Some, any, much or many? A short school food suggestion in English (A2 Key Part 6)

What a good suggestion message does

A good suggestion is short and polite: one idea, one clear reason. A2 Key Reading and Writing Part 6 asks for an email or note of 25 words or more that covers three points. Our own task in that style:

• “Your school wants ideas for the canteen. Write a message to your head teacher, Mr Ross.”
• “Suggest one new food or drink.”
• “Say why it is a good idea.”
• “Say which day it could be on the menu.”
• “Write 25 words or more.”

Phrases for the idea and the reason

After “should”, “could” and “can”, the verb has no “to” and no “-s”. The same phrases help in A2 Key Speaking Part 2, where you tell a partner what you like and why.

• Idea: “I think we should have a fruit day.”, “I think the canteen should sell soup.”
• Polite question: “Could the canteen sell fresh bread?”
• Reason: “because it’s healthy”, “because students love it”

A model message, line by line

With the greeting and the ending, this answer has 38 words.

• “Dear Mr Ross,” → greeting: “Dear”, the title and the surname.
• “I think the canteen should sell fruit salad.” → point 1: one idea.
• “There isn’t any fruit on the menu now, and a lot of students want some because it’s healthy.” → point 2: the reason, with “any”, “a lot of” and “some”.
• “Could we have it on Mondays?” → point 3: the day, as a polite question.
• “Best wishes, Deniz” → ending and your name.

Countable or uncountable? Food words to watch

Countable nouns have a plural: an egg, two eggs. Uncountable nouns take no “a/an” and no “-s”: “some bread”, not “a bread” or “breads”. To count them, add an amount or a container.

• Countable: egg, sandwich, biscuit, apple, vegetable, snack
• Uncountable: bread, butter, cheese, milk, sugar, salt, water, juice, rice, pasta, fruit
• Amounts and containers: a piece of bread, a glass of milk, a bottle of water, a packet of crisps, a box of biscuits
• “Fruit” is usually uncountable: “some fruit”, “a piece of fruit”. One apple is “an apple”.

Some, any, much, many and a lot of

Each word goes with a certain kind of noun or sentence. In the recording below, a school canteen manager answers a student: notice “not many students” (plural) but “much soup” (uncountable).

• “some” in positive sentences, offers and requests: “There are some eggs.” “Can I have some milk?”
• “any” in negatives and questions: “There isn’t any bread.” “Are there any biscuits?”
• “much” with uncountable nouns, mostly in negatives and questions: “How much sugar?”
• “many” with plural nouns: “How many eggs?” “Not many students eat soup.”
• “a lot of” with both, especially in positive sentences: “We eat a lot of bread.”, not “We eat much bread.”

Typical mistakes and how to fix them

Look for these when you finish (mistake, then fix). Never leave a reason alone, like “Because it’s cheap.”: join it to your idea.

• “Can I have a bread?” → “Can I have some bread?”
• “There isn’t some fruit on the menu.” → “There isn’t any fruit on the menu.”
• “How many sugar do you want?” → “How much sugar do you want?”
• “I think we should to sell soup.” → “I think we should sell soup.”
• “because of it’s healthy” → “because it’s healthy”

Your 10-minute routine

Write this task in 10 minutes: plan for 2, write for 6, check for 2.

• “Your class is planning a healthy snack table. Write a note to your teacher, Ms Patel. Suggest one snack, say why and say one food the table shouldn’t have. Write 25 words or more.”
• Check 1: one idea, one reason with “because”, the third point?
• Check 2: “any” in negatives and questions?
• Check 3: no “a” or “-s” with bread, milk or fruit?

What comes next

Next, you move from food to sport: describing a match as it happens, in five sentences. Until then, say one sentence about your plate at each meal with “some”, “any” or “a lot of”.