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Ask for help > There isn īt any apple. // Is there any apple?
There isn īt any apple. // Is there any apple?
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Jorgelinaac
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There isn īt any apple. // Is there any apple?
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Hi! I am a trainee teacher and I delivered a class today. The topic was about countable nouns and I had to explain the use of any and some. So I drew a table on the blackboard with different types of food. I elicited from students the following sentences...
There is a banana on the table
There is an apple on the table.
There are some eggs on the table
and all was well until I began with the negative and question forms.
After the class, I was told by my teacher that it was not ok to say....* there isnīt any apple. ( it is too emphatic). We would just say.... there aren īt any apples.
The same goes for the question form.... * Is there any apple? is wrong. Instead, I should have only written ... Are there any apples?
I was shocked and emabarrased. But above all, I felt terrible for having taught those kids something incorrect.
But, I still find it hard to believe I can īt say.... īthere isn īt any apple. � or īIs there any apple?
Maybe someone can make it clearer for me. Thanks in advance!
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24 Aug 2009
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arlissa
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What your teacher said is true. The word "any" should only be used with plural countable nouns (like "apples") or non-countable nouns (like "water" or "milk").
I have accidentally taught incorrect things to students before as well. Don īt worry too much, but perhaps tomorrow you can teach them the correction and why. :) It īs ok, teachers aren īt perfect either.
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24 Aug 2009
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vickyvar
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I agree with both the previous replies. Any is used in interrogative and negative sentences with uncountable nouns and with plural countable nouns. Thus, your teacher was right.
Don īt worry if you made mistakes. Everybody does. In your next lesson teach them the right thing and give them other examples. Use sth else instead of apple. What I used to do when I first taught English is to write down the plan for the whole lesson, plus examples amd notes on everything I wanted to say. Whenever I wasn īt 100% sure I looked things up in a grammar book, dictionary etc. This way I was as prepared as I could be and avoided lots of mistakes I would have made otherwise.
Keep trying. You will definitely improve in time.
Take care.
Vicky
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24 Aug 2009
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Jorgelinaac
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Hi, yes yes!! I didn īt doubt my teacher was right :) but I needed a clearer explanation. I was so sure about it that I didn īt even check!
Thanks so much! All explanations were really clear and useful :) !
Jor |
24 Aug 2009
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lcab
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wow, I didnīt know that!!! I tried to apply that in my daily speech. But I need to learn more of that ................... Thanks... |
25 Aug 2009
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Isabelucha
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That īs why I LOOOOVE this site!!!! I keep learning all the time!!!
Thx Jorgelina for making it clearer to me! I didn īt know that either! |
25 Aug 2009
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takasenglish
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One thing though. If you are talking about the ingredients, in salad or muffins for example, I guess it īs better to say "any apple" because now "apple" is not countable any more. Am I right? |
25 Aug 2009
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alexa09
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There isn īt an apple on the table (countable and singular) that īs correct
There isn īt any milk is also correct but.... īcos we īre talking about uncountables!Is there any milk in the fridge? (also correct)
then , there aren īt any apples on the table that īs correct (plural and countables)
apple is Countable
You could have written IS THERE AN APPLE on the table?? (ant that īs correct)
We keep/mantain the indefinite pronoun a/an in the SINGULAR AND COUNTALBE NOUNS IN THE INTERROGATIVE FORM, THAT īS IT.
This is updated grammar. (I came acrross the same doubst some time ago but after reading many updated books, it came clearer to me...)
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25 Aug 2009
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ameliarator
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You īve gotten lots of great explanations, so I īll just say that I taught the wrong thing a couple of times when I was starting out (and I īm a native speaker- how embarrassing!) but after becoming best friends with Michael Swan īs Practical English Usage, and double checking even the rules I thought I was sure of, I don īt have to worry about that anymore. 鼦lso, for anything to stick it needs to be reinforced, so as long as you provide plenty of practice with the correct forms I īm sure the students will be fine. |
25 Aug 2009
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libertybelle
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Amalie - wrote you a PM - but thought I īd also post here.
That book sounds great. Just ordered it.
Sounds like a book every teacher should own.
Thanks again
Libertybelle
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25 Aug 2009
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