Category: Grammar

How Much, How Many, and Very are used to describe quantity and intensity, but the way they are used depends on the type of word they modify. 

How Much vs. How Many

The choice between “how much” and “how many” depends on whether the noun is countable or uncountable. 

How Many is used for plural countable nouns or things you can count individually.

Examples: 

How many sandwiches can you eat?

How many children are dancing?

How Much is used for uncountable nouns or mass nouns or abstract concepts that cannot be counted. We may also use “how much” to ask for the price of something, even if the item is countable.

Examples: 

How much money do you need?

How much time do we have?

How much is that book? (asking for price)

Very

Very is an adverb used to intensify an adjective or another adverb. It does not modify nouns directly. 

Examples: 

The water is very clear.

She talks very fast.

Comparison with Much/Many

Very Many can be used before countable nouns to emphasize a large number.

Examples: 

There are very many trees.

The village has very many residents.

Very Much is used for emphasis with verbs or uncountable nouns. 

Examples: 

She liked it very much. 

There is very much snow.

Formal vs. Informal

In casual speech, “a lot of” is often used instead of “very many” or “very much”. 

Summary

Affirmative Form

There is is used to express that something exists or that it is in a place.

Examples: 

There is a couch in the living room.

There is a restaurant at the end of the street.

There is is used for singular nouns. 

Example: There is a library in my village.

There are is used for plural nouns.

Example: There are two cats in their house.

When spoken, There is can be expressed as There’s. However, There are doesn’t have a contracted form.

Examples:

There is a library in my village. > There’s a library in my village.

There are two cats in their house. > There’re two cats in their house.

Negative Form

The negative form of There is is There is not or There isn’t or There’s not.

Example: There isn’t a supermarket near my house.

For There are, the negative form is There are not or There aren’t.

Example: There aren’t animals at the zoo.

There isn’t a is used with a singular noun.

Examples: There isn’t a hotel near here.

There isn’t any is used with an uncountable noun.

Example:

There isn’t any sugar.

There aren’t any is used with a plural noun.

Example:

There aren’t any books in her room.

To show that the negative is important, there is no and an uncountable noun are combined.

Example: There’s no sugar.

For plural form, there are no and a plural noun are combined.

Example:

There are no books in her room.

It is possible to use there is no + singular noun, but it’s not as common.

Example: There is no sense doing that.

Question Form

To form a question, Is there is used for singular nouns and uncountable nouns.

Examples:

Is there a hotel near your house?

Is there any sugar in the kitchen?

Are there is used for plural nouns. 

Example: Are there any books in her room?

Answering Is there or Are there Questions

The response to Is there question is Yes, there is. or No, there isn’t.

Example:

Question: Is there a hotel near your house? 

Answer: Yes, there is. / No, there isn’t.

Incorrect: Yes, there’s. / No, there is no.

The response to Are there question is Yes, there are. or No, there aren’t.

Example:

Question: Are there any books in her room? 

Answer: Yes, there are. / No, there aren’t.

Summary of the Forms of There is and There are

There is and There are in Other Verb Tenses

There is and There are can also be used in many other verb tenses.

Examples:

Some of the most common verbs have and take are used with nouns like a shower, a drink.

These actions are called delexical verbs because the important part of the meaning is in the noun and not the verb.

An adjective is often placed in front of the noun.

Examples:

She took a hot shower after running.

She had an ice, cold drink.

The most frequently used delexical verbs are: have, take, make, and give.

Have

Have is used with: food and drink, talking, washing, resting, and disagreeing.

Have is also used with nouns formed from verbs.

Examples:

You should have a look at your new house.
They had a bite of the cheese.
We’re going to have a drink after work.
She had a listen to the new episode of the podcast.
The children had a swim on the beach last weekend.

Take

Take is used with: washing and resting.

Take is also used with these words:

Take can also be used with nouns formed from verbs.

Examples:

They think we should take a look at the proposal before making a decision.
My grandparents take a walk at the park every day.
Are you going to take a swim in the sea?

Give

Give is used with: noises, facial expressions, hitting, affectionate actions, and talking.

Make

Make is used with: talking and sounds and plans.

Go

Go is used as a delexical verb.

Examples:

When talking about common activities, go is used with -ing verbs.

Examples:

They often go walking in the morning.

They go running together on the weekends.

My sister is not here. She has gone shopping.

Go for a is used with verbs related to moving such as jog, ride, swim, run, stroll, walk.

Examples:

She went for a quick job.

They went for a ride on on their motorbikes.

All I did on my vacation was go for a swim.

Do you want to go for a run later?

They went for a stroll downtown.

Do

Do is used with –ing nouns related to houseworks.

Examples:

It’s my turn to do the laundry.
The children did the washing up and I did the drying.

Do is also used with other nouns related to work.

Examples:

My parents are going to be late. They have a lot of work to do.

We need to do a few jobs around the family’s farm.

Do with nouns is used for obvious actions.

Examples:

You’ll have to do my hair before you go out for your date. 

Have you done your makeup?

It’s time is an expression that can be used in many ways. The meaning is affected depending on the different grammar structures used with it. 

It’s time to + infinitive

This states that the right moment to do something has come.

Structure: It’s time + to + verb (base form)

Examples: 

It’s time to close the shop.

It’s time to think about the consequences of your actions.

It’s time to let go of the past in order to move forward.

It’s time for + noun phrase

This structure is used when the object that is due is a noun instead of an action.

Structure: It’s time + for + noun

Examples: 

The kids have been playing for hours. It’s time for some snacks.

I’m sleepy. It’s time for bed.

It’s time for my favorite TV show.

This pattern can also be used to express who needs to do the action.

Structure: It’s time + for + person/group + to + verb (base form)

Examples: 

It’s time for them to step up their game.

It’s time for me to start planning my birthday party. 

It’s time for the government to address the issue of corruption in the country.

It’s time + subject + past tense

A past tense verb is used in this pattern. It refers to an action that is supposed to be happening now. It often implies not liking or agreeing with something or that the action is not done by the expected time. It is also referred to as the “unreal past” or subjunctive mood.

Structure: It’s time + subject + past tense verb

Examples: 

It’s past 4 PM. It’s time we had lunch.

It’s time they finished the proposal for the clients.

It’s time I confessed my true feelings for him.

It’s + High or About + Time

High or about is added to intensify the feeling that the action is not done by the expected time. 

Examples: 

It’s high time he found his soulmate.

It’s about time they paid back what they owed him.

Form

Had better is used when referring to the present or the future. It is used to give strong advice, recommendations, or warnings, with implications of negative consequences if the advice is not followed.

The verb form is always had. It is never have better nor has better. In informal contexts, the contracted form is ’d better. Had better or ‘d better is then followed by a bare infinitive or the infinitive without to before it.

Example:

It’s very cloudy. We’d better go home now before it starts raining heavily.

Incorrect:We’d better to go home.

More formal example:

The government had better concentrate on coming up with measures to address some of the country’s most pressing environmental issues.

Had better can be considered a strong expression. It is used if there is an assumption that there will be negative outcomes if someone does not do what is desired or suggested.

Example:

He’d better propose to her or she’ll break up with him.

In spoken English, sometimes, had best is used instead of had better, especially in informal settings. Using had best sounds slightly less intense and less direct.

Example: 

You‘d best call her. There’s so much traffic today.

Negative Form

To express had better in the negative form, we say had better not. The contracted form is ’d better not.

Examples:

You’d better not bully her online or she will file a complaint to the police.

We’d better not tell Julie she didn’t get into her dream university. This will break her heart.

Question Form

To express had better in question form, the subject and had are inverted.

Examples:

Had she better finish this task first before moving on to another?

Had they better give their new neighbors a present?

Had better in negative questions form is more common than affirmative questions.

Examples: 

Hadn’t you better turn all the lights off when you leave for your vacation?

Hadn’t we better hold the party indoors in case it rains that day?

Had better or be better, be best?

Had better is used when giving advice in a specific situation. The phrase be better or be best + to-infinitive is used for more general suggestions.

Examples:

It’s always better to take the subway than to get stuck in traffic.

They think it would be best to hire a contractor rather than to do it themselves.

Had better or would rather, would prefer?

Had better is not used when talking about preferences. Would rather or would prefer is used in this case.

Had better vs Would rather

Common Errors with had better

Had better is used when giving specific advice. It is not used when talking about obligations or requirements. In this case, use have to, have got to or must.

Example:

You have to (or must) renew your passport every ten years to be able use it for traveling abroad.

Incorrect: You’d better renew your passport every ten years to be able use it for traveling abroad.

Had better is not used in making ordinary suggestions or recommendations.

Example:

Thailand is a great country to visit. I’d recommend you visit the Northern regions to have the opportunity to unwind in hot springs or scenic villages with rice fields. 

Incorrect: You’d better visit the Northern regions to have the opportunity to unwind in hot springs or scenic villages with rice fields.

A verbal noun is derived from a verb, but serves purely as a noun in a sentence. An adjective can be used to modify it or it can be made into plural form. To compare it to a gerund, it cannot be modified by an adverb nor take an object.

Here are the main differences between a gerund and a verbal noun:

Example Sentences: Gerund vs Verbal Noun

In standard English, there should only be one negative form in the subject-predicate structure. 

The negative form is created by using negative words such as nobody, no one, nowhere, nothing.
Example:

The negative form may also be created by making the verb negative.
Example:

However, there are cases when we hear double and even triple negatives being used in some regional dialects of English and other languages worldwide. This is mostly used in informal conversation and is not acceptable in formal contexts especially in writing.

Double Negative
This is created by adding a negation to the verb and to words that modify the noun or the object of the verb.
Example:

Double Negation with Adjectives and Adverbs  ( not + negative adjective/adverb )
You can use ‘not’ + a negative adjective or adverb to make your sentence less strong. By using this form, the overall meaning of the sentence becomes positive but it shows that the writer is fully aware of it. This is mainly used in formal writing.
Example:

We use capital letters for the first word of a sentence and for a proper noun.

Rules:

1. Names of countries, cities, streets, planets, religions, companies are all proper nouns so you have to capitalise them. 

2. Do not capitalise seasons.

3. Capitalise words that come from the names of places such as nationalities, languages and adjectives that refer to the people or things from a particular place. Adjectives and nouns that come from the names of religions must be capitalised as well.

4. The most important words in film, music and book titles are capitalised. A person’s job title is also capitalised only when it is used before the name of the person.

Ellipsis in English grammar is when words have been intentionally left out to make the sentences more concise instead of having wordy sentences.

Despite the omission of words, the use of ellipsis should not affect the completeness and correctness of the sentence.

Examples:

Two Types of Ellipsis

1. Situational Ellipsis

This type of ellipsis is mostly used in speaking in informal conversation. 

We exclude grammatical words like articles, pronouns, prepositions, and to shorten responses to questions.

Examples:

2. Textual Ellipsis

This type of ellipsis is used in both speaking and writing. This choice of omission takes place since we can easily understand the context from the surrounding text. It is also more related to specific grammar rules.

a. After “and” and “but”

In coordinated clauses joined together by ‘and‘, ‘but’ and ‘or’, some words in the latter clause are often omitted since they have been brought up in the first clause.

Examples:

b. Adverbial and Relative Clauses

To reduce adverbial clauses, textual ellipsis is also used. This is done by discarding the subject and the auxiliary verb after the conjunctions while, when, after, before.

To reduce relative clauses, sometimes the relative pronoun and auxiliary verb ‘be’ are discarded.

The past continuous describes ongoing events or actions in the past.
Structure:

Functions of the Past Continuous:
To describe the background of a story before telling more about what happened.

To talk about an unfinished action that was stopped by another action or event.

To talk about actions or events that were happening at a certain time.

Difference in meaning:

When my mother left home, I prepared my breakfast. – I started preparing my breakfast after she left.

When my mother left home, I was preparing breakfast. – I started preparing my breakfast before she left home.

Tips:
1. Always remember the form be + ing.

2. Spell correctly.
If a verb ends in e, remove the e then add -ing.
live = She was living in Madrid.

If a verb ends in one vowel and one consonant, double the final consonant then add -ing.
sit = He was sitting down.

Exception: For verbs ending in w and y, do not double the consonant.
draw = He was drawing.
pray = They were praying.