Grammar · From lesson 10
TOEIC Grammar: Articles, Determiners and Quantifiers (few, a few…)
Free extract from the Noto Tracks TOEIC course
Articles
| Use | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a / an | One of many; first mention; singular countable only. Choose by sound. | a uniform, a European client, an hour, an MBA |
| the | Specific or already known; unique; superlatives; ordinals; with of phrases that define the noun | the contract we signed, the CEO, the highest bid, the third floor, the cost of the repair |
| no article | Plural or uncountable nouns used in general | Customers expect fast delivery. / Information is power. |
The TOEIC rarely asks for a versus the on its own; it more often tests whether a determiner is needed at all, and which determiner agrees with the noun.
Determiners and the nouns they take
| Determiner | Takes | Example |
|---|---|---|
| each, every, another, either, neither | singular countable noun | each department, every employee, another option |
| many, few, a few, several, both, a number of, various | plural countable noun | several applicants, a few questions |
| much, little, a little, a great deal of, an amount of | uncountable noun | much interest, a great deal of effort |
| some, any, most, all, more, a lot of, plenty of, no, other | plural countable or uncountable | some feedback, other suppliers, all staff |
| this / that | singular countable or uncountable | this policy, that equipment |
| these / those | plural countable | these documents |
Quantifiers with of
When a quantifier is followed by of, a determiner must come next: most employees (people in general) but most of the employees (a specific group). The same applies to some of, many of, each of, all of, none of, several of. You cannot say most of employees.
Two forms behave differently:
- every never takes of: use every one of the or each of the.
- each of / one of / either of / neither of / none of + plural noun take a singular verb in formal written English: Each of the branches has a manager. One of our suppliers is closing. (With none of and neither of, a plural verb is also common in everyday English, but the TOEIC prefers the singular when it tests the point.)
few / a few, little / a little
A few and a little are positive ("some, enough to matter"); few and little without a are negative ("almost none"). We have a few seats left, so register today. / Few people registered, so the session was canceled. Combine this with the countable/uncountable rule: few/a few go with plural countable nouns, little/a little with uncountable nouns.
another, other, others, the other
| Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| another + singular noun | one more / a different one | We need another projector. |
| other + plural or uncountable noun | different ones | other locations, other equipment |
| the other + singular / plural | the remaining one(s) | One printer works; the other one doesn't. |
| others (pronoun, no noun after) | other people / things | Some staff drive; others take the train. |
| the others | the rest | Two rooms are booked; the others are free. |
------- employee at Vantage Freight receives a laptop and a mobile phone on the first day.
(A) All (B) Every (C) Many (D) Most
Answer: (B) — the noun employee is singular and the verb receives is singular, so the determiner must take a singular noun. All, Many and Most all require a plural countable noun here (all employees receive).
Quick check: (a) We have (little / few) time before the launch. (b) (Most / Most of) the staff attended. (c) Would you like (another / other) copy? — Answers: (a) little, (b) Most of, (c) another.
More grammar points from this lesson
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This page is one section of a full lesson
Lesson 10, "Grammar course 1: Sentence structure and word forms", is in the Noto Tracks TOEIC course. The rest of it covers:
- 2. Sentence structure: the five basic patterns
- 4. Nouns
- 6. Pronouns
- 10. A five-step routine for word-form items
Also in the full lesson
- Practice questions
- Answer key with explanations
- One-page summary
50 questions, free, with an estimated score.
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