By Milione Machaia 2020. E-mail: [email protected] Stay Alert and Save Lives.

COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

In English grammar, words that refer to people, places, or things are called nouns. They can be
classified in many ways.

One way to classify nouns is according to whether they can be counted or not. Many English mistakes
are related to this point. By reading through this page, you will understand:

 What countable and uncountable nouns are;

 How to use them correctly in a sentence.

Countable (or count) nouns are words which can be counted. They have a singular form and a plural
form. They usually refer to things. Most countable nouns become plural by adding an ‘s’ at the end of
the word.
For example:
Singular Plural
chair chairs
bottle bottles
student students

Uncountable (or non-count) nouns are words which cannot be counted. Therefore, they only have a
singular form. They have no plural forms. These words are thought of as wholes rather than as parts.
They usually refer to abstractions (such as confidence or advice) or collectives (such as equipment or
luggage).
For example:
Singular
money
furniture
information
Using Countable & Uncountable Nouns
When using countable or uncountable nouns, pay attention to articles and adjectives! Some articles and
adjectives can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns. However, others can be used with
only countable or only uncountable nouns.
Used with Countable Nouns Only
a a doctor, a pen, a meal, a class, a college
many many cups, many books, many libraries, many flights
few few questions, few tables, few apples, few holidays, few countries
a few a few questions, a few problems, a few issues, a few issues
Used with Uncountable Nouns Only
much much money, much time, much food, much water, much energy
little little trouble, little equipment, little meat, little patience
a little bit of a little bit of confidence, a little bit of sleep, a little bit of snow
 Used with Countable & Uncountable Nouns
countable the monkeys, the schools, the teachers, the boats, the bananas
the uncountable the cheese, the machinery, the luggage, the grass, the knowledge
countable some tables, some stores, some grapes, some cities, some nurses
some uncountable enough courage, enough wisdom, enough spaghetti, enough time
uncountable some time, some news, some bread, some salt, some mail
countable any forks, any socks, any bathrooms, any waiters, any beliefs
any uncountable any advice, any soap, any transportation, any gold, any homework
countable no magazines, no chocolates, no pilots, no rings, no markers
no uncountable no trouble, no grass, no scenery, no money, no furniture
countable a lot of animals, a lot of coins, a lot of immigrants, a lot of babies
a lot of uncountable a lot of help, a lot of aggravation, a lot of happiness, a lot of fun
countable lots of computers, lots of buses, lots of parties, lots of colleges
lots of uncountable lots of cake, lots of ice cream, lots of energy, lots of laughter
countable enough plates, enough onions, enough restaurants, enough worries
enough uncountable enough courage, enough wisdom, enough spaghetti, enough time
countable plenty of houses, plenty of concerts, plenty of guitars, plenty of
plenty of
uncountable plenty of oil, plenty of sugar, plenty of cheese, plenty of space

USING GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES

A gerund is a verb form that ends in “-ing” and is used as a noun (walking, traveling, voting); an infinitive
is the base form of a verb preceded by “to” (to walk, to travel, to vote). Gerunds and infinitives can
function as the subject of a sentence or the object of a verb. Words derived from verbs are known as
verbals and may take modifiers, objects, and complements to form verbal phrases A gerund phrase uses
the “-ing” form of the verb to function as a noun; an infinitive phrase is formed using the infinitive and
can function as a noun, adverb, or adjective.

 Traveling is a good way to expand your worldview.

 My passion is reading.
 My doctor suggests running to improve my health.

When functioning as the subject of a sentence, gerunds and infinitives always use a singular verb form,
for example: “Walking is good exercise.” In this sentence, the “-ing” verb form (“Walking”) is the simple
subject and the verb “is” links the subject to the subject complement “good exercise,” which refers to
and describes the subject. When a gerund phrase functions as a subject, the “-ing” verb form is expanded
as a word group, for example: “Traveling with a friend made the trip to New York more enjoyable.” In
this sentence, the gerund phrase (“Traveling with a friend”) is the subject, “made” is the verb, “the trip”
is the direct object, “to New York” is the indirect object, and “more enjoyable” is the object complement..

Similar to a gerund, the infinitive form of a verb can also function as the subject of a sentence, for
example: “To vote is a legal obligation.” In this sentence, the subject (“To vote”) is linked to the direct
object (“a legal obligation”) by the verb “is.” Likewise, an infinitive phrase can function as a subject: “To
vote in the upcoming election will be an important personal statement.” In this sentence, the infinitive
phrase (“To vote in the upcoming election”) is linked to the direct object of the sentence (“an important
personal statement”) by the verb “will be.”
In all three of these examples, words ending with -ing are acting as nouns. Traveling is the subject of the
first sentence. In the second sentence, reading is a predicate nominative, a word (or group of words)
that completes a linking verb and renames the subject. The verb is, a form of the linking verb to be, is
followed by reading, which renames the subject my passion. In the third sentence, the gerund running is
acting as the object of the verb suggests.

Common Verbs Followed by Gerunds

A gerund is a noun formed by taking a verb and adding the suffix “-ing.” The gerund form of “give,” for
example, is “giving.” Gerunds are used as the objects of certain verbs.
Example 1: I enjoy playing tennis → INCORRECT: I enjoy to play tennis.
The verb enjoy is followed by a gerund (playing).
Enjoy cannot be followed by an infinitive.

Example 2: Joe quit smoking. or Joe gave up smoking.

Both sentences have the same meaning.
Some phrasal verbs, such as give up, are followed by gerunds.
Verb + gerund

Prepositions Combinations followed by Gerunds

VERB + PREPOSITION + GERUND

1. Example: I apologize for eating the last cookie.

→ Verb + for doing (something)
2. Example: He was accused of stealing her bracelet.
→ Verb + of doing (something)
3. Example: I look forward to spending time with my grandmother.
→ Verb + to doing (something)
4. Example: I often talk about moving to a different city.
→ Verb + about / of doing (something)
5. Example: I am interested in traveling to South America.
→ Verb + in doing (something)
6. Example: I stopped him from making a silly mistake.
→ Verb + from doing (something)
7. Example: I am worried about not passing my driving test.
→ Verb + about doing (something)
8. Example: I insist on paying the bill.
→ Verb + on doing (something

REPORTED SPEECH (DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH)

Reported speech is speech which tells you what someone said, but does not use the person's actual
words: for example, 'They said you didn't like it', 'I asked her what her plans were', and ' Citizens
complained about the smoke'. Reported speech is the report of one speaker or writer on
the words spoken, written, or thought by someone else. Also called reported discourse.

Traditionally, two broad categories of reported speech have been recognized: direct speech (in which
the original speaker's words are quoted word for word) and indirect speech (in which the original
speaker's thoughts are conveyed without using the speaker's exact words). However, a number
of linguists have challenged this distinction, noting (among other things) that there's significant overlap
between the two categories. Deborah Tannen, for instance, has argued that "What is commonly referred
to as reported speech or direct quotation in conversation is constructed dialogue."

Change of the tenses

If the reporting verb is in the past form (said, told,...), you have to change the tense.

Direct speech Indirect speech Direct Speech Indirect speech

Present simple Past simple go went
Present progressive Past progressive am/is/are going was/were going
Past simple Past perfect went had gone
Past progressive Past perfect progressive was/were going had been going
Present perfect simple Past perfect has/have gone had gone
Present perfect progr. Past perfect progressive has/have been going had been going
Future Conditional I will go would go

Example: Peter said, "Carol is a nice girl." Peter said (that) Carol was a nice girl.

Don't change these verbs: might, could, would, should

Example:
He said, "I might arrive late." He said (that) he might arrive late.
It isn't necessary to change the present tense into the past tense if the information in the direct speech
is still true or a general statement.
Examples:
Frank said, "My sister is a secretary." Frank said (that) his sister is (was) a secretary.
He told us, "The sun rises in the east." He told us that the sun rises (rose) in the east.

Change of the pronouns

When you form the reported speech, you have to pay attention that the pronouns refer to the correct
persons.
Examples:
Susan said, "My parents are clever scientists." Susan said (that) her parents were clever scientists.
Tom said, "I like PE best." Tom said (that) he liked PE best.
They said, "We went swimming with our friends." They said (that) they had gone swimming
with their friend.
Betty said, "Sam told me the truth." Betty said (that) Sam had told her the truth.

Direct speech Indirect speech

She said I - my - me she - her - her
He said I - my - me he - his - him
They said we - our - us they - their - them

Change of expressions of time and place

Direct speech Indirect speech
Time
now then
today that day
yesterday the day before
tomorrow the next / following day
last week, month,... the previous week / the week before
next week, month,... the following week, month,...
a (week,...) ago a (week,...) before
 Place
here there
this that
these those

Example: She said, "I have already seen Carol today." She said (that) she had already seen Carol that
day.

Reported Questions
If there is a question word we keep it.
Examples:
They asked me, "Where is the next supermarket?" They asked me where the next supermarket was.
She asked them, "How often do you play golf?" She asked them how often they played golf.

If there is no question word we start the reported speech with if or whether.

Examples:
She asked me, "Do you like some tea?" She asked me if/whether I liked some tea.
We asked them, "Did she arrive in time?" We asked them if/whether she had arrived in time.

Reported Requests
If someone asks you in a polite way use (not) to + infinitive
Examples:
He asked her, "Could you close the door, please?" He asked her to close the door.
She asked them, "Help me, please." She asked them to help her.

Reported Commands
If someone doesn't ask you politely or gives you an order use (not) to + infinitive.
Examples:
He told me, "Be quiet!" He told me to be quiet.
She told us, "Don't stay up too late!" She told us not to stay up too late.

QUANTIFIERS
What are Quantifiers?
A quantifier is a word that usually goes before a noun to express the quantity of the object; for example,
a little milk. Most quantifiers are followed by a noun, though it is also possible to use them without the
noun when it is clear what we are referring to. For example:
 Do you want some milk? – Just a little. (It’s clear that I mean ‘a little milk’.)

Quantifiers are very important words because they let us express the quantity of something. There are
several quantifiers in English and they can be a little tricky to use. Therefore, here is a description of
each quantifier with examples to help improve your understanding of them.
When we want to emphasize a really big quantity we can add ‘so’ in front of ‘many’ and ‘much’. For
example:
 There were so many passengers on the train, it was difficult to get off.
 She had so much work to do, she stayed at the office until midnight.
A Few, A Little and A Bit (of)
To talk about small quantities we can use ‘a few’ and ‘a little’. We use ‘a few’ with countable nouns and
‘a little’ with uncountable nouns. It’s also possible to use ‘a bit’ with uncountable nouns, but it is more
informal. Here are some examples:
 We need a few coins for the car park.
 Would you like a little milk in your coffee?
 They ate a few biscuits with their tea.
 The engine needs a little oil.
When we want to refer to a small quantity with a negative sense, we use ‘few’ and ‘little’ without ‘a’.
For example:
Few trains arrive on time. (A small number of trains arrive on train which is a bad thing.)
Little attention is given to the problem of parking. (A small amount of attention is given to this
problem and it’s not good.)

Some and Any are used before plural nouns and uncountable nouns to talk about an indefinite
quantity:
 Some letters
 Some money
 Any letters
 Any money

Some is used in affirmative sentences.

Ex:
 There are some letters for you.
 I’ve got some money.

Some is used in questions when we want to encourage people to say ‘yes’; for example in requests
and offers.
Ex:
 Can you let me have some paper?
 Would you like some more tea?
 Have you got some paper I could have, Please?

Any is used in negative and question form.

Ex:
• Are there any new stories in your store.
• Is there any tea in the cupboard?
• I don’t have any new stories for you. - There isn’t any tea in the cupboard.

Any is used after words with negative meaning such as without, never, seldom, rarely, hardly. Ex: - I
found a taxi without any trouble.
 You never do any homework.
 There are hardly any eggs left.
 He hasn’t got many books.

We use much and many mostly in question and negative. Much is used with uncountable nouns, and
many is used with countable plural nouns.
 Is there much rice left?
 We haven’t got much rice left.
 Has he got many books?

Note: We often use much and many in affirmative sentences after too, as, so and very.
Ex:
Take as much milk as you want.
I’ve got so many jobs to do today. - We enjoy the party very much.
We’ve got too much milk.

In affirmative sentences, we normally use a lot (of), lots (of) and plenty (of), not much and many.
We use a lot (of), lots (of) and plenty (of) with both uncountable nouns and plural nouns.
Ex:
We’ve got a lot of milk.
o (Not: We’ve got much milk.)
He’s got a lot of / plenty of books.
o (Not normally: He’s got many books.)

SEQUENCE MARKERS

We use sequence markers to show the order in which things happened, will happen or are happening.
Sequencers are words that organize your writing and speaking, words like first, next, then, after that,
finally etc. We often use sequencers in English when we give instructions, describe a process, or tell
stories. Using sequencers is a simple trick that improves your writing and speaking because it organizes
your ideas into sections and gives them an order.

Notes: Sequence markers can signal how to interpret the relationship between sentences in a number
of different ways. Sometimes a distinction is made between internal and external sequencers, i.e. the
use of these markers to indicate ‘real world’ events (external), or ‘rhetorical organization’ (internal).
For example, First of all .... then .... finally can indicate chronological sequence (external), or order of
importance (internal).

First of all First of all, I’d like to thank my family.

In conclusion In conclusion, nobody is perfect.
Then First, brush your teeth, then go room.
Next Next, leave it for 5-10 minutes, depending on the tea.
As soon as As soon as my daughter gets up, she will wash her face.
Later They’ll call you later today.
All in all My son may not be brilliant, but all in all As far as I know he did quite well
in his exams.
Eventually It might take her five weeks but she will do it eventually.

At last At last she passed the math exam.

Furthermore Reading books help to learn new information, furthermore, it helps to
keep the brain cells fresh.
Finally The notebook finally reached me last night.
Meanwhile My moter was talking to my father Meanwhile, my son was making lunch.
Moreover Mary plays football. Moreover she works a hotel.
Besides Besides the guitar, she plays the piano.
In the end She worked hard, and in the end, she passed the exam.
In addition Samuel writes short stories, In additon, he writes articles for a newspaper.
 MODAL AUXILIARIES VERBS

Modal auxiliaries are auxiliary verbs that lend different meanings to the main verb to which they are
attached. Modals help to express the mood or attitude of the speaker and convey ideas about possibility,
probability, necessity, obligation, advisability and permission.
The single-word modal auxiliaries are:
Can May Must Shall Will
Could Might Should Would

Some phrasal modal auxiliaries are:

Be able to Be supposed to Have to Ought to Have better
Be going to Be to Have got to Used to

The following chart demonstrates some uses for single-word modal auxiliaries. Notice that in some
cases when the verb tense changes, the modal is replaced with another word or group of words. Empty
spaces denote non-existent forms.

MODAL MEANING PRESENT FORM PAST FORM FUTURE FORM NEGATIVE

FORM
Can 1. Ability He can play the He could play He will be able to He cannot
piano. the piano. play the piano. play the
piano.
2. Opportunity I can go now that I was able to go I can go when I I cannot go.
I’ve finished when I finished finish working
working. working. later tonight.
3. Permission Their parents say Their parents said Their parents will They cannot
they they were allowed surely say that have a party.
can have a party. to have a party. they can have a
party.
4. Informal Can I borrow your Can’t I
request (refers to book? borrow
near future) your book?
5. Possibility It can be tiring to It can’t be
(usually a study and work at tiring to sit
generalization) the same time. around and
watch TV all
day!
Could 1. Past of can Before I hurt my Even before I
wrist, I could toss hurt my wrist,
pizza dough. I couldn’t
toss pizza
dough.
2. Conditional I could have made I could make an I couldn’t
an omelet if we omelet if we have make an
had had the the ingredients. omelet even if
ingredients. we had the
ingredients.
3. Suggestion You could have You could take a
taken a long long weekend to
weekend to visit visit your family.
your family.
 4. Polite Request Could you phone Couldn’t you
(refers to near me when you phone me when
future) arrive? you arrive?
5. Possibility / Ms. Stevens could Ms. Stevens could Ms. Stevens could Ms. Stevens
Impossibility be the electors’ have been the become mayor. couldn't be the
choice for mayor. electors’ choice for electors’ choice
mayor. for mayor.
May 1. Permission You may submit You were When you finish, You may not
your paper via allowed to you may submit submit your
email now. submit your your paper via paper via
paper via email. email. email.
2. Polite Request May I use your
(refers to near phone?
future)
3. Possibility The bakery The bakery may The bakery may The bakery may
may be open have opened open later today. not
now. earlier today. open.
Might 1. Request Might I use your
(refers to near phone?
future)
2. Conditional If you give me a If you had given If you will giveEven if you
chance, I might me a chance, I me a chance, I give me a
impress you! might have might impress chance, I
impressed you! you! might not
impress you.
3. Suggestion You might have You might call to sayYou might not
called to say you you aren’t coming. want to call to
weren’t coming. say you aren’t
coming.
4. Possibility My dog might My dog might have My dog might My dog might
be the one who made the mess. make a mess. not make a
made the mess. mess.

MODAL MEANING PRESENT FORM PAST FORM FUTURE NEGATIVE

FORM FORM
Must 1. Certainty She must be the She must have been She must not be
best athlete in the best athlete in the best athlete
our school’s our school’s history. in our school’s
history. history.
2. Strong To be healthy, you To have stayed To be healthier, you To be healthy,
recommendatio must healthy, you should should eat better. you
n eat well. have eaten better. mustn’t eat
poorly.
3. Necessity Visitors must In the past, visitors In the future, Visitors don’t
sign in at had to sign in at visitors must have to
reception. reception. sign in at sign in at
reception. reception.
Must not 4. Prohibition You must not
disrupt his
concentration.
Shall 1. Inevitability One day, we Humanity
shall overcome shall never
our dependence abandon the
on oil. quest for
 immortality.

2. Promising I shall ensure I shall not let

(British usage) that everything you down.
goes according
to plan.
3. Future Action Our train shall Our train shall
(British usage) arrive ahead of not arrive
schedule. ahead of
schedule after
all.
Should 1.Recommendati For strong bones, For stronger bones, For strong bones, You shouldn’t
on you you you should start drink too much
should drink milk. should have drunk drinking milk. milk.
milk.
2. Obligation I should return this
library book.
3. Expectation She should be at She should have She should arrive She shouldn’t
the airport right arrived at the at the airport be at the
now. airport by now. before 9 o’clock airport yet.
tonight.
Will 1. Future Action We will go to the We will not go
movie tonight. to the movie
tonight.
2. Promising I will ensure that I will not
everything goes disappoint you.
according to plan.
Would 1. Past of will You said we would You said we
go to the movie. wouldn’t
go.
2. Conditional If I were in trouble, I If I had been in If I got into trouble, Even if I got into
would ask him for trouble, I would have I trouble, I would
help. asked him for help. would ask him for not ask him for
help. help.
3. Repetition in When we were kids, When we were
the past / we would always kids, we would
habitual action play street hockey in not play street
or behaviour the alley. hockey in the
alley.
MODAL MEANING PRESENT PAST FORM FUTURE NEGATIVE
FORM FORM FORM
Be able to Ability She is able to She was able to join She will be able She is not
join us. us. to join us. able to join
us.
Be going to Plan (for the I was going to I am going to I am not
future) start university start university going to start
next fall. next fall. university
next fall.
Be supposed to Expectation He was He is supposed to He is not
supposed to bring dessert supposed to
bring dessert, tonight. bring
but I guess he anything
forgot. tonight!
 Be to Expectatio She was to see the She is to see the She is not to
n/ project through to project through see the
obligation its end, but she leftto its end, no project
before its matter how long through to its
completion. it takes. end after all.
Have to Obligation (= I have to leave I had to leave then. I have to leave in I do not have
must) now. approximately 10 to
minutes. leave.
Have got to Strong obligation I have got to I needed to I have got to I do not need
prepare my prepare my prepare my to prepare my
presentation presentation at that presentation as presentation
now. time. soon as I finish anymore. I’m
dinner. ready!
Ought to 1.Recommendati One ought to We should have We ought to send a We ought not
on express one’s sent a note to our thank you note to forget.
gratitude. hostess. our hostess. Not: to is
dropped in
the negative
2. Certainty When one studies With all the With all the
hard, one ought studying she did, studying she’s
to pass. she ought to have done, she ought
passed her exam. to pass her exam.
Used to Habitual past My grandfather
action / used to walk 3
behaviour miles to and from
school every day!

Single-word modals and most phrasal modals contain the verbs be or have, which must be conjugated
to identify tense and number (I am, you are, he/she/it is, I was, you were, he/she/it was, etc).
Exceptions are used to and ought to, which require no change in verb form.
Had better is never conjugated, and it does not include the word to as the other phrasal modals do.
Like single-word, the simple form of the verb follows modals immediately.
All modal verbs have some special characteristics you should remember:
1. They do not take an -S in the third person singular: you cannot say he cans or she wills.
2. They are followed by an infinitive without 'to' in most cases, except Ought to.
Ex: You ought to study more if you want to pass the exam.
3. Also in most cases they function like auxiliaries for questions and negatives: Ex: Can you
speak louder, please? No, I cannot speak louder.
4. Other modal verbs do not have a past form, so we need different forms like BE ABLE TO: I
will be able to speak French in two months or BE ALLOWED TO: You will be allowed to go out
as soon as you are eighteen.
5. Sometimes modal verbs can also be followed by a perfect infinitive.

CONDITIONALS SENTENCES
Making conditional sentences is an everyday part of language, and introducing them to your English
conversation can really improve your level of communication. There are four conditionals in total
and you will learn to use them gradually, obviously starting with the most basic ones – the zero and
first conditional. To have a general idea of how all the conditionals work, take a look at this
overview so you can start to get an idea of what they are and when we use them.
Conditionals describe the result of a certain condition. The if clause tells you the condition (If you
study hard) and the main clause tells you the result (you will pass your exams). The order of the
clauses does not change the meaning.
 If you study hard, you will pass your exams.
 You will pass your exams if you study hard.

A conditional sentence is based on the word if. There are always two parts to a conditional
sentence one part beginning with ‘ if ’ to describe a possible situation, and the second part which
describes the consequence. For example:
 If it rains, we’ll get wet.
We can also invert the two parts of a conditional sentence so that the ‘ if ’ part comes second, and
this is especially common in questions. For example:
 What will you do if you miss the train?
 How can you finish the project if you don’t have a computer?
 What happens if the students don’t pass an exam?
There are four types of conditional sentences:
 The zero conditional
 The first conditional
 The second conditional
 The third conditional
It is also possible to mix the second and third conditional. Let’s look at each conditional to see
how we use them.
1. The Zero Conditional
We use the zero conditional to talk about permanent truths, such as scientific facts, and general
habits. The structure is simple:

Here are some examples:

 If you heat water to 100°, it boils.
 If you eat a lot, you put on weight.
 If it doesn’t rain for a long time, the earth gets very dry.
 If we go out with friends, we normally go to a restaurant.
 If I’m tired, I go to bed early.

2. The First Conditional

We use the first conditional to talk about a realistic situation in the present or future. The
structure of the first conditional is as follows:

Here are some examples:

 If you’re free later, we can go for a walk.
 If they’re hungry, I’ll make some sandwiches.
  If you’re not back by 5pm, give me a ring.
 If he studies hard, he’ll do well in the exam.
 If we arrive late, we must get a taxi.
 He’ll call if he needs help.
 Take a break if you’re tired.
Another way to make first conditional sentences is to use ‘unless’ which means ‘only if’ or ‘except’.
As with ‘if’, the word ‘unless’ can never be followed by ‘will’ but only by the present simple. For
example:
Unless you hurry up, you won’t catch the bus.
I’ll carry on doing this work, unless my boss tells me to do something else.
We’ll stay at home unless the weather improves.

3. The Second Conditional

We use the second conditional to talk about improbable or impossible situations in the present or
future. Here is the structure:

For example:
 If I had more time, I’d exercise more. (But I don’t have more time so I don’t.)
 If I were rich, I’d spend all my time travelling. (But I’m not rich so I can’t.)
 If she saw a snake, she’d be terrified.
 If he didn’t have to work late, he could go out with his girlfriend.
 What would you do if you were offered a job in Canada?
 You wouldn’t have to walk everywhere if you bought a bike.
A common expression used to give advice has the second conditional structure. The expression is
‘If I were you, I’d..’, meaning ‘in your situation, this is what I would do’. For example:
A: I’ve got a headache.
B: If I were you, I’d take an aspirin.
A: I don’t understand this.
B: If I were you, I’d ask your teacher for help.
A: This order won’t be delivered on time.
B: If I were you, I’d phone the customer to let them know.

4. The Third Conditional

We use the third conditional to talk about impossible situations, as in the second conditional, in
the past. We often use the third conditional to describe regrets. The structure is:

Here are some examples:

 If we had left earlier, we would have arrived on time.
 If you hadn’t forgotten her birthday, she wouldn’t have been upset.
 If they had booked earlier, they could have found better seats.
 If I hadn’t learnt English, I wouldn’t have got this job.
  What would you have studied if you hadn’t done engineering?
 They wouldn’t have hired you if you hadn’t had some experience abroad.
 You could have helped me if you’d stayed later.

COMPREHENSION: READ THE TEXT CAREFULLY AND THEN ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW
ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE TEXT.

Agriculture plays a very important role in Mozambique. Many people in Mozambique depend directly
and/or indirectly on agriculture. There are two types of agriculture: large and small scale.
The first type employs many people and uses machinery and fertilizers. The products are mostly for
export and to sell in large quantities within the country. Some years ago, AVICOLA, a national company,
was in the chickens and broilers breeding business. This company employed many people and sold
chickens and eggs throughout Mozambique. Those who worked there earned enough money to feed
themselves and to pay for school materials for their children.
The second type of agriculture is also called “family agriculture”. This is what every family in rural areas
does. They do not use fertilizers but dung that they make from tree leaves or animal excrement. The
products harvested are for their own consumption and some to sell to get money to buy clothes, soap
and some other things they need.
In general, most products we see every day are produced by farmers and peasants. Some of those
products are: oil, milk, pasta, etc.
Adapted from Inglês 8ª Classe
Glossary
Broilers – galinhas poedeiras Earned – ganharam Dung – estrume
Breeding – criação de animais Throughout – em todo o Harvest – colher a colheita

1. What type of agriculture is practiced in Mozambique?

2. What is the destination of large scale agriculture products?
3. Where is family agriculture practiced?
4. What do peasants do with the money they earn?
5. Give a suitable title to the text.

Choose a word or group of words (A, B, C or D) that best fill the gap in each of the following
sentences. Write the letter only. (There are 5 marks for this section).

6. My cousin is the ------ member of the family.

A Bigger B confident C more confident D most confident

7. Gina walks ------ because she has a serious leg problem.

A more slow B much slow C slower D slowly

8. All candidates must answer the questions using ------ pen.

A a B an C at D of

9. I like that boy, ------ has good behaviour.

A he B it C she D you

10. My best friend gave me some money ------ I bought these biscuits.
A and B because C but D so

11. My exam paper should be ------ the table.

 A above B at C in D on

12. We ------ having English exam now.

A are B be C is D was

13. He will get there in time if he …

A ran. B runs. C was running. D will run.

14. If I won a lot of money, I ------ for all my family’s studies.

A paid B pay C will pay D would pay

15. One of the best ways to avoid getting cholera is the use of …
A condoms. B glasses. C grass. D soap.

In the following text some words have been left out. From the words given below the text,
select the one that best completes each space. Write the letter only.

Life on earth is full of different species. Each species is adapted to a different ---16---. All you have to do
is look around and observe.
In a forest, species specialization can be seen in the layer system of ---17--- life. Animals that live on the
top of the trees dare not come to the ground. It is too dangerous for them. Besides, all ---18--- and shelter
that they need to survive is on the top ---19--- of the forest. The same can be said about the ---20--- in
the middle layer and in the ground layer. Other species, like some type of bacteria, have to live inside
the ---21--- of other animals to survive. If they go in to the open for long, they die.
Humans, too, used to have their place in nature. They used to live in caves and feed on ---22---. However,
unlike other species, humans reasoned and wanted to change nature, they started feeding themselves
from their natural ---23---. They wanted to have a more comfortable life.
If we are careful enough to observe nature, we will see that humans are the biggest ---24--- living on
earth today. They are used to doing only what they want, and not what they must. They are not used to
doing what they ought to do in favour of life in this ---25---.

16. A environment B nationality C person D subject

17. A animal B forest C home D house
18. A comfort B food C importance D users
19. A law B layer C side D tree
20. A animals B environment C forest D ground
21. A bodies B house C life D situation
22. A bacteria B bread C plants D water
23. A nature B predators C species D worlds
24. A comfort B nature C neighbour D threat
25. A forest B home C house D planet

CORONAVIRUS is the infectious disease. Protect yourself against COVID-19, avoid touching your
eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands, wear the mask and keep social distancing.

By Milione Machaia 2020. E-mail: [email protected] Stay Alert and Save Lives.