Page 440 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

4 plural nouns: collections
Special words are used before certain plural nouns to talk about groups or collections.
a bunch offlowers a crowd ofpeople a flock ofsheep/birds
a herd ofcattle/goats a pack ofcards (ArnE a deck ofcards)
Set is used before many uncountable and plural nouns referring to groups which contain a fixed number of things.
a set ofcutlery/napkins/dishes/tyres/sparking plugs/spanners
For a bit as a modifier before adjectives and adverbs. see 107. For an amount, a lot, a large number etc. see 333.
For sort, type, kind etc, see 551.
431 place: a place to live, etc
In an informal style, place can often be followed directly by an infinitive or relative clause, with no preposition or relative word.
I'm looking for a pku:e to live. (More formal: ... a place to live in or ... a place in which to live.)
There's no place to sit down.
You remember the place we had lunch? (= .•• the place (that) we had lunch
at? OR • • • the place where we had lunch?) We do not use a place where before an infinitive.
I'mlookingforaplace(where)1canwashmyclothes.(NOT ••• aplaeewhere t6 ~h mye16thes.)
'Go places' (informal) means 'become very successful in life'. That boy's going to go places. believe me.
For similar structures with way. rime and reason, see 498.6.
432 play and game
1 nouns
A play is a piece of dramatic literature for the theatre, radio or television. 1ulius Caesar' is one ofShakespeare's early plays.
A game is an activity like, for example, chess, football or bridge. Chess is a very slow game. (NOT ••• a !Iety s16w play.)
The uncountable noun play can be used to mean 'playing' in general. Children learn a great deal through play.
2 verbs
People act in plays or films, and play games or musical instruments. My daughter is acting in her school play this year.
Have you ever played rugby football?
Play can be used with the same meaning as act before the name of a character in a play or film.
I'll never forget seeing Olivier play Othello.
place: a place to live, etc 431
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