Page 127 - Advanced English Grammar in Use

d o m e a n a z e r o a r n c i e w n n p i u r a i a n a
u n c o u n t a b l e n o u n s

We use some in affirmative sentences and questions with plural and uncountable nouns when we
talk about limited, but indefinite or unknown, numbers or quantities of things:
• Some furniture arrived for you this morning, (not Furniture arrived...)
• Would you like to hear some good news? (not ...to hear good news?)
When you use it in this way, you pronounce some with its weak form /sam/.

We also use some to talk about particular, but unspecified, people or things:
• Some teachers never seem to get bored with being in the classroom. (= but not all)
• I enjoy some modern music. (= but not all)
When you use it in this way, you pronounce some with its strong form /SAITI/.

We use zero article with uncountable and plural nouns when we talk generally about people or
things. Compare the sentences in A above with:
• I always like getting good news. (= good news in general)
• Furniture is a costly item when you are setting up a home. (= furniture in general)
• Teachers like having long holidays. (= all teachers)
• I enjoy modern music. (= modern music in general)
Compare also:
• We need food, medicine, and blankets.
(appeal after earthquake) and
• There are some old blankets in the wardrobe.
Shall I throw them out?
• A post office is a place where you can buy stamps, and
• I'd like some stamps, please.

We sometimes use some or zero article with very little difference in meaning:
• 'Where were you last week?' 'I was visiting (some) friends.'
• Before serving, pour (some) yoghurt over the top.
• It'll be cold up in the hills, so bring (some) warm clothes.
It makes little difference whether we are referring to particular friends (with some) or friends in
general (with zero article); or whether we are referring to a limited but indefinite amount of
yoghurt (with some) or yoghurt in general (with zero article).

Some is used before a number to mean 'approximately':
• Some 80% of all those eligible took part in the vote. (= approximately 80%)
• There were some 20,000 people at the protest march. (= approximately 20,000)
When it is used in this way, some is usually pronounced /sAm/.

When we want to emphasise that we can't say exactly which person or thing we are talking
about because we don't know or can't remember, we can use some instead of a/an with a
^singular noun. When it is used in this way, some is pronounced /SAITI/:
• • I was asked a really difficult question by some student in class two.
We use the phrase some (thing) or other in a similar way:
• I bought them from some shop or other in the High Street, (not ...from a shop or other...)

Countable and uncountable nouns => Zero article = Some and any =