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Nouns & Articles
English nouns, definite and indefinite articles, countable and uncountable nouns, and plural forms
Zero article: general abstract concepts
Life is short / Love is important / Time flies — no article for general ideas
Zero article: meals, transport, illness
have breakfast / go by bus / have flu / be at school — set phrases
Nominalization: verb → noun
decide→decision, arrive→arrival, describe→description, develop→development
Nominalization: adjective → noun
happy→happiness, sad→sadness, kind→kindness, dark→darkness
Complex noun phrases
the young woman in the blue coat with the dog — pre and post modification
Partitives: a piece of / a bit of
a piece of cake, a bit of advice, a slice of bread, a drop of water
Measurement nouns
a kilo of flour, a litre of milk, a metre of cloth — always uncountable + of
Plural-only nouns
scissors, trousers, glasses, jeans — always plural; use "a pair of"
Compound adjective + noun
a well-known actor, a long-term solution, a fast-moving car — hyphenated
Noun as pre-modifier strings
a government health information leaflet — nouns can stack as modifiers
