Should it be FEWER, or LESS? And do you say A FEW or A LITTLE? Even native English speakers make mistakes with this issue. In this English grammar lesson I’ll show how the answer has a lot to do with countable and uncountable nouns. In some cases it also depends on the meaning you want to convey. I’ll give example sentences to illustrate how to use the different options, and after watching this video there’s MORE, because you can test out your knowledge in the quiz. https://www.engvid.com/learn-english-less-fewer-few-little-more/ More grammar videos from Gill: WHO, WHOM, WHOSE, WHO'S https://youtu.be/bash3DXnyWU Active & Passive Voice https://youtu.be/fDnXWxXZekw In this lesson: 0:00 few, little, a few, a little, fewer, less, more 0:57 Countable or Uncountable? 2:21 few 3:01 little 3:49 a few 4:59 a little 5:43 fewer 6:06 "less" or "fewer"? 7:43 less 8:10 more TRANSCRIPT: Hello. I'm Gill at engVid, and today we have a lesson on a set of words that go with countable and uncountable nouns. People sometimes get confused about this. Even native speakers of English make mistakes with some of these words, so I have it all explained here on the board with some example sentences to show what... What to use in which example. Okay? So, the words are on the left-hand side there in red, so "few", "little", "a few", "a little", "fewer", "less", and "more". Okay? So... And you can see that sometimes they're used with a countable noun when you can have a plural. So, if it's countable, like "book" and "books", it's countable. There can be 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 100. They're countable nouns. So, "books" is a... "Book" and "books" is a countable noun, so "few" is used with books. And then uncountable nouns are when you use a singular to refer to that noun, like with "wine", "wine", "bread", "rice", "water", "beer", those sorts of words which are uncountable because they're used in the singular. "Sugar", "salt", all of those different things, they're used in the singular, but there can be a large quantity of it, but it's one thing, and it's uncountable because it's used in the singular only. Okay. So, it will vary according to whether the noun you're using is a countable noun or an uncountable noun. So, let's just have a look at each example to see how that works out in practice. So, with the word "few", which means not... Not very many. Okay? So, we've sold so many books... Say we have a bookshop, we've sold so many books, we have few left, meaning few books. We don't have many books left. We don't have a lot of books left. So, we've sold so many books, we have few left. Okay. And then looking at an uncountable with "wine". We've drunk so much wine, there's little left. Say you have a bottle of wine and you've been topping up people's glasses with it, and there's little left in the bottle, for example. We've drunk so much wine, there's little... Little of it left. There's little wine left, meaning not much wine left. Okay. There's only a little amount. Right? And then, a bit confusingly, we've had "few" on its own, but here we have "a few". Okay? And we're back to "countable" again. And there are... And we're back to the bookshop again. There are "a few" books left in the shop. Just a few, a small number. And it's interesting that it sounds more positive if you use "a few". If you say, "Oh, we have few left. Oh, dear. We have few left." It sounds rather negative and worried. You sound a bit worried if you say, "Oh, we have few left now." But if you say, "We have a few left. We have a few left." It sounds a bit more positive and optimistic. So, that's the different effect between "few" and "a few". So, there are a few books left in the shop, so we can still sell those. So, more positive than "we have few left", "there are a few left". Okay? And also, the same happens with "little" and "a little". So, "a little" is again uncountable. "There's a little wine left. There's a little bit of wine left in the bottle. There's a little wine left." Whereas this one, "We've drunk so much wine, there's little left now. Oh, dear." It's nearly gone. It sounds more negative. But here, "There's a little wine left in the bottle. Would you like the last drop?" So, it's more positive sounding, I think. But again, it's uncountable with "wine". So, "a little wine left". Okay? Now, "fewer" is again like "few" used with a countable noun. So, we're looking at books again. So, if people read on the internet, they will buy fewer books. Okay? A lot of people, including native English speakers, make a mistake with this, and they say they will buy less books, which is... Strictly speaking, it's incorrect. It's "fewer books", not "less books", because "less" goes with an uncountable noun. "Less wine". "Fewer" goes with a countable noun, like "books" in the plural. "Fewer books". So, if you see the noun is in the plural, I think you'll find that "fewer" is the correct word to go with it. […]

Do you ever get NO, KNOW, and NOW mixed up? They are quite similar, so it’s understandable if you do. In this lesson I’ll be looking at each word in turn, and giving examples of how they’re used. We will practice together at the end of the class, and then you can take another quiz on your own at https://www.engvid.com/confusing-english-words-no-know-now . After all that, I hope you’ll be able to say “NOW I KNOW, NO problem!” More lessons like this: "THAN" or "THEN"? https://youtu.be/NrzCFPWQZao "LEND" or "BORROW"? What's the difference? https://youtu.be/iItVdrJ1sIY In this lesson: 0:00 "no", "know", "now" 0:36 How to say "no" & "know" correctly 1:15 How to say "now" correctly 1:48 "no" – usage 2:42 "know" – usage 4:36 "now" – usage 4:58 Test yourself! TRANSCRIPT Hello. I'm Gill at engVid, and today we have a lesson on three little words. "No", "no", and "now". There is a bit of similarity between them in the way that they're spelt, so I think some people find them a little bit confusing as far as the pronunciation is concerned, and also how to use them, what parts of speech they are. So, this is just to help to explain and to clarify. Okay? So, these two, "no" and "no", they're spelt differently. This one has "no" in the middle of it, like "no" there, but there's a "k" at the beginning and a "w" at the end, but they sound exactly the same. There's the "o" vowel sound, "no", and "no". It's the same for both, even though the spelling is different. So, this is typical of English spelling. It can be confusing. Okay? So, they're both pronounced the same with "no", but this one has a different vowel sound, so it's... It's a diphthong, which means a vowel sound with two parts, so it's "ow". If I say it slowly, it's "ow", but saying it quickly in the normal way, it's "ow", and that's "now". Okay? So, different vowel sound for that. So, then let's just go through each one and see how they are used. So, "no", "n-o" is the negative word. It can also appear, "n-o" with often a full stop after it, which is an abbreviation for number. Number. So, number three, number four, etc. If you see "n-o" with a dot, that is an abbreviation for the word "number". Just like this symbol, the hash symbol, is another symbol meaning number. You might get that followed by a three, meaning number three. So, that's another little confusion. It's usually a negative in a sentence, but if numbers are involved, it could be the abbreviation. Okay. And then this one, "k-n-o-w", also pronounced "no", is a verb, the verb "to know". So, in the present tense, it would be "I know", "you know", then "he knows", the third person singular, you put the "s" on the end, "he knows", and "we know", "you know", "they know". Okay? And then in the past, the simple past, "I knew", "we knew", it's... This is the same for every pronoun, every personal pronoun. "I knew", "you knew", "he knew", "she knew", "it knew", "we knew", "they knew". Okay? And then the... The other past tense with "have", and then the past participle, "have known". Okay? So it's "know", "knew", and "known", the three forms of the verb. Okay. Right. And then the word "know", if you expand it into this word, it's pronounced... Again, it changes the pronunciation, so it's not pronounced "knowledge", it's pronounced "knowledge", "know", "knowledge". So, the pronunciation, the vowel sound changes here to "knowledge". Okay? And that's a noun, an abstract noun, meaning a state of knowing, really, knowing something. If you have knowledge about something, you know about it. So, you're in a state of knowing about a subject. Okay, so that's "knowledge". "Know", "knowledge". And then finally, this one, "now", with the diphthong vowel sound, means "now", "right now", "in the present", "at this moment". Okay? So, I'm sure you're familiar with these words, but this is just to clear up any confusions. So, there we are, then. So, that's all of them explained. And then we have a little test here with some gaps for you to decide which of these three... So, it's this, this, and this, from the top here, go in the gaps. So, you have to work out from the meaning which word is the right one. So, "I don't ____ what to do." So, which one of those do you think it should be? "I don't ____ what to do." So, do you think you need a verb here? So, which one is the verb? That one. "I don't know what to do." Okay. So, it's that spelling. Right. And then this one, "We need to do this ____." "We need to do this ____." So, which one of the three words fits best in that? So, "We need to do this ____." So, is it to do with at this moment? We need to do it right now. So, "We need to do this now." Okay. Good. So, you can probably guess what this next one's going to be. So, "I don't think so." So, which one haven't we used yet? […]

Gill passed away in February, 2024. Learn about her remarkable life, including her interests, achievements, education, and career. - Please send donations in memory of Gill to St Christopher’s Hospice here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/gill-stoker - Poems and Pictures: https://www.maryevans.com/poetry.php - Obituary for Gill in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/apr/16/gill-stoker-obituary - Obituary for Gill from Mary Evans Picture Library: https://www.maryevans.com/gill.php - The Richard Stoker Trust, established by Gill: https://www.richardstokertrust.org/ - Obituary for Gill’s husband, Richard Stoker, in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/may/14/richard-stoker-obituary - Gill’s thesis on Sir John Tenniel: https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/studentTheses/sir-john-tenniel-a-study-of-his-development-as-an-artist-with-par This video was co-written and produced by Josh from EngVid. Thank you to the two fellow EngVid teachers who worked on this video: Rebecca Ezekiel @engvidRebecca for writing and making the announcement at the beginning of the video, and Benjamin @engvidBenjamin of Hone Your English for his very helpful edits and for narrating Gill’s life story. Thank you also to the friends and family in Gill’s support group who provided feedback and pictures, especially Frances, Sarah, Lucia, and Irena. Very special thanks to Mark, who provided guidance, many pictures, and help along the way, and whose obituaries for Gill were drawn from extensively in writing this video. “Fire and Rain” was originally written and performed by James Taylor. Gill wrote and recorded many videos for EngVid before her illness. She wished that these lessons would be seen, and so they will be published as normal on her channel over the course of the coming year. Please note that this video is not monetized by EngVid. Any advertising appearing with the video is not under our control. Donations received by EngVid on behalf of Gill’s channel will be passed on to St Christopher’s Hospice. Goodbye, Gill. In this video: 0:00 Gill Stoker, 1954–2024 1:47 Gill's early life and education 2:26 Gill moves to London 3:00 Gill meets Richard Stoker 3:36 Gill's community involvement 3:49 Gill's career 4:25 Gill's acting 5:02 Gill teaches English 5:26 Gill joins EngVid 5:56 Gill's passion for poetry 6:28 Richard Stoker passes away 6:44 What was Gill like? 7:16 Give to charity in Gill's memory 7:50 Gill & Richard Stoker perform "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor TRANSCRIPT: I'm here today to share some very sad news. Our dearest colleague, your teacher Gill, passed away in London, England in February 2024. The year before that, Gill had received a diagnosis of brain cancer. She handled the news with strength, with courage, and with peace of mind. She even continued to plan lessons and organize poetry events in her area. In the past year, Gill was supported by friends and family, and in the final stages was provided excellent care by St. Christopher's Hospice. For those of you who may be interested in giving a donation, Gill had advised that this donation could go to St. Christopher's Hospice. We will provide details in the video description below. Gill was not only a teacher; she was also a musician, an actor, and a champion of the arts in her community. For those of you who have followed Gill's lessons over the past nine years, we have created for you a video, not only in honor of her memory, but also so that you can get a sense of her rich life, her many talents, and her unique contributions in so many different fields. My name is Rebecca, and I'm another teacher here at EngVid. On behalf of the entire EngVid family, which includes all of you, I'd just like to say with all my heart, thank you, Gill. We'll miss you. May you rest in peace. A few words about my colleague Gill. Gill was born in 1954 in Derby, an industrial town in the middle of England. She was studious from a young age and had a desire to learn and to broaden her horizons. She loved classical as well as pop music and sang her entire life. But her parents did not approve of pop music at home, and they weren't supportive of her applying to university. They pushed her to secretarial college, but even there she managed to add supplementary courses in French and took singing classes as well. At the age of 20, Gill moved on her own to London to audition for the Royal College of Music. Though she was not admitted, she stayed in the city and joined several choirs, supporting herself with jobs at a software company and at the Royal Opera House. Through the 1980s, while working full-time, Gill earned degrees in English and art history, completing a PhD with a thesis on Sir John Tenniel, who is known most famously for his Alice in Wonderland illustrations. […]

A lot of words in English end with “-TION”, “-SION”, “-TIAN”, etc. In this video I’ll give lots of examples of these words, and I’ll demonstrate how to pronounce them. If your native language is Latin-based, you’re probably quite familiar with the vocabulary, but you may be less sure about the pronunciation. I hope this class will help you avoid any confuSION in the future! https://www.engvid.com/tion-sion-cian-tian-cion-pronunciation/ More of my English pronunciation videos: Speak English Naturally: SCHWA Pronunciation https://youtu.be/M7o5aP_0ZYM Basic English: How to pronounce -NGTH words https://youtu.be/U0u_I_1XRdk In this lesson: 0:00 -tion, -sion, -cian, -cion, -tian: first sound 2:58 second sound 4:29 third sound

Should it be HUMOR or HUMOUR? ORGANISE or ORGANIZE? Spelling can be difficult enough, but in English we have the added complication of differences in spelling between American and UK English. In this lesson I’ll cover the main categories of words which are spelt differently in British English and American English. And what about Canadian English? Basically, it’s not something to worry about, just something to be aware of, so that you can RECOGNISE it (or even RECOGNIZE it!) when you see it. https://www.engvid.com/british-english-american-english-spelling-differences/ Learn more about the differences between British and American English in my video about vocabulary: https://youtu.be/i9c37vMbxGg In this lesson: 0:00 British English & American English: Spelling Differences 0:58 -our & -or 2:18 -ence & -ense 4:43 LL & L 6:41 -yse & -yze 7:14 ae/oe & e 9:19 -ogue & -og 10:24 'zed' & 'zee'

When do you use the word “lend”, and when do you use “borrow”? It’s easy to get these two words mixed up. In this English vocabulary lesson I’ll explain the difference between them, with some simple example sentences, followed by a test towards the end of the video which we can work through together. Finally, you can test out your knowledge in the quiz. https://www.engvid.com/lend-or-borrow/ More beginner vocabulary videos: "THAN" or "THEN"? https://youtu.be/NrzCFPWQZao Improve Your Vocabulary Easily with "-NESS" https://youtu.be/ibCmBg5WTKs In this lesson: 0:00 "lend" or "borrow"? 3:24 Practice: "lend" or "borrow"? 5:02 "lend" & "borrow" in the past tense

Do you know how to say all the consonant sounds in English naturally and correctly? In this class, I’ll demonstrate for you all the different consonant sounds in English, together with sample words and phonetic symbols from the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet). You might like to test yourself, to see if you’re pronouncing each one correctly! https://www.engvid.com/english-for-beginners-all-consonant-sounds/ More of my English pronunciation lessons: SCHWA Pronunciation (ə) https://youtu.be/M7o5aP_0ZYM How to pronounce "R" in British English https://youtu.be/zcQ1xcSljQo In this lesson: 0:00 Learn the consonant sounds in English 1:58 p & b 3:05 t & d 3:49 t̠ʃ & d̠ʒ 4:51 f & v 5:51 θ & ð 6:43 ʃ & ʒ 7:16 k & ɡ 7:53 s & z 8:16 h 8:50 l 9:04 m 9:17 n 9:46 ŋ 10:06 r 11:02 w 11:17 j

Do you like to do things by the book? Can your friends read you like a book? I hope you don’t ever cook the books! What does it all mean? In this lesson, I’ll introduce you to some English idioms which include the word ‘book’. They can be useful sayings in day to day life, so they’re well worth knowing about. Remember to test your knowledge afterwards in the quiz. https://www.engvid.com/learn-10-english-idioms-with-book/ Next, learn even more English idioms and expressions: Learn 7 "TIME" Expressions in English https://youtu.be/KMcqjhsVYEI 14 English idioms & sayings from food & drink https://youtu.be/AoNB1cJ-tDU In this lesson: 0:00 English Idioms using 'book' 0:29 a closed book 1:23 an open book 1:47 I can read you like a book. 2:35 the oldest trick in the book 4:58 doing it by the book 5:47 take a leaf out of your book 7:07 you can't judge a book by its cover 9:19 cooking the books

The English language has such a large vocabulary, and you’ll often find several different words with the same meaning. But each word has a different effect, because it can be either formal, informal, or somewhere in between. Another name for these different types of word is ‘register’. In this class, you’ll see examples of words to choose from in different contexts – for example, if you like a film, would you call it splendid, good, or cool? https://www.engvid.com/formal-neutral-informal-use-the-correct-register-in-english/ More vocabulary lessons: Advanced English Vocabulary: Puns & Double Meanings https://youtu.be/4e9pSFN795U British English & American English: 11 Vocabulary Differences https://youtu.be/i9c37vMbxGg In this lesson: 0:00 Vocabulary for Different Registers: formal, neutral, informal 2:21 Food Vocabulary: formal, neutral, informal 4:59 Words for 'look': formal, neutral, informal 6:39 Words for 'good': formal, neutral, informal 7:37 Words for 'bad': formal, neutral, informal 9:04 Words for money: formal, neutral, informal