TOEFL TEKNIK

MEETING 3: noun and

adjective clause

NOUNS

NOUNS
Grammar : Singular and plural
Nouns
Nouns can be classified into two
groups: count nouns, which can be
counted and which take and s, and
noncount nouns, which cannot be
counted and which usually do not
take an s.

Count noun

Singular
A cell
One cell

Non Count Noun Information

Some
information
A lot of
information
Much
information

Plural
Cells
Two cells
Some cells
A lot of cells
Many cells

Count Nouns and

Noncount Nouns
Count nouns
Take a/an or one in the singular.
Usually take a final s/es in the
plural
Noncount nouns
Do not take a/an in the singular
Do not generally have a plural form

IRREGULAR COUNT
NOUNS
Some count nouns are irregular and do
not take an s in the plural. Here are some
common irregular count nouns:
Man-men
Woman-women
Child-children

foot-feet
tooth-teeth
fish-fish

NONCOUNT NOUNS
Noncount nouns cannot be counted
because they come in a mass or in
an uncountable form.
Nouns such as blood, music, and
excitement cannot be counted. The
following is a short list of some
noncount nouns:

EXAMPLES:
Food: rice, sugar, fruit, milk, bread, butter, cheese
Fluids: blood, water, oil, coffee, tea, gasoline
Raw materials: wood, paper, glass, iron, silver, wool
Gases: oxygen, nitrogen, air, pollution, steam
General: furniture, mail, money, traffic, equipment
Groups: jewelry, machinery, luggage, clothing, cash
Languages: English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish
Academic subjects: chemistry, mathematics, psychology
Abstract things: education. Health, intelligence, beauty, knowledge, sleep,
hope, music, time

Quantifiers
A quantifier is word that indicates an amount of quantity.
Some quantifiers are used only with plural count
nouns.
Both
many a few
several fewer
They are controlled by several nerves.
We have fewer cells as we get older.
Some quantifiers are used only with singular
count nouns.
Another
each
every
Each gland has a different purpose
Every muscle has its own group of nerves.

Quantifiers
Some quantifiers are used only with non-count nouns.
a little much
less
amount
The amount of oxygen available to the brain is important.
If your brain gets less oxygen than in needs, you could
become unconscious.
Some quantifiers are used with both count nouns and
non-count nouns.
all
plenty of
any
a lot of
enough most
lots of some
more
Brain cells use up a lot of energy
Most animals rely on instinct


EXERCISE 3

Correct the errors in noun forms in the

following sentences
1. Intelligence is the ability to use thought and
knowledges to understand things and solve
problems.
2. Hormones help adjust the mixture of sugar, salt,
and waters in your body.
3. Psychology, meaning the study of the mind and
how it works, comes from a Greek word
meaning lifes or soul.
4. Brain cells use up a lot of energy, so they need
a constant supply of oxygens.

COMPOUND NOUNS
Compound nouns are two nouns that
are used together to make one word or
idea. The first noun acts as an
adjective to the second noun and
usually does not take s. The second
noun can be plural and take an s.
Brain cell
Brain wave
Computer scientists

COMPOUND NOUNS
Compound nouns may also be used with number expressions.

STRATEGY
Beware of compound nouns with numbers, where the compound noun
used as an adjective may be in the plural form!
The brain uses as much power as a ten-watt lightbulb. (noun used as an
adjective)
The brain uses as much power as a lightbulb of ten watts.(noun used as a
noun)
He recited a 16,000-page book from memory. (noun used as an adjective)
He recited a book of 16,000 pages from memory.(noun used as a noun)

NUMBERS
Numbers such as hundred, thousand, million
and trillion are plural when there are no
numbers before them.
The brain receives 100 million messages a
second.
STRATEGY
The brain stores trillions of messages.
When you see nouns involving numbers, such as hundred,
thousand, or million, make sure that they are not in the plural
form when they follow numbers

EXERCISE 4
Correct the errors in the following sentences.
1. Peoples brains weigh more now than they did 100
years ago.
2. Nerves impulses can travel at speeds of up to 488
feet per second.
3. There are three to four millions pain receptors in
the skin.
4. A three-years-old childs brain is two-thirds the
size it will finally be.
5. The brain uses 25 percents of the bloods oxygen.

ADJECTIVE CLAUSE

ADJECTIVE CLAUSE
An adjective clause modifies a noun.
Adjective clauses begin with a
relative pronoun such as who, whom,
whose, which, that, or a relative
adverb such as when or where.

CLAUSE

USE

EXAMPLE

MARKER
Who

People
(subject)

Whom

People
(object
People/things
(possessive)

Whose

Which

Things
(subject/objec
t)

That

People/things
(subject/objec
t)

The tribes who lived in the

Great Plains used smoke
signals
The woman whom we met was
called Lightning Cloud.
He sent a message whose
meaning we had agreed upon
in advance.
That is a tribe which interests
me.
(subject)
The drumbeats which we heard
sent a message.
(object).
The Apache is a tribe that I will
research. (object)
The smoke that you see is from
the hills.
(subject)

STRATEGY
Check for the correct clause marker
and a subject and verb in an adjective
clause.

Omission of the Relative

Pronoun
When the relative pronoun is the subject of the adjective
clause, it cannot be omitted.
The man who played the drum was from West Africa.
(subject)
If the relative pronoun is the object of the adjective
clause, it can be omitted.
The man whom I saw was a Native American. (object)
The man I saw was a Native American.
The drumbeat that I heard was a signal. (object)
The drumbeat I heard was a signal.

Omission of the Relative

Pronoun
The relative pronouns whose, where, and
whereby cannot be omitted.
Sequoyah, whose alphabet for the Indian
people consisted of 85 characters, was
acclaimed a genius by his people. (whose
cannot be omitted)
That was the area where the tribe lived. (where
cannot be omitted.)
Sequoyah devised an alphabet whereby all the
different tribes could read a common language.
(whereby cannot be omitted.)

STRATEGY
Remember that sometimes the relative pronoun
may be omitted from an adjective clause. The
relative pronouns which, that, who, and whom
can be omitted when they are the object of the
adjective clause.

Prepositions that Come before

Adjective Clauses.
Sometime an adjective clause is used with a
preposition.
There are a number of ways by which a message
can be sent.
In spoken English the preposition usually goes at the
end of the clause, but in formal written English it goes
at the beginning of the clause.
Formal:
That was the man to whom I was
referring.
Informal: That was the man whom I was referring
to.