Nora gets help from Mei Ling to answer a questionnaire on proper English usage.
Phone-in Lesson 26
Download Phone-in Lessons 2002 – Lesson 26 (ZIP, 3.0MB)
| Nora is in the office doing a questionnaire in a magazine, reading aloud… | |
| Nora: |
Which would you prefer to have: a) a lot of money or b) lots of money? Hmm..how come like that? ‘A lot of’, ‘lots of’ – same what! Never mind… next one. Question 2. Do you have: a) a lot of friends or b) lots of friends? Wah lau! Same again! |
| Mei Ling: | Nora, what are you doing? |
| Nora: | Hi, Mei Ling! See here, got questionnaire in the magazine but the questions so stupid, all same one! See? |
| Mei Ling: | Ok, hold on a second. I’ll just grab a coffee and you can do it with me. Would you like a coffee? |
| Nora: | Got some already, thanks. |
| Mei Ling: | Ok, fire away. |
| Nora: | Which would you prefer to have: a) a lot of money or b) lots of money? |
| Mei Ling: | Of course, lots of money! |
| Nora: | Ok (but still confused). You choose (b). Next one… Do you have: a) a lot of friends or b) lots of friends? |
| Mei Ling: | I hope I have lots of friends! |
| Nora: | I see! OK, this one, leh? a) Yesterday, I saw a little people in the supermarket or b) Yesterday, I saw a few people in the supermarket? Wah lau, this one same also! |
| Mei Ling: | Think about it… if you see a little people, it means the people are all very short! Can you imagine little people all walking around the supermarket? They wouldn’t be able to reach the shelves! |
| Nora: | Ok, so the correct answer is “I saw a few people in the supermarket”? |
| Mei Ling: | Correct. The word ‘people’ is plural already – we can’t say 1 people 2 peoples, can we? |
| Nora: | Of course not! So, we use ‘little’ with words you cannot count? |
| Mei Ling: | Yes, for example, we say a little sugar, a little milk, a little information. But we say a few chairs, a few friends, a few computers, a few people. |
| Nora: | I see… last one… Do you have: a) a little free time or b) little free time? |
| Mei Ling: | At the moment, work is so hectic, I think I have little free time! |
| Nora: | You mean, almost no free time? |
| Mei Ling: | That’s right! I have little free time means almost no free time. |
| Nora: | So you wish you had a little free time. Me too! What with the baby and work, I have little free time! |
| Mei Ling: | You know, I think I’d better get back to my desk as the little free time I have has just finished! Back to work! |
| Nora: | Thanks, Mei Ling! I have lots of work to do! |
| Narrator: | Why don’t you try our questionnaire and check your answers in tomorrow’s newspaper. And don’t forget to dial in tomorrow for Lesson 27. |
Quiz Point
The answers to the questionnaire are ‘a little experience’, ‘a few chairs’ and ‘a little coffee’.
Written by Niamh O’ Leary, Laraine Bamrah, Harry Allen, Clare Williams, Shirley Lim and Alaisdair Raynham for The British Council, in association with the Speak Good English Movement.
© Ministry of Information and The Arts and British Council Singapore 2002.
