Grammatikalische Nuancen

Auf C2-Niveau führen subtile grammatische Entscheidungen zu echten Bedeutungsunterschieden — etwa "a few" (positiv: einige) gegenüber "few" (negativ: fast keine), oder "the number of" (Singularverb) gegenüber "a number of" (Pluralverb).

Examples

• A few people understood the joke. (some did)
• Few people understood the joke. (almost none did)
• The number of applicants has grown. (singular verb — "the number" is the subject)
• A number of applicants have withdrawn. (plural verb — "applicants" is the real subject)
• She's hardly ever late. (= almost never, not "hardly, ever late")

Common Mistakes

Practice

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