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Mastering Quantifiers, Plurals, and Agreement for IELTS Speaking

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Section 1: Multiple Choice

Instructions: Choose the option that grammatically completes the sentence correctly. Focus on noun forms and subject-verb agreement.

  1. Almost everyone in the office _____ that the new policy is unfair.
    a) agree
    b) agrees
    c) agreeing
  2. Climate change is one of the most serious _____ facing humanity.
    a) crisis
    b) crises
    c) crisis’s
  3. Despite the heavy rain, many _____ turned up for the protest.
    a) person
    b) peoples
    c) people
  4. The news about the economic recession _____ very worrying.
    a) is
    b) are
    c) were
  5. I didn’t like that suggestion. Do you have _____ idea?
    a) other
    b) another
    c) others
  6. Each student in the class _____ to submit their assignment by Friday.
    a) has
    b) have
    c) having
  7. Generally speaking, _____ are more environmentally friendly than private cars.
    a) bus
    b) the bus
    c) buses
  8. There are distinct _____ learning styles that teachers should recognize.
    a) type of
    b) types of
    c) types
  9. Some employees prefer working from home, while _____ prefer the office environment.
    a) others people
    b) other
    c) others
  10. The school has built a new playground specifically for small _____.
    a) childrens
    b) childs
    c) children

Section 2: Error Identification

Instructions: In each sentence below, four parts are underlined and marked A, B, C, and D. Identify the ONE part that is grammatically incorrect.

  1. Everything in the shops [A] seem [B] more expensive now than [C] it was [D] last year.
  2. There were [A] a lot of [B] person waiting at the [C] bus stop yesterday [D] morning.
  3. The local [A] government [B] are planning [C] to introduce new regulations regarding [D] recycling.
  4. Every [A] participants in the study [B] needs to sign the [C] consent form before [D] starting.
  5. We need to consider [A] another potential [B] solutions to this [C] increasingly complex [D] problem.
  6. One of the major [A] reason for the increase in stress [B] among young people [C] is social media [D] pressure.
  7. In the past, many [A] mens worked in factories, but [B] now the economy is [C] based more [D] on services.
  8. [A] Big city often offer [B] better career opportunities [C] compared to rural [D] areas.
  9. There [A] is too [B] many garbage left on the [C] beaches during the summer [D] holidays.
  10. Some students [A] like to study alone, [B] while [C] others students prefer studying [D] in groups.

Section 3: Correct or Incorrect

Instructions: Read the following sentences. Decide if they are grammatically correct or incorrect regarding nouns and agreements.

  1. Everybody is looking for a better work-life balance these days.
  2. There are different kind of problems that need to be solved.
  3. Another people might have a totally different opinion on this topic.
  4. Mathematics is often considered a difficult subject by many students.
  5. Each team members must contribute equally to the project.
  6. I generally prefer watching movie at home rather than in the cinema.
  7. The company staff is required to attend the annual meeting.
  8. Those information provided by the website were incorrect.
  9. Tokyo is one of the most fascinating places to visit in Asia.
  10. All of the person in the room stood up when the President entered.

Answers

Reveal Answers

Section 1: Multiple Choice Answers

  1. B (“Everyone” is singular -> agrees)
  2. B (“One of” requires a plural noun -> crises)
  3. C (“Many” requires a plural noun -> people)
  4. A (“News” is uncountable/singular -> is)
  5. B (“Idea” is singular -> another)
  6. A (“Each student” is singular -> has)
  7. C (General statements use plural nouns -> buses)
  8. B (Plural styles requires plural types -> types of)
  9. C (“Others” stands alone as a pronoun representing the group)
  10. C (Irregular plural of child -> children. Never add ‘s’)

Section 2: Error Identification Answers

  1. A (seem) -> Should be “seems” (“Everything” is singular).
  2. B (person) -> Should be “people” (“a lot of” is plural here).
  3. B (are) -> Should be “is” (In academic IELTS, treat collective nouns like government as singular).
  4. A (participants) -> Should be “participant” (“Every” takes a singular noun).
  5. A (another) -> Should be “other” (because “solutions” is plural).
  6. A (reason) -> Should be “reasons” (“One of” takes a plural noun).
  7. A (mens) -> Should be “men” (Irregular plural, no ‘s’).
  8. A (Big city) -> Should be “Big cities” (Generalization requires plural).
  9. B (many garbage) -> Should be “much garbage” or “a lot of garbage” (Garbage is uncountable).
  10. C (others students) -> Should be “other students” or just “others” (Do not put a noun after the pronoun “others”).

Section 3: Correct or Incorrect Answers

1. Incorrect -> “All of the people” (“All of” refers to the group, plural).
2. Correct (Everybody + singular verb ‘is’).
3. Incorrect -> “different kinds of problems” (Plural match).
4. Incorrect -> “Other people” (“Another” is only for singular).
5. Correct (Mathematics ends in ‘s’ but is singular).
6. Incorrect -> “Each team member” (“Each” takes a singular noun).
7. Incorrect -> “watching movies” (Generalisation needs plural).
8. Correct (Staff treated as a singular collective noun).
9. Incorrect -> “That information… was” (Information is uncountable/singular).
10. Correct (“One of” + plural noun “places”).

As a Band 6 student, you can already express complex ideas in English. However, under the pressure of the exam, old habits often return, leading to basic errors with singular/plural nouns and matching them to the correct verbs or quantifiers.

Examiners notice these errors immediately. To reach Band 7, you must eradicate these “fossilised” mistakes to show control over standard grammar rules.

Here is a guide to the most common traps based on actual student errors, organised by grammatical rule.

Section 1: Making Generalisations

Band 6 students often use a singular noun without articles (a/the) to make general statements, which sounds unnatural.
The Rule: To speak generally, use the plural noun (usually with no article).


❌ Incorrect: Bus is convenient.
✅ Correct: Buses are convenient.

❌ Incorrect: I don’t like big city.
✅ Correct: I don’t like big cities.

❌ Incorrect: I watch movie when I’m bored.
✅ Correct: I watch movies when I’m bored.

(Correct: “I like dogs“)
(Common ways we tend to talk in general in IELTS Speaking)

Section 2: “Of” Phrases

The Rule: When using phrases like “one of the…” or “types of…”, the noun that follows must usually be plural.

1. Talking about favourites
❌ Mistake: It is one of my favourite place.
💡 Why: You have many favourites; this is just one item out of that group.
✅ Fix: It is one of my favourite places.

2. Discussing causes
❌ Mistake: One of the major reason is…
💡 Why: There are many reasons total; this is just one of them.
✅ Fix: One of the major reasons is…

3. Describing varieties
❌ Mistake: Different kind of building.
💡 Why: Plural “kinds” requires plural “buildings.”
✅ Fix: Different kinds of buildings.

Note: The same goes for “all of the …“, “some of the…“, “most of the…“, “the majority of the…“, and “a few of the…“.

Section 3: Subject-Verb Agreement Traps

Sometimes the noun is correct, but the student matches it to the wrong verb form.

Indefinite Pronouns

Words referring to huge groups often trick your brain into using a plural verb.
The Rule: Words ending in -one, -body, or -thing are grammatically SINGULAR. Treat them as if you are saying “he” or “it”.

❌ Mistake: Everyone know that health is important.
💡 Why: “Everyone” is grammatically singular.
✅ Fix: Everyone knows that health is important.

❌ Mistake: Everybody are looking for happiness.
💡 Why: “Everybody” requires ‘is’ (singular).
✅ Fix: Everybody is looking for happiness.

Section 4: Irregular Plural Nouns

Usually, we add ‘s’ to make a noun plural. However, this is not the case for some very common nouns.

4 biggest mistakes:

❌ Mistake 1: Mens usually like technology.
💡 Why: “Man” = singular, “Men” = plural.
✅ Fix: Men usually like technology.

❌ Mistake 2: Womens usually like makeup.
💡 Why: “Woman” = singular, “Women” = plural.
✅ Fix: Women usually like makeup.

❌ Mistake 3: Childrens usually like playing.
💡 Why: “Child” = singular, “Children” = plural.
✅ Fix: Children usually like playing.

❌ Mistake 4: Peoples usually like music.
💡 Why: “Person” = singular, “People” = plural.
✅ Fix: People usually like music.

Note: Some other mistakes are: Lifes ➡️ Lives, Knifes ➡️ Knives, Wifes ➡️ Wives, Leafs ➡️ Leaves, Thiefs ➡️ Thieves, Sheeps ➡️ Sheep, Wolfs ➡️ Wolves, Foots ➡️ Feet, Tooths ➡️ Teeth, Mouses ➡️ Mice, Deers ➡️ Deer, Fishes ➡️ Fish (this depend on whether you’re pluralising 1 species or talking about multiple species.)

Section 5: Each & Every

These words focus on individuals one by one, NOT the group as a whole.
The Rule: Each and Every must be followed by a singular noun AND a singular verb.

❌ Each people should work hard.
✅ Fix:  Each person should work hard.

❌ Every cars must have seatbelts.
✅ Fix: Every person must have seatbelts.

(Correct: “Each dog is amazing”)

Section 6: Another, Other & Others

This group of words causes frequent errors because they look similar but perform different grammatical jobs. You must know if the noun is singular or plural, and specific (“the”) or general.

(Correct: “I want another dog.”)
(Correct: “I want other dogs.”)
(Correct: “I want the two other dogs.”)

“Another“

Think of “another” as “an + other.” Because “an” is for singular nouns, “another” must also be singular. It means “one more” or “a different one.”

Rule: “Another” + Singular Noun

❌ I want to see another countries.
✅ Fix: I want to see other countries.

“Other” vs. “Others“

This is a major trap. You use these when talking about general plural items. The difference is whether you include the noun or not.

  • Other (Adjective): Must be followed by a plural noun. (e.g., Other books)
  • Others (Pronoun): Replaces the noun entirely. It stands alone. Never put a noun after “others.”

❌ I want to go to other country.
✅ I want to go to other countries.
✅ I want to go to others.

“The other” vs. “The others”

Use “the” when you are talking about a specific, remaining individual or group that the listener/reader already knows about.

  • The other + singular/plural noun: I have two pens. One is red; the other pen is blue.
  • The others (pronoun): Stands alone representing the specific remaining group. I have five pens. One is red; the others are blue.

❌ I liked this juice but I didn’t like other.
✅ I liked this juice but I didn’t like the other.
✅ I liked this juice but I didn’t like the others.

Section 7: Demonstratives (This/That vs. These/Those)

You must ensure these pointing words match the noun immediately following them.
The Rule: Match singular with singular, and plural with plural.

❌ I like this games.
✅ Fix: I like these games.

❌ I don’t like these type of person.
✅ Fix: I don’t like this type of person.

Note: Sometimes students’ accents are a problem.

Many languages like Romance languages (🇫🇷, 🇪🇸, 🇮🇹, 🇵🇹, 🇷🇴) and Asian languages ( 🇯🇵, 🇨🇳, 🇰🇷, 🇹🇭, 🇻🇳, 🇮🇩, 🇲🇾) don’t have the /ɪ/ sound, so “this” and “these” are often pronounced too similarly. Slavic languages (🇷🇺, 🇺🇦, 🇧🇾, 🇧🇬, 🇷🇸, 🇲🇰), on the other hand, tend to struggle a bit with the /iː/ sound.

(Correct: “I love this dog.” (for one specific dog), “I love these dogs.” (for multiple specific dogs)

Test

Part 1: Error Correction

Instructions: Each sentence below contains exactly one grammar error related to the rules covered in this guide. Find the error and rewrite the sentence correctly.

  1. I really enjoy reading book in my free time.
    Correction:
  2. Almost everybody in my class agree that math is difficult.
    Correction:
  3. The shop sells clothes for mens and womens.
    Correction:
  4. Paris is one of the most beautiful city in the world.
    Correction:
  5. Every students have to take the final exam.
    Correction:
  6. Look at these beautiful flower in the garden.
    Correction:
  7. I don’t like this phone; please show me another ones.
    Correction:
  8. There were many sheeps blocking the road.
    Correction:
  9. Some people like tea, while others people prefer coffee.
    Correction:
  10. There are many different type of food available in my country.
    Correction:

Part 2: Multiple Choice

Instructions: Choose the correct option to complete the sentence quickly. This simulates the pressure of speaking in real-time, where you must select the right grammar instinctively.

  1. Generally speaking, I think ____ are very intelligent pets.
    A) dog
    B) the dog
    C) dogs
  2. Everything in that expensive shop ____ overpriced.
    A) are
    B) is
    C) were
  3. We need to make sure that ____ participant understands the rules.
    A) all
    B) some
    C) each
  4. The park was full of playing ____ yesterday afternoon.
    A) childrens
    B) childs
    C) children
  5. I’ll have one cup of coffee now, and ____ one later.
    A) other
    B) another
    C) others
  6. To be honest, I don’t really like ____ kinds of movies.
    A) that
    B) this
    C) these
  7. One of the major ____ for traffic is poor urban planning.
    A) reason
    B) reasons
    C) reasoning
  8. Some students went home early, but the ____ stayed to study.
    A) others
    B) other
    C) another
  9. Every ____ on that street has a different color door.
    A) houses
    B) house
    C) housing
  10. Many ____ believe that technology is improving our lives.
    A) persons
    B) peoples
    C) people

Part 3: Paragraph Editing

Instructions: Read the short paragraph below. It sounds like a typical Band 6 student response about healthy living. There are FIVE grammar errors in the text related to plurals, quantifiers, and agreement. Find them and correct them directly in the text.

Paragraph A (Topic: Work & Technology)

In modern offices today, almost everyone rely on computers to do their jobs. This has changed how we communicate. One of the major benefit of technology is speed. However, it can also be stressful because technology creates too many distraction during the workday.

Paragraph B (Topic: The Environment)

Pollution is a serious problem in most big city around the world. There are different kind of vehicles on the road, and they all release harmful fumes. I think that electric bus are a good solution for the future of urban transport.

Paragraph C (Topic: Shopping habits)

I love shopping for clothes. I usually buy things for myself, but sometimes I buy gifts for another people. I hate busy shops with loud music; I find those kind of environment very stressful. Also, I have to be careful because I often spend too many money when I go out.

Answers

Reveal Answers

Part 1: Error Correction

  1. I really enjoy reading books in my free time.
  2. Almost everybody in my class agrees that math is difficult.
  3. The shop sells clothes for men and women.
  4. Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
  5. Every student has to take the final exam.
  6. Look at these beautiful flowers in the garden.
  7. I don’t like this phone; please show me another one.
  8. There were many sheep blocking the road.
  9. Some people like tea, while others prefer coffee. (or: other people prefer)
  10. There are many different types of food available in my country.

Part 2: Multiple Choice
11. C (dogs)
12. B (is)
13. C (each)
14. C (children)
15. B (another)
16. C (these)
17. B (reasons)
18. A (others)
19. B (house)
20. C (people)

Part 3: Paragraph Editing (Corrections in bold)

Paragraph A

In modern offices today, almost everyone relies (1) on computers to do their jobs. This has changed how we communicate. One of the major benefits (2) of technology is speed. However, it can also be stressful because technology creates too many distractions (3) during the workday.

Paragraph B

Pollution is a serious problem in most big cities (4) around the world. There are different kinds (5) of vehicles on the road, and they all release harmful fumes. I think that electric buses are (6) a good solution for the future of urban transport.

Paragraph C

I love shopping for clothes. I usually buy things for myself, but sometimes I buy gifts for other people (7). I hate busy shops with loud music; I find those kinds (8) of environments (9) very stressful. Also, I have to be careful because I often spend too much money (10) when I go out.

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