Delta''''s key to the toefl test part 17

News, although it looks like a plural, is an uncountable noun that does not have a plural form.. You must be able to identify correct and incorrect usage of singular and plural forms.. U

2.5 Checking Plurals

Q Focus

What is wrong with this sentence?

Soybeans are a valuable subsistence crops, and the meal is used as a source

of protein for humans and animals

Soybeans are one type of crop The singular article a in a valuable subsistence crops tells you

that crops is incorrect because it is plural It should be changed to its singular form, crop (You

will review articles in 2.4.)

What is wrong with this sentence?

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At eleven to fourteen inches, the pygmy rabbit is the smallest of the North

American member of the leporidae family

The pygmy rabbit is the smallest one of the many members of the leporidae family Member is

a countable noun, and this context requires its plural form, members

What is wrong with this sentence?

Most airlines allow no more than two carry—on luggages for each passenger

You cannot have two carry-on luggages Luggage is a noun that does not have a plural form

You can, however, have two pieces of carry-on luggage

What is wrong with this sentence?

When Rip Van Winkle came out of the forest after sleeping for twenty years,

many news awaited him in his native village

Rip could hear much news or a lot of news, but he could not hear many news Why? News,

although it looks like a plural, is an uncountable noun that does not have a plural form

Ali of the above examples are similar to the types of sentences you will see on the TOEFL

Detta’s Key To THE TOEFL® Test 153

2.3 PLURALS

1 Approximately one or two items on the TOEFL will test your ability to check singular and plural

forms of nouns You must be able to identify correct and incorrect usage of singular and plural

forms

2 Countable nouns refer to people or things that can be counted Countable nouns have singular

forms for one person or thing They have plural forms for two or more persons or things Plural

forms usually have the —-ses word ending

Uncountable nouns are nouns that cannot be counted Uncountable nouns refer to activities,

ideas, qualities, or substances Uncountable nouns are considered to be wholes that are made up

of parts

Uncountable nouns usually do not have plural forms You cannot have several researches Why?

Research is an activity You cannot count research However, you can have several research

studies or several research reports Why? You can count studies and reports

Sometimes countable nouns are called count nouns Sometimes uncountable nouns are called

noncount nouns

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Sometimes you can express an uncountable noun in the singular by preceding it with a countable

noun + of

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si es ee = Sy Scene Sues gala seenedegeta

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Sometimes there are other ways to express uncountable nouns in the singular:

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The countable nouns in these expressions can be pluralized, but the uncountable nouns can not

be pluralized:

".: See Leid lee eave bets tees taraipet te semedaunenrn ect ipestesteeen nineteen ts ceceneehe es

poe eae aay Si H5 bit EbtHEibitiiiiittettorbaEcnurtctiiTCEbiini

= fob: aticles of clothing, ESESAS SSCS RPS dca two pieces of nformalion ae oe ie several news sioves,

154 DELTA’S KEY TO THE TOEFL® Test

3 Countable and uncountable nouns are used with different expressions for showing quantity Look

at some examples:

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ra

Mm

A TOEFL item may try to trick you by using an incorrect expression of quantity Look at this

example:

College enrollment figures for the past fifteen years show that less students

are now choosing to major in fields such as sociology and history

Which underlined word or phrase must be changed for the sentence to be correct? If you chose

less students, you were correct Since you can count students, you must use the correct expression

of quantity: fewer students

Other structures that may be tested include:

Countable nouns:

The hosta is a type of flowering plant that thrives in the shade

Mark Twain said there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics

John Dewey is regarded as one of the twentieth century’s great thinkers

The Siberian tiger is the fiercest of the world’s big cats

Uncountable nouns:

Currency is a type of money that bears no interest

A giggle and a chuckle are two kinds of laughter that mean quite different things

Deta’s Key To THE TOEFL® Test 155

2.5 PLURALS

156

Some TOEFL items contain numbers used as nouns or adjectives When numbers are used as

nouns, they can be plural, taking the —s/es ending In general, adjectives do not have plural

forms When numbers are adjectives, they do not take the —s/es ending

Look at some examples of correct and incorrect plurals in phrases involving numbers:

Note: When a number is used with percent, such as in fifty percent or one hundred percent,

percent takes the singular form

A TOEFL item may test you by having an incorrect singular or plural form in a phrase involving

numbers Look at this example:

Generally, twelve—vears—old girls are taller and heavier than boys of that age

Which underlined word or phrase must be changed for the sentence to be correct? If you chose

twelve—years—old, you were correct because it is an adjective modifying girls Adjectives do not

have plural forms Correction: twelve—year—old girls

Note: The following are correct:

The girls are twelve years old

They are twelve—year—old girls

Look at another example:

With a wing span of almost nine foot, the majestic California condor

is the largest of the western birds of prey

Which underlined word or phrase must be changed for the sentence to be correct? If you chose

almost nine foot, you were correct because foot is a noun in this context The noun foot has an

irregular plural Correction: almost nine feet

DELTA'e Key To THE TOEFL® Test

"Yes PRACTICE

Exercise 2.3.A

Choose the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed for the sentence to be correct

1 Research has shown that in North American society, less boys than girls are socialized to

seek jobs in which they can help others, such as nursing

2 A four-vears—old child has difficulty focusing his eyes on small objects; therefore, his eye—-hand Aw

7

3 Much of the tropical storms and hurricanes are likely to occur in the late summer along the Atlantic m"

and Gulf of Mexico coasts

D

4 In the 1940s, Langston Hughes published the first of the satirical “Simple” story that later

were collected in five volumes

D

5 Every year, tornadoes cause a lot of damages to property and a tremendous loss of human and

animal life

D

6 The Miocene Period, lasting from 25 to 11 millions years ago, saw the further elaboration of

mammals and the development of the anthropoid ape

Choose the one word or phrase that best completes the sentence

7 Florida, always a popular tourist destination, 8 In 1872 Chicago merchant Montgomery Ward

is well-known for its abundance of - - began sending copies of a 280—page catalog

tO -= - in the Midwest

CAD beautiful sceneries

CB) beautifuls scenery CA) thousand farmers

Ce) sceneries of beautiful Ce) a thousand of farmers

©) beautiful scenery Ce) thousands of farmers

(> thousands of farmer

2.3 PLURALS

Exercise 2.3.B

Choose the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed for the sentence to be correct

1 Dandelion wine is another kinds of beverage that is becoming increasingly popular among home

wine makers, especially those in the West

2 The largest of the terrestrial carnivore, bears have massive, densely—furred bodies, moderate-sized

heads with small ears, close-set eyes, and tiny tails

3 Counselors will be available to give students advices before they register for classes

4 The addition of a bicycle lane along five miles of the freeway has resulted in fewer bicycle traffic

on the two main routes through town

D

5 Psychologist Erik Erikson defined the terms “generativity” as the concern for establishing and

guiding the next generation

6 Between five and six thousands year ago, men developed the first writing and began to work

in metal—first in copper, then in bronze

D

7 Each furniture on display in the central mall is on sale for thirty percent off the regular price

8 The Alien Land Law of 1920, one of several discriminatory acts of the period, reduced the number

of Japanese American in agriculture

9 In the 1800s there were about 1,000 million people on the earth, and until recently there was

few increase in world population

D

10 Potatoes require a temperate climate with a regular and plentiful supplies of rain

Answers to Exercises 2.3.A through 2.3.B are on page 638

158 Detta’s Key To THE TOEFL® Test

2.5 EXTENSION

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1 Card game for groups of 2 to 5 Teachers or students prepare two sets of cards On

each card of the first set, write an expression of quantity from the list on page 155 or an

expression such as an item of or a bit of On each card of the second set, write a countable

or uncountable noun Combine the sets and mix up the cards Divide the class into several

teams Deal the cards so that each team has the same number of cards (at least 8 per team)

The object is to see how quickly teams can match all of their cards into correct pairs If

a team has a surplus of one type of card, it can trade with another team The first team

to correctly pair all of their cards wins the game

2 Students create “TOEFL sentences” to test their classmates’ understanding of numbers

used as nouns and adjectives Students write their own sentences, or change sentences

they find in print, so that a number has an incorrect singular or plural form Write the

sentences either on the board or on cards Classmates identify the error and make the

correction

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3 Discuss rare exceptions to the rule that uncountable nouns do not have plural forms

For example: foods from around the world, paying for damages, doing good works

2A ARTICLES

2.4 Checking Articles

Q Focus

What is wrong with this sentence?

A hailstorm is product of the updrafts and downdrafts that develop inside

The singular countable noun product needs an article Either a product or the product could be correct

in this sentence

What is wrong with this sentence?

The Altamira cave paintings show several animals and some figures of

The article the in the hunting is unnecessary Hunting is a gerund (verb + —ing used as a noun), and

gerunds generally do not take an article (You will review gerunds in 2.7.)

What is wrong with this sentence?

A flat mirror reflects the light rays which strike it so that the rays leave the surface of the mirror at exactly a same angle that they meet it

This sentence has a lot of nouns and articles Are they all correct?

Most of the nouns—-the light rays, the surface, the mirror—are definite This means they are specific

and known to you, the reader The indefinite article a in a same angle is incorrect The noun phrase

same angle is made specific by its use in the sentence The light rays meet the surface of the mirror at

an angle—some angle, any angle—which then becomes specific—the angle The phrase should be

changed to the same angle

All of the above examples are similar to the types of sentences you will see on the TOEFL

DO YOU KNOW ?

1 Approximately one or two items on the TOEFL will test your ability to recognize correct and

incorrect usage of articles

2 Article usage depends on whether a noun is:

na indefinite or definite

3 The indefinite articles a and an are used with indefinite nouns An indefinite noun refers to a

thing that is not specifically identified An indefinite noun is unknown either to you, the reader,

or to the writer of the text An indefinite noun is general rather than specific

A and an mean one Use a/an only with singular countable nouns Never use a/an with plural

nouns Never use a/an with uncountable nouns

SY

Ww

c

2

x

mT

Singular countable nouns:

When an object moves in a circle, it is always changing direction

Leaves can be an important aid to identifying a wildflower

Nouns that represent a whole class or type of things:

The chill of an ice storm can be felt inside as well as outside

An ophthalmologist is a doctor who specializes in the structure and diseases of the eye

A or An?

Use a before a consonant sound Use an before a vowel sound:

ye ;

Bee Bee enue ee "sẽ pe ee Hi HE an anusialtequcst oS a

Some words are spelied with a vowel but are pronounced with a consonant sound:

weg oe ae aS = qunifonn mm ẠẠA ẤT

oo ae Screener astra Se Thông ESE Yeas ete ee SEU BESTS ee bases seagunectag anes Sn eee est

Some words are spelled with a consonant but are pronounced with a vowel sound:

TH ane ELSA TEER ESLER ES SES ERS IL EGG IETS EATER UR HEA ERE ER SS PARE ACR

x eee

see aces am I1 TT ÿi tt btpircstirptitiroeiienil E1 HĐE

= hone ma aap nà E8 351L E011 EE4015 110 ES3Ệ7 DĐ me ee ices `

4 The definite article, the, is used with definite nouns A definite noun refers to a thing that is

known to you, the reader A definite noun can be made known by being mentioned in the sen-

tence A definite noun is specific rather than general

Use the with singular and plural countable nouns and with uncountable nouns Detta’s Key To THE TOEFL® Test 161

2.4 ARTICLES

Singular countable nouns:

The gearbox of a gasoline engine lies between the clutch and the differential

Plural countable nouns:

The crankshaft always turns faster than the wheels

The different ratios of teeth on the gears produce different speeds

Uncountable nouns:

It was four o’clock before the police received the information about the suspect Good teachers care about the progress made by their students

Note; A noun may be indefinite the first time it is mentioned and later become definite After a

noun is mentioned, it is then specific and known to the reader Look at this example:

The size of a perennial border can vary, but if the garden setting is large, the border should also be large

In the above sentence, a perennial border is changed to the border because it becomes known

Use the with other nouns and structures:

Specific species of animals and plants:

Despite its tiny size, the hummingbird migrates great distances every year

The desert cactus has the most slender stems of all southwestern chollas

Inventions, instruments, models, and types of buildings:

The elevator was invented just in time to lend itself to the new architecture of the

urban—industrial age, the skyscraper

The mandolin has been used widely by composers in many genres Superlatives and one of:

The great gray owl is the largest ow! in North America

A ripe apricot is one of the most pleasurable rewards from an orchard

The only one of something:

Infrared photographs show variations in surface temperature across the moon

Poet Lucy Larcom was the seventh daughter of ten children in a seafaring family

Body parts:

Asthma attacks cause the airways of the lungs to constrict and the linings of the windpipe

to sweil

Names of large bodies of water, regions, and groups of mountains, islands, and lakes:

:

ee oes eS] ai a Mau acer

_ fe Arctic ees eo ear ` Se Se

a “Gan! mm Tin ho hi nh | fhe of Rem "na eo oO `

162 DELTA’sS KEY TO THE TOEFL® Test