Unit 2: Singular and Plural Nouns; Proper Nouns; A and An

At Home and At School

 Step 1: Grammar in Context

A. Vocabulary

Study the words. Then work with a partner. Practice the conversation.

an Oven
An oven
glasses
Glasses
a knife
A knife
a spoon
A spoon
forks
Forks

Conversation

A: What's this called in English?
B: It's an oven.
A: What are these called?
B: They're glasses.

B. Now talk about the other words in A.

A: What's this called in English?
B: It's .
A: What are these called?
B: They're .

New Words

Judy and Elena are in college. They're roommates. Elena is an English language student. She is from Brazil. They're in the kitchen.

ELENA: Judy, what's this called in English?
JUDY: It's a toaster.
ELENA: A toaster? T-O-A-S-T-E-R?
JUDY: That's right.
ELENA: And this?
JUDY: It's an oven. O-V-E-N.
ELENA: And what's this called?
JUDY: It's a spoon. S-P-O-O-N.
ELENA: Spoon.
ELENA: Is this a knife?
JUDY: Yes. These are knives, and these are forks.
ELENA: Knives? How do you spell "knives"?
JUDY: K-N-I-V-E-S.
ELENA: K?
JUDY: That's right. K-N-I-V-E-S. And forks?
ELENA: What are these?
JUDY: They're glasses. G-L-A-S-S-E-S.
ELENA: Thank you. You're a good teacher.
JUDY: Not so fast. Say the words in Portuguese. Now I'm a student, and you're a teacher!

AFTER YOU READ

A. Comprehension

Look at the conversation again. Complete the sentences. Click on the correct answers.

  1. Judy and Elena are:
  2. Elena is from:
  3. Elena asks, “What are these?” Judy says, “_____.”
  4. Elena asks, “What’s this?” Judy says, “_____.”
  5. Elena wants to learn _____.

STEP 2: GRAMMAR PRESENTATION

Nouns and Articles
Singular and Plural Nouns
This is a toaster. These are toasters.
This is a glass. These are glasses.
Articles: A and An
This is a fork. This is an egg.
Proper Nouns
Proper Noun
Elena Gomes is a student.
Elena is from Brazil.
Grammar Notes

1. Nouns

A noun is the word for a person, animal, place, or thing.

Elena is from Brazil. (a person)

This is a dog. (an animal)

Elena is from Brazil. (a place)

This is a spoon. (a thing)

Nouns are singular or plural.

This is a spoon.

These are spoons.

2. Singular Nouns

A and an come before singular nouns.

He's a teacher. This is an apple.

This is a fork. She's a student.

This is an egg. This is an oven.

3. Plural Nouns

Add -s to most nouns to make them plural.

Add -es to nouns that end in s, ss, z, ch, sh, and x.

BE CAREFUL! Do not put a or an before plural nouns.

This is a spoon. These are spoons.

This is a glass. These are glasses.

NOT These are a glasses.

4. Special Plural Forms

Some nouns have special plural forms.

SINGULAR PLURAL
child children
knife knives
man men
person people

I have a child. She has two children.

This is a knife. These are knives.

This man is American. These men are Canadian.

I am a person. We are people.

5. Proper Nouns

Proper nouns are the names of people and places on the map. They start with a capital letter.

BE CAREFUL! Do not put a or an before proper nouns.

My roommate Elena is from São Paulo, Brazil.

Judy is from Seattle.

NOT A Judy is from Seattle.

REFERENCE NOTE

For definitions of grammar terms, see the Glossary on page 375.
For list of spelling and pronunciation rules for plural nouns, see Appnedices 8 and 9 on page 368.
For a list of irregular plural nouns, see Appendix 10 on page 368

STEP 3: FOCUSED PRACTICE

EXERCISE 1: DISCOVER THE GRAMMAR

A. Choose the singular nouns:

  • apple
  • forks
  • knife
  • kitchens
  • man

B. Choose the plural nouns:

  • men
  • spoon
  • spoons
  • teacher
  • teachers
  • woman

C. Choose the words that begin with a vowel:

  • apple
  • egg
  • knife
  • oven
  • spoon
  • toaster

D. Choose the proper nouns:

  • Brazil
  • country
  • Elena
  • Judy
  • Sao Paulo
  • student
  • the United States

Exercise 2: A, An, and Plural Nouns

GRAMMAR NOTES 1-3: Look at the picture. Complete the conversation. Add a, an, or -s to the words in parentheses.

Classroom image
chair window table board marker eraser computer

SERGEI: This is our classroom. It's nice. It has (1. computer), (2. board), five (3. table), and two (4. window).

CARLOS: It has four (5. marker) and (6. eraser), too.

SERGEI: We just need fifteen (7. chair) and (8. teacher)!

Exercise 3 - A, An, and Nouns

Part A: Grammar Notes 1-4

Look at the things in Steve's kitchen. Complete the sentences. Circle the correct answers.

stove counter refrigerator

Part B: Write 'a' or 'an' Before the Things

Look at the pictures in A. Write a or an before the things in Steve's kitchen.

  1. banana
  2. stove
  3. orange
  4. egg
  5. pineapple
  6. counter
  7. apple
  8. muffin
EXERCISE 4: A, AN, AND PLURAL NOUNS

Look at Elena's shopping list. Complete the sentences. Add "a", "an", or plurals.

words

Elena needs , , , , , , and .

EXERCISE 5: PROPER NOUNS

Read the sentences. Cross out the proper nouns. Rewrite them with a capital letter.

  • 1. My friend is maria.
  • 2. mona is from egypt.
  • 3. This is al. He's a teacher. He's from london.
  • 4. She's from são paulo, brazil.
  • 5. seattle is a city. It's in the united states.
EXERCISE 6: EDITING

There are six mistakes in the sentences. One mistake is corrected. Find and correct five more.

  • 1. These are a apples..
  • 2. He's from Canada..
  • 3. This is a orange..
  • 4. These banana are good. are good.
  • 5. This is toaster..
  • 6. Two person are not in class. are not in class.

STEP 4: COMMUNICATION PRACTICE

Exercise 7: Listening

Listen to the conversation between Elena and Judy. Check (✓) the words Elena asks about.

Listen again and complete the sentence:

An , a , and two are on the counter.

Work with a partner. Draw a picture of a word in A. Ask your partner about the picture.

Example:

A: What's this?
B: It's an orange.
A: That's right.

Exercise 8: What's This Called in English?

Conversation: Work with a partner. Touch a thing or things in the class. Ask and answer questions about the things.

Example:

A: What's this called in English?
B: It's a computer.
A: How do you spell "computer"?
B: C-O-M-P-U-T-E-R... What are these called in English?
A: They're pens.
B: How do you spell "pens"?
A: P...

Placeholder Image

Exercise 9 - A to Z

Game: Work in a group. Name things in your home and school. Try to name one thing for each letter of the alphabet. Say "a" or "an" for each thing, or use plural nouns. The group with the most correct words wins.

Example:

Exercise 10 - Treasure Hunt

Game: Work in a group. Look around your classroom. Find the people and things. Write sentences about them. The first group to find all the people and things in the classroom and write a sentence about them wins.

From Grammar to Writing

Writing exercises for students optional. See page 26 of unit 2

Unit 2 Review

Test yourself on the grammar of the unit.

Part A: Write the plurals

  1. Spoon:
  2. Class:
  3. Man:
  4. Teacher:
  5. Orange:

Part B: Look at Judy's shopping list

Shopping List:

  • 1 pineapple
  • 5 bananas
  • 10 apples
  • 1 eraser
  • 1 notebook

Complete the sentence. Use a, an, or plurals for the things on the list.

Judy needs , , , , and .

Part C: Correct the sentences. There are five mistakes.

  1. This is apple..
  2. These are fork..
  3. It’s a oven..
  4. Three person are in school.
  5. These are knife..