21 structures · CEFR A1–C1
English nouns and articles
Articles are the hardest small thing in English for a Hindi speaker, for a simple reason: Hindi has no "a" and no "the", so there is no habit to transfer. English decides between them by whether the listener already knows which one you mean. This family covers a and the, countable and uncountable nouns, plurals, and the quantity words — much, many, a few, a little — that follow from that same countable split.
Common nouns, articles & quantity mistakes
Every one of these is a sentence Indian-English speakers genuinely produce — not a textbook example.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
I am going to office. | I am going to the office. Indian English drops "the" here; standard English keeps it. a / an / the → |
I have two childs. | I have two children. Child, man, woman and foot change shape instead. Plurals → |
He gave me many advices. | He gave me a lot of advice. "Advice" is uncountable and has no plural. Countable & uncountable → |
This is the bag of Rahul. | This is Rahul's bag. For people, English uses ’s rather than "of". Possessives → |
I do not have some money. | I do not have any money. Negatives take "any". some / any → |
The life is difficult. | Life is difficult. "Life" in general takes no article. Articles: tricky cases → |
I like the mangoes. | I like mangoes. Mangoes in general take no article — "the mangoes" means particular ones. When to use no article at all → |
The computers have changed our lives. | Computers have changed our lives. For things in general, the bare plural is what people actually say. Talking about things in general → |
All 21 nouns, articles & quantity structures
Grouped by CEFR band so you can start where you actually are, rather than at the top.
A1 · Starting
3 structures at this level.
A2 · Everyday
10 structures at this level.
- Countable & uncountableA2Stop saying "informations" and "furnitures"
- some / anyA2Talk about an amount you have not counted
- When to use no article at allA2Know when leaving it out is correct
- much / many / a lot ofA2Say "a lot" without picking the wrong word
- enoughA2Say whether there is as much as you need
- each / everyA2Talk about all of them, one at a time
- another / other / the otherA2Ask for one more, or point at the remaining one
- no / none / not anyA2Say there is nothing, three different ways
- a piece of / a bottle ofA2Count things that cannot be counted
- Noun + nounA2Name everyday things the way English does
B1 · Independent
5 structures at this level.
- few / a few / little / a littleB1Say how little there is, and whether that is a problem
- all / bothB1Include everything, or exactly two things
- most / several / plenty ofB1Describe an amount more precisely than "many"
- some of the / most of myB1Talk about part of a group you have already named
- 's or of?B1Choose the natural way to show belonging
B2 · Confident
2 structures at this level.
C1 · Fluent
1 structure at this level.
Dimmed tiles are structures whose example bank is still being written. The explanation and the mistake are there; the sentences are not, yet.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
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