Countable nouns and agreement Information or informations? People is or people are? Get the small grammar right every time.
Uncountable nouns never take -s
These words have no plural in English: information, advice, research, equipment, knowledge, furniture, traffic, evidence, homework, luggage.
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The website gives useful information.
The website gives useful informations.
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She gave me some good advice.
She gave me an advice.
To count them, use "a piece of advice".
The verb follows the real subject
Find the main noun, ignore the words in between, then choose the verb.
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The number of students has increased.
The number of students have increased.
"The number" is singular.
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A number of students have complained.
"A number of" means "many", so the verb is plural.
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People are more health-conscious today.
People is more health-conscious today.
Amount or number, less or fewer
Use "number" and "fewer" with countable nouns, "amount" and "less" with uncountable nouns.
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the number of cars, fewer cars
the amount of cars, less cars
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the amount of water, less water
IELTS tip
Task 1 uses "the number of", "the amount of" and "the proportion of" constantly. Choose correctly and match the verb, and many small errors disappear.
Practice quiz
Pass with 7 or more to tick this topic off.
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