EnglishShopping choices and habits
Are you a careful shopper or an impulse buyer?
Read the shopper type and explain it.
- careful shopper
- compares prices and plans purchases
- impulse buyer
- buys things without much planning
Talk about a recent purchase:
- What was the last thing you bought?
- How much was it?
- Did you compare prices?
- Did you pay by cash or card?
Shopping and money words
Use the words in short shopping situations. 🔊
Read, repeat, and use the words in a shopping sentence.
- bargain [/ˈbɑːrɡɪn/]
- something sold at a very good price
These shoes were a bargain. - discount [/ˈdɪskaʊnt/]
- a reduction in the usual price
There is a 20% discount today. - refund [/ˈriːfʌnd/]
- money returned after you give a product back
I asked for a refund. - afford [/əˈfɔːrd/]
- have enough money to buy something
I can’t afford that phone. - budget [/ˈbʌdʒɪt/]
- a plan for how to spend your money
My monthly budget is limited. - savings [/ˈseɪvɪŋz/]
- money kept for future use
She used her savings to buy a laptop. - debt [/det/]
- money that you owe someone or a bank
He does not want to get into debt. - receipt [/rɪˈsiːt/]
- a paper or digital record of payment
Keep the receipt. - price tag [/ˈpraɪs tæɡ/]
- a label that shows the price
Check the price tag carefully. - cash [/kæʃ/]
- physical money: notes and coins
Do you pay in cash? - card payment [/kɑːrd ˈpeɪmənt/]
- payment using a bank card
Card payment is accepted. - special offer [/ˌspeʃəl ˈɔːfər/]
- a product sold at a lower or special price
This special offer ends tonight. - warranty [/ˈwɔːrənti/]
- a company promise to repair or replace a product
The tablet has a two-year warranty. - compare [/kəmˈper/]
- look at two or more things to see differences
Compare the prices first.
Sort the words into these groups:
Price | Payment | Planning | Problems and returns |
|---|---|---|---|
bargain | cash | budget | refund |
discount | card payment | savings | warranty |
price tag | receipt | afford | debt |
Choose two words and make a sentence about a purchase. 🛍️
Choosing the right quantity
Countable and uncountable nouns
Countable nouns can be counted: one product, two products.
Uncountable nouns are viewed as a whole: money, advice, information.
Countable | Uncountable |
|---|---|
products | information |
receipts | advice |
discounts | furniture |
coins | luggage |
shops | money |
Quantifiers for shopping
Quantifier | Noun type | Shopping example |
|---|---|---|
a few | countable plural | a few shops |
several | countable plural | several options |
many | countable plural | many discounts |
a little | uncountable | a little money |
much | uncountable; mainly in questions and negatives | How much cash do you have? |
a lot of | both types | a lot of products / a lot of money |
plenty of | both types | plenty of choices / plenty of time |
hardly any | both types | hardly any customers / hardly any cash |
Linking two choices
Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
both … and | two things together | Both the phone and the case are on sale. |
either … or | one of two choices | You can pay either by cash or by card. |
neither … nor | not this one and not that one | Neither the store nor the website offers a refund. |
Common mistakes
Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
much discounts | many discounts |
a few money | a little money |
many advice | a lot of advice |
an information | some information |
Both cash or card | Either cash or card |
Neither the phone or the tablet | Neither the phone nor the tablet |
Important: information, advice, furniture, luggage, and money are uncountable. They do not normally take a/an or plural -s.
Controlled shopping sentences
Sort the nouns
Connect each noun with its category.
Connect each shopping noun with the correct category.
- receipts
- countable
- discounts
- countable
- products
- countable
- money
- uncountable
- advice
- uncountable
- furniture
- uncountable
- luggage
- uncountable
- information
- uncountable
Connect quantities and nouns
Connect each expression with a suitable shopping noun group.
Connect each quantity expression with the suitable noun group.
- a few
- shops
- many
- discounts
- a little
- cash
- much
- money
- plenty of
- choices
- hardly any
- customers
Choose the suitable form
There are [___] online reviews for this item.
We have [___] money left in our budget.
You can pay [___] in cash ___ by card.
Complete each sentence
Use the pattern for two positive items:
[___] the red phone and the blue phone have a warranty.
Use a countable plural quantifier meaning “not many, but some”:
There are [___] good bargains in this shop today.
Use an uncountable quantifier meaning “not much, but some”:
I need [___] advice before I spend my savings.
Use the negative pattern for two places:
[___] the website nor the store gives a refund without a receipt.
Say each completed sentence aloud. Explain: countable, uncountable, or both?
Comparing two smartphones
Read this product review. 📱
Two Phones for Different Budgets
The Nova X and the Pixel Lite are both popular smartphones for shoppers who want good value. The Nova X costs $420, while the Pixel Lite costs $360, so the price difference is $60. Both phones have plenty of storage for photos and a few useful camera modes. However, the Nova X has a larger screen and several extra editing tools. The Pixel Lite is lighter, and it uses a little less battery during the day. Neither phone comes with a charger, so buyers need to spend a little more money on one. There are hardly any differences in call quality. You can either choose the cheaper Pixel Lite or pay more for the Nova X if you need the bigger screen. For shoppers on a tight budget, the Pixel Lite is a bargain. The Nova X suits people with plenty of savings who use their phone for work.
- What is the price difference between the Nova X and the Pixel Lite?
- What features do both phones have?
- Which phone has a larger screen and extra editing tools?
- What item does neither phone include?
Difficult words
- good value — worth the money
- storage — space for saving photos, files, and apps
- editing tools — features for changing photos or videos
- charger — equipment used to charge a phone battery
- call quality — how clear phone calls sound
- tight budget — very limited amount of money to spend
- suits — is a good choice for someone
Key language to remember
Quantity rules
Noun type | Useful expressions |
|---|---|
Countable plural nouns | a few, several, many |
Uncountable nouns | a little, much |
Both noun types | a lot of, plenty of, hardly any |
Two-item patterns
- Both … and = two positive choices
- Either … or = one of two choices
- Neither … nor = no choices
Complete the spoken recap:
- Countable plural nouns go with ...
- Uncountable nouns go with ...
- For two positive choices, use ...
- For one of two choices, use ...
- For no choices, use ...
Shopping word bank
- bargain
- discount
- refund
- afford
- budget
- savings
- debt
- receipt
- price tag
- cash
- card payment
- special offer
- warranty
- compare
Choose four words from the word bank. Make one short shopping sentence with each word.
