C1 ADVANCED · GRAMMAR · PART 2
Articles, quantifiers and pronouns
Few vs a few, no vs none, each other, the same as, anything, nothing and reflexives.
Finn says
At C1 the small words get trickier: 'few' and 'a few' mean different things, and phrases like 'the same as' or 'no fewer than' are common in Part 2.
Quantifiers with a twist
few / little
negative: almost none
Few people understood the lecture.
a few / a little
positive: some
A few people stayed behind.
quite a few / not many
= a lot / not a lot
Quite a few students passed.
no / none (of)
no + noun; none (of) on its own
None of the answers was correct.
Pronouns
anything / nothing / something
any- in questions and negatives; nothing = not anything
There was nothing we could do.
themselves / each other / one another
reflexive or reciprocal
They blamed themselves. They blamed each other.
another / other / the other
one more / different / the remaining one
On the other hand, …
Fixed phrases with determiners
the same as / all the same
= identical / nevertheless
Your phone is the same as mine.
no fewer than / no more than
stress a number
No fewer than 500 people attended.
quite a / such a
emphasis
It was quite a surprise.
How it comes up in Part 2
In Part 2 you write one word in each gap. No word is given, so you need to know the grammar.
There's no point in arguing – he never listens.
There is no point (in) + -ing.
The two teams have played each other many times.
Each other = one to the other and back.
Surprisingly, none of the tickets had been sold.
None of + noun = not one.
Common mistakes
- ✗ There were a few people, so the room felt empty.✓ There were few people, so the room felt empty.'Few' (negative) matches the empty room.
- ✗ No of the students passed.✓ None of the students passed.None of, not no of.
- ✗ They helped themselves to finish the project.✓ They helped each other to finish the project.Each other = one helps the other.
Finn's exam tip
Ask whether the sentence feels positive or negative. 'Few' and 'little' are negative; 'a few' and 'a little' are positive – the context tells you which one fits.
Quick check
Write one word in each gap.
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