2. Nominative – case of the subject and subject complement
Accusative – case of Direct Object; prepositional object
Genitive – „s Genitive – for persons: My boss‟ personal secretary is
absent today. Tess‟ dress is made out of silk.
- “of” Genitive – for objects and things
The agenda of today‟s meeting is very busy.
AT the end of a meeting, the minutes are circulated among meeting
attendees.
Combined genitive forms:
Philippe is an old business partner of my father‟s.
Dative – case of Indirect Object
On March 8, men give flowers to women in the post-Communist
countries.
On March 8, men give women flowers for the “International”
women‟s day.
Vocative – case of appellation
3. (Adverbial of Time +) Subject (+ Adverbial of Time) +
Verb/Predicate + Direct Object + Indirect Object + Adverbial
of Manner + Adverbial of Place + Adverbial of Time
Directorul adjunct vorbeste la telefon in biroul lui foarte tare,
4-5 ore pe zi.
The Assistant Manager speaks very loudly on the phone, in
his office, for 4-5 hours a day.
In fiecare dimineata isi ia cafeaua in bucatarie repede, in
picioare, de la 7.10 la 7.15, si apoi pleaca la birou.
Every morning she takes her coffee standing, very quickly,
from 7.10 to 7.15, and then she leaves for the office.
4. Subject agrees with Predicate in number
e.g. Many workers have signed a petition to
go on strike.
Paul has been appointed as Marketing
Manager for Vitivissa.
If the subject is made up of two nouns that
are coordinated, the predicate is in the
plural
Toothpaste and washing powder are the
best selling products if P&G.
Both the branch in Stockholm and the
branch in Copenhagen are reporting an
increase in sales.
5. If the two nouns that make up the subject
are disjunctive, in the singular, the
agreement is in the singular
Either my secretary or the receptionist is
going to get back to you by phone.
If the subject is expressed by a collective
noun, the agreement can be either in the
singular or in the plural, depending on
whether the collective noun is considered as
a whole or as each and every member of the
collective
My favourite football team has played well
this season.
The Board are still debating whether to
enter the Asian market this year or not.
7. The article shows whether the noun that it
accompanies is already known to the
speaker or not.
If the noun has already been introduced, i.e.
it is known, the noun is used with the
definite article. If the noun is just being
introduced, it is used with the indefinite
article
e.g. This is a new development project. The
project is estimated to start in the early
2011, with money from the World Bank.
8. Used with singular and plural, countable and
uncountable nouns
also used when the noun it accompanies is further
determined by appositions:
E.g.The money that I receive from my parents is not
enough to spend a cool night in a club.
is used to form the superlative degree of
adjectives:
E.g. This is the best holiday I‟ve ever had.
Is used to form ordinal numerals
E.g. The second time I met him, he had already
risen to a middle management position.
When followed by adjectives, it turns them into
nouns:
E.g. The rich do not always understand the social
problems of the poor.
9. Used with proper names of:
- mountains: The Carpathians, the Alps, the
Rockies
- Oceans: The Atlantic, the Pacific
Rivers: the Danube, the Amazon, the Nile
Seas: The Black Sea, the Mediterranean
Institutions: The British Museum, The Field,
the Art Institute
Newspapers and magazines: The Financial
Times, The Times
Cardinal points: the South, the East, the
West
10. Other idiomatic uses:
- play the guitar/the violin/the piano
- sell by the pound/by the kilo/by the pair
- pay by the week/by the hour
- beat about the bush, break the ice, take the
trouble, be on the way, be on the run, tell the
time…
- on the one hand, on the other hand, on the
whole, on the left, on the right, on the
contrary
11. - used with singular, countable nouns
Introduces a new notion: This is a magic tool.
Used with titles, jobs, nationalities
E.g. He was a distinguished lord.
My sister is a doctor.
His partner is an Englishman.
12. A good many/a great many workers were going on
strike.
Many a student is not a big fan of grammar.
A bit of, a lot of, …
In exclamations: What an idea! Such a nice fellow!
What a pity!
Phrases: have a bite, have a good time, take a fancy
to, not to care a straw/fig, catch a cold, have a
look/go/try, for a change, for a while, as a reward,
at a distance, in a loud/low voice, in a hurry, to
have a head for, to make a fortune, to take a seat,
go for a walk/ride…
13. Absence of a marked article with abstract
nouns, nouns in the plural, mass nouns:
E.g. Wisdom comes with experience.
Gold is rare nowadays.
Birds of a feather flock together.
We study Economics.
Man is mortal.
Days of the week, months, continents,
countries (But : the United Kindom, the
United States of America, the Netherlands),
cities (but: The Hague)
14. At noon, by chance, by mistake, for fun, for
good, under discussion, at ease, at random,
in case, in town, at hand, at first sight, by
train, by heart, in honour of, by word of
mouth, on condition that, to strike oil, to
lose face
In parallel constructions: from day to day,
from hand to mouth, from time to time,
from top to bottom, through thick and thin,
hand in hand, by hook or by crook,
15. Proximity: this, these
Distance: that, those
E.g. This initiative has increased our revenue
by 25 %.
FYI, these employees deserve a higher
salary.
On that particular day, all our activities
were out of sync.
Under those circumstances, we had to
sell the company asap.
16. 1st person – my (sg) – our (pl)
2nd person – your
3rd person – his (sg, masc), her (sg, fem)
its (sg, neutral) their (pl)
e.g. My co-workers are all cool guys.
Her stiff appearance did not help her
integrate in our team.
17. Countable nouns: many, (a) few
Uncountable nouns: much, (a) little
A few vs few : positive vs negative value
e.g. I have a few friends (i.e. not many but
enough).
I have few friends ( I wish I had more)
She gave me a little money (i.e. not much
but enough).
I have little money ( I wish I had more).
18. Cardinal – one, two, three, thirteen…
BE milliard – AE billion
Ordinal – the first, the second/third/
fourth/ fifth, sixth, ninth, twelfth, thirtieth,
etc
Ratios – 1/3 – a third; 2/3 – two thirds; 2/4
– two quarters/fourths; 3/5 – three fifths
Percentages 20% - twenty per cent; 37 % -
thirty seven per cent
Distributive numerals: every other day;
every three hours, every four years, etc..
19. Some - + countable and uncountable nouns, in affirmative sentences
I need some advice. I have some nice friends in the Caribbean Islands.
No - + countable and uncountable nouns, in affirmative sentences
I have no furniture in my office yet.
We have no modern tools in our mini-plant.
Any - countable and uncountable nouns, in negative and interrogative
sentences
Do you have any news from your brother in Italy?
We haven‟t got any bad reviews for our article.
Either – + countable nouns; one – irrespective which, of two
e.g. We have two expansion options: either option has advantages and
disadvantages.
Both - + countable nouns
e.g. We plan to open subsidiaries in China and India. Both countries have a
tremendous development potential.
Neither - + countable nouns; negative (none of two)
Neither Democratic candidate knows for sure that he or she will be nominated.
No - + countable and uncountable nouns; negative;
e.g. No rule applies here. We have received no news about the missing files.
20. Which, who, that, whom, whose
e.g. Which ethnic group do you belong to?
The video-projector which lies in that
corner has been procured via a project.
The woman who sits opposite the Dean is
his wife.
That amount that he owes me is quite
significant.
The person whom I spoke to seemed nice.
Whose idea was this?
