The difference between few and a few means that the two sentences above must be continued in different ways.
She has few friends, so she stays home most weekends.
She has a few friends, so she often goes out with them on weekends.
Use not with any. Use no and none alone.
Where are the screwdrivers? I don't have аnу. I have no screwdrivers. I have none.
In standard English, do not use two negative expressions in a clause,
He doesn't have no toots. He doesn't have none.
Task 4. The student who wrote the following paragraph made mistakes with nouns, plurals, and quantity words. Correct the errors.
My best Friend and I wanted to take another trips to Europe and africa, but we didn't have many money. When I saw my two ancient Suitcase, I knew it was lime to buy some new luggages. I looked in the windows of all the store in the center of Town. But all I saw was clothing. I tried on three dress, but і didn't buy one. At last. I saw a wonderful bag made of spanish leather, but it was very 'expensive and I didn't have no money. I decided to go shopping other day.
Task 5. Identify the sentences with a mistake and correct it.
1. A number of U.S. lecturers comes to our University next week.
2. Critically he studied the article on transgenic food products.
3. As the annual report of the Mesa Garden states, these cactuses grow exclusively in the northern parts of Mexico.
4. Either the journalist or the witness know the truth about this mysterious event.
5. Elaborated will be in this paper the model of corrosive destruction of metals under lacquer-paint coatings.
6. The teacher asked the students if they knew the health effects of insecticides.
7. The premises of the library is cleaned every day.
8. Twenty dollars are not enough to buy this book.
9. Many mathematical symposiums are held in Europe every year.
10. Bile acids contains significant amounts of cholesterol.
11. This extremely interesting new Ukrainian historical novel has been favorably reviewed.
12. In no ease the work on the project will be terminated.
This + Summary Word
A good way to maintain flow is to use this/these + a noun to join ideas together, e.g.: English language instructors know that students need to understand the difference between formal and informal language. However, this understanding cannot usually be acquired quickly.
What does this understanding refer to?
Task 6. Complete the following.
1. According to a recent survey, 26% of all American adults, down from 38% thirty years ago, now smoke. This ___________ can be partly attributed to the mounting evidence linking smoking and cancer.
a) decline; b) reduction; c) improvement; d) decrease; e) drop
2. Early in September each year, the population of Ann Arbor, Michigan [the town where the University of Michigan is located], suddenly increases by about 20,000 as students arrive for the new academic year. This _________ changes the character of the town in a number of ways.
a) influx; b) increase; c) invasion; d) rise; e) jump
3. Nowadays, laptop computers are lighter, more powerful, and easier to use than they were five years ago. These ________ have led to an increase in the sales of these machines.
a) changes; b) developments; c) advances; d) improvements
Task 7. Choose a summary word from the list to complete each sentence. number amount improvement assurance trend risk fall drop support proposals increase measures
1. In the United States, the levels of harmful substances have fallen between 1978 and 1987. Despite this ______, the air is still contaminated.
2. Ozone levels in the USA have been steadily increasing from 1986 to 1990. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials are concerned that if this _______ continues, serious environmental damage may occur.
3. The EPA has revealed that 20 of the 320 known toxic chemicals in the air probably cause more than 2,000 cases of cancer annually. While this ________ may not seem high, it is a cause of concern.
4. The EPA states that individuals living near chemical plants have a higher than normal chance of developing cancer. This _______ has been substantiated by numerous studies.
5. The Chemical Manufacturers Association has decided it will more strongly support the pollution control efforts of the EPA. This ________ was a major factor in the drafting of new regulations.
6. Lawmakers in southern California are proposing banning the sale of new charcoal grills and demanding that by the 21st century 40% of all cars and buses run on clean fuel. These _________ may indeed become law in the near future.
Task 8. Provide summary words to improve the flow of the passage.
(1) A 1986 study of 7,000 recovering alcoholics showed that 3% were under age 20 and 18% were between 21 and 30.
(2) Moreover, the study revealed that the average age of alcoholics seems to be falling.
(3) This ________ worries health officials.
(4) In the past, alcohol addiction was considered a social problem closely related to criminal or immoral behavior.
(5) However, today this _________ is no longer widely held.
(6) Many alcoholics have lived through difficult childhoods, divorces, and professional disappointment.
(7) Even so, these _________ are not good predictors of who will become an alcoholic.
(8) In a recent study, children of alcoholics were found to be four times as likely as children of nonalcoholics to be alcoholics. This ___________ has led researchers to believe there is a genetic link in alcoholism.
Like other European languages, academic English makes use of Latin abbreviations and expressions. You must have also met some of them while reading Russian academic texts, where such expressions are easy to notice, because they are often written in the Roman alphabet. In English texts, such expressions (rather than abbreviations) are sometimes given in italics.
Did you know that per in percent or kilometers per hour is a Latin preposition that originally mean through or by? Per is also used in the Latin expression per se meaning through / of / by itself, and hence, ‘intrinsically.’
Although education conveys important economic benefits, it is also valuable per se.
As this example shows, Latin expressions are often set apart from the English language text by italics.
Did you know that all the following abbreviations derive from Latin? How many do you know? How many can you give the full form for?
e.g. i.e. NB a.m .p.m. P.S. etc. A.D. et al.
Below are the lists of abbreviations and expressions that you may use while writing in English.
Task 9. Read the sentences paying attention to Latin abbreviations and expressions. Check yourself whether you understand/ remember their meanings.
1. The in vitro packaging system developed for recombinant DNA appears to bring the cloning of unenriched DNA.
2. Although knowledge of foreign languages is practically important, it is also valuable per se.
3. History knows several examples