PROBLEM:

As Lewis rightly puts it ‘if you know a a rule and you know a rule and you know an
example which does not fit it, you do not discard the example, you discard the
rule.’ (18)

Countable Uncountable
Many Much
A few A little
Some and any Some and any

The teacher should find good questions to ask students about examples, so that
students may discover for themselves.

A Concise Grammar for English Language Teachers, Tony Penston

Countable nouns represent people r things (both abstract and concrete)

which can be counted.

Uncountable nouns generally refer to things that we don't think of counting

because they do not naturally divide into separate units. They usually
represent substances or more abstract concepts such as qualities or
processes, rather than individual items or events.
The kitchen floor was covered in water.

Some concrete nouns are countable when they refer to a separate, individual
item, and uncountable when they refer to a substance related to that item. Nouns
related to food often work this way:
Two coffees please (countable)
I've never liked the taste of coffee (uncountable)

In the affirmative, many and especially much, tend to be formal. In informal

English lots of/a lot of is preferred.

Who wants some beans?

Who wants any beans?

Before the noun [C] Singular [C] Plural [U]

indefinite articles a book - -

numbers one book two people -

certain quantifiers each book many/a few people much/a little interest

After the noun [C] Singular [C] Plural [U]

singular verb forms a child has - Information is

plural verb forms - insects are -

(Parrot 2010: 12)

Countable nouns have a singular and a plural form. The majority of plural forms of
countable nouns end in ‘s’, i.e. minute/minutes, brother/brothers. A smaller
number of plural forms are irregular, i.e. child/children, woman/women. And some
countable nouns have the same form for both singular and plural, i.e. a
sheep/nine sheep, one salmon/ three salmon. Uncountable nouns have only one
form, i.e. furniture NOT *furniture.

The restriction may be a real one - There's some cheese in the fridge - or a
psychological one existing only in the mind of the speaker - Would you like
something to eat?

Language is about meaning not foorms. There is no point in students knowing

the forms, if they do not understand and cannot use the language to conkvey
meaning.

In the affirmative, many and especially much, tend to be formal. In informal

English lots of/a lot of is preferred.

Who wants some beans?

Who wants any beans?

The restriction may be a real one - There's some cheese in the fridge - or a
psychological one existing only in the mind of the speaker - Would you like
something to eat?
Language is about meaning not foorms. There is no point in students knowing
the forms, if they do not understand and cannot use the language to conkvey
meaning.

ALTHOUGH PARROT AS WELL MENTIONS RESTRICTIDNESS ABOUT SOME AND ANY HE ALSO
REFERS TO DIFFERENT USES, BUT HE DOESNT REALLY REFER TO THE MEANING HE REFERS TO
THE FORM HE REFERS TO SOME IN REQUESTS OR OFFERS WOULD YOU LIKE ANY COFFE WOULD
YOU LIKE SOME COFFE?

Countable Uncountable

knowledge

As the table shows, uncontable nouns may be divided into mass nouns and
abstratc nouns.

We use quantifiers at the beginning of noun phrases:

Before nouns: some thoughts

Before adjectives plus noun: many delicious apples

Before adverb plus adj noun: any very good ideas.

How do we choose quantifiers?

On the other hand, some students say:

*The news are very depressing.

Because it ends in s, they assume that it is countable and plural.

whether the main noun in the noun phrase is countable (singular or plural or
uncountable limits ou choice of quantifier. (Parrot, 36,)

When some is unstressed it is pronounced less loudly and less clearly than the
words around it in the sentences, and the vowel is a shwa. both the meaning
of this unstressed form and the kinds of sentence we can use it in are different
frmo the stressed form.

We use unstressed 'some': to suggest an indefinite quantity but not a large

amount.

I taught them some vocabulary.

in offers and requests it is also unstressed

When we stress 'some' it siggests a restricted or limited quantity or type of
sth. i.e. I like SOME music (but by no means all)