📘 Part of the Complete English Course · Beginner (A1), week 5
When you shop, cook or order food, you need to say how many things. Use a/an for one thing, add -s for more than one, and use 'some' for an amount.
The rules
a or an?
| Use | Before | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| a | a consonant sound | a banana, a cup, a university |
| an | a vowel sound | an apple, an egg, an hour |
Plural spelling
| Rule | Examples |
|---|---|
| most nouns: + s | apple → apples, bag → bags |
| -s, -sh, -ch, -x: + es | box → boxes, sandwich → sandwiches |
| consonant + y: y → ies | baby → babies |
| irregular | child → children, person → people, man → men, woman → women |
Some and any
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| some: positive sentences | I need some milk. |
| any: questions and negatives | Do you have any eggs? We don't have any bread. |
Remember
- Uncountable nouns (milk, water, rice, money, bread) have no plural and no a/an: some bread (not 'a bread').
- To count uncountable things, use containers: a bottle of water, a loaf of bread, a kilo of rice.
- a/an depends on the sound, not the letter: an hour, a uniform.
Listen and repeat
- Can I have an orange juice and a muffin, please?
- We need some rice and two kilos of potatoes.
- There are three children in the park.
- Do you have any change?
Common mistakes
| Not this | Say this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I need some bread. / I need a loaf of bread. | Bread is uncountable. | |
| two children | Irregular plural. | |
| an apple | an before a vowel sound. |
Check yourself
Loading questions…
Frequently asked questions
When do we use Plurals and some in English?
When you shop, cook or order food, you need to say how many things. Use a/an for one thing, add -s for more than one, and use 'some' for an amount. Uncountable nouns (milk, water, rice, money, bread) have no plural and no a/an: some bread (not 'a bread').
What are common mistakes with Plurals and some?
Say 'I need some bread. / I need a loaf of bread.', not 'I need a bread.' (Bread is uncountable). Say 'two children', not 'two childs' (Irregular plural). Say 'an apple', not 'a apple' (an before a vowel sound).
What level is this Plurals and some lesson?
It's a Beginner (A1) lesson, week 5 of the free Complete English Course. It takes about 10 minutes and ends with a quiz.