Articles and Determiners
Articles (a/an/the) and determiners (some, any, much, many, each, every) specify nouns. TOEIC tests your knowledge of countable vs. uncountable nouns and the specific rules for each determiner.
Rules
- Use 'a/an' with singular countable nouns mentioned for the first time.
- Use 'the' for specific nouns known to both the speaker and listener.
- Use 'many/few' with countable nouns, and 'much/little' with uncountable nouns.
- Use 'each/every' with singular countable nouns.
Examples
"Every employee is required to attend the safety training."
'Every' must be followed by a singular countable noun ('employee') and a singular verb ('is').
"There is little information available regarding the merger."
'Information' is an uncountable noun, so 'little' is correct, not 'few'.
"The supervisor requested some feedback from the team."
'Some' can be used with uncountable nouns like 'feedback'.
What TOEIC specifically tests
- Using 'a/an' with plural or uncountable nouns (e.g., 'an equipment').
- Using 'many' with uncountable nouns (e.g., 'many furnitures').
- Confusing 'few' (not many) with 'a few' (some).
Common questions
Is 'information' countable or uncountable?
'Information' is uncountable. You cannot say 'informations' or 'an information'.
What's the difference between 'every' and 'all'?
'Every' is followed by a singular noun (every student), while 'all' is followed by a plural or uncountable noun (all students).
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