseplumbersurgeontour guidewaiter
Sian looks after patients on a hospital ward.
She's a nurse.
She's a nurse.
Gary works in a restaurant, taking food to the tables.
He's a waiter.
Jo writes articles for the local paper.
She's a journalist.
Mr Osei works in a hospital and operates on people.
He's a surgeon.
Jonathan cooks in a hotel kitchen.
He's a chef.
Dave fits and repairs water pipes.
He's a plumber.
Anya shows visitors round York and tells them about it.
She's a tour guide.
Lisa sits in a booth at conferences, turning speeches into Spanish as people talk.
She's an interpreter.
71.3 Which is right? Write the correct form.
Most of my mates are students (students / some students).
Most of my mates are students.
Is your brother (good swimmer / a good swimmer)?
Is your brother a good swimmer?
I popped into the bakery and bought (rolls / some rolls).
I popped into the bakery and bought some rolls.
Ruth works in a bookshop. She sells (books / some books).
Ruth works in a bookshop. She sells books.
I spent the whole day gardening. I've got (aching knees / some aching knees).
I spent the whole day gardening. I've got aching knees.
I'm not well. I've got (temperature / a temperature).
I'm not well. I've got a temperature.
What (kind thing to do / a kind thing to do)! Thanks ever so much.
What a kind thing to do! Thanks ever so much.
I met (students / some students) in the pub last night. They were from Ghana.
I met some students in the pub last night. They were from Ghana.
It's going to be freezing tonight. Don't go out (without coat / without a coat).
It's going to be freezing tonight. Don't go out without a coat.
(People / Some people) pick up languages more easily than others.
Some people pick up languages more easily than others.
71.4 Put in a, an or some where necessary. If no word is needed, type a dash (-).
I've read some good books lately.
I've read some good books lately.
Are you all right? Have you got headache?
Are you all right? Have you got a headache?
I know lots of people here. Most of them are nurses.
I know lots of people here. Most of them are nurses.
When I was child, I was painfully shy.
When I was a child, I was painfully shy.
birds, the ostrich for example, can't fly.
Some birds, the ostrich for example, can't fly.
Would you like to be actor?
Would you like to be an actor?
Questions, questions! You're always asking questions!
Questions, questions! You're always asking questions!
I didn't expect to see you here. What surprise!
I didn't expect to see you here. What a surprise!
Do you like staying in hotels?
Do you like staying in hotels?
Monday is a bank holiday. shops will be open, but most will be shut.
Monday is a bank holiday. Some shops will be open, but most will be shut.
Those are nice boots. Where did you get them?
Those are nice boots. Where did you get them?
You need visa to visit some countries, but not all of them.
You need a visa to visit some countries, but not all of them.
Carys is teacher. Both her parents were teachers too.
Carys is a teacher. Both her parents were teachers too.
I don't believe a word he says. He's liar.
I don't believe a word he says. He's a liar.