English Grammar Basics | Articles, Countability, and Quantifiers

The h in "hour" is silent, so the word begins with a vowel sound and takes the indefinite article "an": "an hour." The choice between "a" and "an" depends on the first sound of the following word, not its first letter. There is no context identifying a particular hour for "the," and "some" does not precede the singular count noun "hour" here.

In the first sentence, "a dog" introduces a dog that the listener cannot yet identify. In the second sentence, "the dog" refers back to that same dog, which has now been mentioned. The articles distinguish a newly introduced referent from a later reference to it.

A plural count noun used for a general class normally takes no article, so the sentence begins with "Cats." "The cats" would refer to a particular group identified by the context. "A" and "an" precede singular count nouns and cannot be used with the plural "cats."

The noun "notebook" is singular and countable, so it needs a determiner such as "a" in this sentence. Because "notebook" begins with a consonant sound, the correct phrase is "a notebook." The bare singular "notebook" is not appropriate here, "an" precedes a vowel sound, and a plural noun cannot follow "a."

The noun "advice" is normally uncountable, so it does not become "advices." To count two suggestions, make the unit "piece" plural and say "two pieces of advice." The uncountable noun "advice" remains singular after "of."

The noun "chairs" is plural and countable because chairs can be counted individually, so the phrase is "how many chairs." Here, "water" is an uncount noun treated as an amount, so the phrase is "how much water." "Many" asks about number, while "much" asks about amount.

The noun "pens" is plural and countable, and the context says that the small number available is enough for everyone. "A few" therefore conveys that some are available and sufficient. "Few" would suggest that the number is too small, while "little" and "a little" are used with uncount nouns.

The noun "time" is uncountable here, and the context indicates that the amount remaining may be insufficient to catch the train. "Very little" best expresses this shortage. "A little" has the more positive sense that some is available, while "a few" and "few" are used with plural count nouns.

Although "any" is common in questions, an offer such as "Would you like ...?" naturally uses "some." Here, "coffee" is an uncount noun, so "many" and "a few," which modify plural count nouns, do not fit.

When "each" functions as a determiner, it is followed by the singular noun "participant." The subject "Each participant" is grammatically singular, so the present-tense verb is "receives." Because "each" is itself a determiner, it is not preceded by another determiner in the phrase "the each participant."