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by R. S. Karunaratne
Know how to use
'much'
How much is this doll?
'Much' can be used as a determiner,
pronoun or an adverb.
There wasn't much fun.
(determiner)
|
How much is this doll? |
He didn't say very much
about you. (pronoun)
She didn't like the sari much. (adverb)
'Much' is used to ask about an amount
of something.
How much water can you
drink?
How much did it cost you?
She didn't say much on the
project.
Some children do not eat very much.
There was nothing much to
learn from him.
She spends too much on
clothes.
Terrorism is a much
discussed subject.
'Much' is also used to talk about
small quantities.
There isn't much water in
the tank.
Are you sick? You haven't eaten very
much.
How much do you earn? Not
much.
'Much' is used to
emphasize a comparison.
With those glasses you look
much older.
How is the patient?
Much better, I think.
Benz car is much more expensive than a Morris Minor.
'Much' is used to
emphasize that something is in excess.
A policeman stopped me because I was driving
much too fast.
|
Why did you pay so much for
this shirt? |
This room is much
too big for me.
I can't look after ten dogs - it's too
much.
Set phrases using
'much'.
How much is
this doll?
How much does it
cost to hire a taxi?
How are you feeling, dear?
Much the same.
There is much
too much evil in the world. (an excessive amount)
Did you enjoy reading her latest novel?
Not much.
Thanks very much
for helping me.
Thanks so much
for the lovely meal.
So much for
history. Now, what about geography? (You have finished talking about
history)
Senaka as much as
admitted that it was his fault.
Why did you pay so
much for this shirt?
Use 'much' to refer to
uncountable nouns.
There was much traffic on
Galle Road.
I don't have much money to
spare.
Do not use 'very much' between the
verb and the object in a sentence.
I enjoyed very much my
stay in India. (Wrong)
I enjoyed my stay in India very much.
(Right)
Avoid these
common mistakes
Grammarians have identified the top ten spelling mistakes commonly
made by even advanced students.
They are as follows:
1. accommodation
(note: double 'c' and double 'm')
2. which('w' is immediately followed by 'h')
Some students write 'witch', which means a
woman who is believed to have magical
powers and who uses them to harm or
help other people.
3. government (use 'n' before 'm'
4. beginning (Note: double 'n')
5. definitely (there is an 'i' after 'n')
6. successful (Note: double 'c and double 's')
7. environment ('n' is followed by 'm')
8. advertisement (Note the 'e' after 's')
9. believe (use 'ie' not 'ei')
10 colleague (there is an 'a' after 'e')
Avoid the wrong use of uncountable nouns. The following uncountable
nouns have no plural form. furniture, music, health, happiness.
Students sometimes write 'furnitures' which is a common mistake.
These words cannot be used with a,
an, many, few or several.
Here are some more uncountable nouns
which have no plural form:
information, advice, transport, equipment, behaviour, research,
training, knowledge, software and accommodation. However, 'behaviour'
and 'research' can be made plural in certain instances: 'behaviours',
'researches'.
Spelling rules
A silent 'E' on the end of a word makes the vowel in front say its
name. There are four combinations:
A-E
Rat - rate
Hat - hate
Fat - fate
Mat - mate
Man - mane
Pan - pane
Plan - plane
I-E
Rip - ripe
Rid - ride
Fin - fine
Pin - pine
Pip - pipe
O-E
Not - note
Hop - hope
Pop - pope
Cod - code
Rod - rode
U-E
Cut - cute
Hug - huge
Cub - cube
Tub - tube
Us - use
Starters:
Working with
topic sentences
Very often you are asked to write a paragraph about yourself, your
pets or your grandparents. Remember to write a topic sentence and make
sure each sentence in the paragraph tells something about the topic
sentence. If you happen to write any sentence that does not tell
something about the topic sentence, strike it out.
Here is a model paragraph on "My
First Day in school".
My first day in school was very unusual and eventful. I woke up late
because I did not like the idea of going to school. I thought that
schools were prisons where children were imprisoned for seven to eight
hours. As I got up late I had to rush to get ready for school. I ran to
catch the bus, I fell and broke my arm! My grandmother too broke her arm
once. I was sad, but my father took me to hospital. I was able to go to
school after a few weeks. I liked my new school and friends. I was
thrilled when everybody in the class greeted me.
Activity
Think of a recent experience in your life. Write a paragraph adding
facts and feelings about your experience. Make sure that your paragraph
has a topic sentence. Also make sure that all the other sentences in
your paragraph tell something about the topic sentence. Use short and
long sentences to make the paragraph interesting.
Use a standard dictionary to check the spelling of unfamiliar words.
Do not write anything not relevant to the topic sentence.
 Make
a word triangle
See if you can fill in the missing letters from the clues. All the
words start with 'D'.
1. Fourth letter in the alphabet.
2. Doctor of Divinity.
3. A barrier made of concrete across a river.
4. A raised platform.
5. A small white flower with a yellow centre.
6. Harm caused to something, making it less attractive.
7. A person or thing that is much liked or loved.
8. Small pieces of dead skin from the top of the head.
9. A large dog with short white hair marked with dark spots.
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Key
1. D
2. DD
3. DAM
4. DAIS
5. DAISY
6. DAMAGE
7. DARLING
8. DANDRUFF
9. DALMATIAN
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