DETERMINERS (3rd grade)

Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns are substances, concepts etc that we cannot divide into separate elements. We cannot "count" them. For example, we cannot count "milk". We can count "bottles of milk" or "litres of milk", but we cannot count "milk" itself. Here are some more uncountable nouns:

• music, art, love, happiness
• advice, information, news
• furniture, luggage
• rice, sugar, butter, water
• electricity, gas, power
• money, currency

We usually treat uncountable nouns as singular. We use a singular verb. For example:

• This news is very important.
• Your luggage looks heavy.

We do not usually use the indefinite article a/an with uncountable nouns. We cannot say "an information" or "a music". But we can say a something of:

• a piece of news
• a bottle of water
• a grain of rice

We can use some and any with uncountable nouns:

• I've got some money.
• Have you got any rice?

We can use a little and much with uncountable nouns:

• I've got a little money.
• I haven't got much rice.

source: http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/nouns-un-countable_2.htm

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source :http://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_grammar/quantifier.htm


A few and few, a little and little
These expressions show the speaker’s attitude towards the quantity he/she is referring to.
A few (for countable nouns) and a little (for uncountable nouns) describe the quantity in a positive way:

• “I’ve got a few friends” (= maybe not many, but enough)
• “I’ve got a little money” (= I’ve got enough to live on)

Few and little describe the quantity in a negative way:

• Few people visited him in hospital (= he had almost no visitors)
• He had little money (= almost no money)

EXERCISES on determiners!!!!!

http://www.grammarbank.com/quantifiers-exercises.html

With Uncountable Nouns	With Both	With Countable Nouns
How much?	How much? or How many?	How many?
a little	no/none	a few
a bit (of)	not any	a number (of)
	some (any)	several
a great deal of	a lot of	a large number of
a large amount of	plenty of	a great number of
a large quantity of	lots of	a majority of

Valentine's Day

 

 Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14. It is a festival of romantic love and many people give cards, letters, flowers or presents to their spouse or partner. Common symbols of Valentine's Day are hearts, red roses and Cupid.

Public life

Valentine's Day is not a public holiday. Government offices, stores, schools and other organizations are open as usual. Public transit systems run on their regular schedule. Restaurants may be busier than usual as many people go out for an evening with their spouse or partner. Valentine's Day is also a very popular date for weddings.

Background

There are a number of Saints called Valentine who are honored on February 14. The day became associated with romantic love in the Middle Ages in England. Traditionally, lovers exchanged hand written notes. Commercial cards became available in the mid nineteenth century.

Symbols

The most common Valentine's Day symbols are the heart, particularly in reds and pinks, and pictures or models of Cupid. Cupid is usually portrayed as a small winged figure with a bow and arrow. In mythology, he uses his arrow to strike the hearts of people. People who have fallen in love are sometimes said to be 'struck by Cupid's arrow.
 

Valentine’s Day traditions in Brazil are marked by a difference as in Brazil they celebrate 'Lovers Day' on June 12th, the eve of Saint Anthony's who is believed to bless people with good marriages and young couples. Thus they celebrate their love in the same way as other people do in other parts of the world.