Grammarway 4 (B2) – Unit 4
Nouns, Articles & Word Formation
Unit Goal
In this unit, you learn how to:
- Use nouns correctly.
- Use articles (a, an, the, zero article).
- Build new words with prefixes and suffixes.
- Avoid common mistakes with nouns and articles.
1. Nouns
What is a noun?
A noun is a word for a person, place, thing, idea, or feeling.
- Person: teacher, student
- Place: school, city
- Thing: computer, book
- Idea: freedom, knowledge
- Feeling: happiness, sadness
Countable and Uncountable Nouns
| Countable | Uncountable |
|---|---|
| one book, two books | water, information |
| many cars | much money |
| a/an can be used | a/an cannot be used |
Examples:
- I bought a book.
- She gave me some information.
🔑 Đáp án & Giải thích
Danh từ đếm được có thể đếm bằng số lượng (one book, two books).
Danh từ không đếm được không dùng với a/an và thường không có dạng số nhiều (information, advice, furniture).
Lỗi phổ biến: không nói "an information" mà nói "some information".
2. Articles
Using A / An
Use a or an with singular countable nouns when we mention something for the first time.
- a car
- a university
- an apple
- an hour
Using The
Use the when the listener knows which thing we mean.
- I saw a dog. The dog was very friendly.
- Please close the door.
Zero Article (No Article)
Do not use an article with many plural or uncountable nouns when speaking generally.
- Books are useful.
- Water is important.
- She studies English.
🔑 Đáp án & Giải thích
a dùng trước phụ âm đầu tiên về âm thanh.
an dùng trước nguyên âm đầu tiên về âm thanh.
the dùng khi người nghe biết đối tượng nào.
Không dùng mạo từ khi nói chung chung: Books are useful.
3. Word Formation
What is Word Formation?
Word formation means creating a new word by adding a prefix or suffix.
Example:
- happy → unhappy
- teach → teacher
- possible → impossible
Prefixes
A prefix goes before a word.
| Prefix | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| anti- | against | antisocial |
| bi- | two | bilingual |
| co- | together | co-worker |
| ex- | former | ex-president |
| inter- | between | international |
| mis- | wrongly | misunderstand |
| mono- | one | monolingual |
| multi- | many | multicultural |
| over- | too much | overeat |
| under- | too little | underpay |
| re- | again | rewrite |
| pre- | before | prepay |
| post- | after | postwar |
| super- | above | superhuman |
| trans- | across | transport |
Opposite-Meaning Prefixes
| Prefix | Example |
|---|---|
| un- | unhappy |
| dis- | disagree |
| in- | incorrect |
| im- | impossible |
| il- | illegal |
| ir- | irregular |
| non- | non-smoking |
| de- | deactivate |
4. Suffixes
Suffixes for People
| Verb/Noun | Person |
|---|---|
| teach | teacher (-er) |
| act | actor (-or) |
| art | artist (-ist) |
| assist | assistant (-ant) |
| music | musician (-ian) |
| employ | employee (-ee) |
Noun-forming Suffixes
| Verb/Adjective | Noun |
|---|---|
| arrive | arrival (-al) |
| perform | performance (-ance) |
| inform | information (-ation) |
| develop | development (-ment) |
| happy | happiness (-ness) |
| active | activity (-ity) |
Adjective-forming Suffixes
| Noun/Verb | Adjective |
|---|---|
| danger | dangerous (-ous) |
| music | musical (-al) |
| athlete | athletic (-ic) |
| create | creative (-ive) |
| care | careful (-ful) |
| hope | hopeless (-less) |
| cloud | cloudy (-y) |
| friend | friendly (-ly) |
Verb-forming Suffixes
| Adjective | Verb |
|---|---|
| short | shorten (-en) |
| modern | modernise (-ise) |
5. Worked Examples
Example 1: Articles
Sentence: I saw ___ cat. ___ cat was black.
Answer: I saw a cat. The cat was black.
Why?
- First mention → a cat.
- Second mention → the cat.
Example 2: Prefix
Word: possible
Add opposite prefix → impossible
Meaning: not possible.
Example 3: Suffix
Verb: develop
Add noun suffix → development
Sentence: The company focuses on development.
🔑 Đáp án & Giải thích
Ví dụ 1: Dùng "a" khi nhắc lần đầu, dùng "the" khi nhắc lại.
Ví dụ 2: Prefix "im-" tạo nghĩa phủ định.
Ví dụ 3: Suffix "-ment" biến động từ thành danh từ.
6. Common Mistakes
| Wrong | Correct |
|---|---|
| an information | some information |
| advices | advice |
| the life is difficult | life is difficult |
| She is very success. | She is very successful. |
| He made a decide. | He made a decision. |
Remember:
- Check if the noun is countable or uncountable.
- Choose the correct article.
- Use the correct prefix or suffix to form the word you need.