Number + Measure word + Noun (数词+量词+名词)
English says "three books" with no linker, but Chinese needs a measure word matching the noun: 数词 + 量词 + 名词. Common ones: 个 (gè, general), 位 (wèi, polite for people), 张 (zhāng, flat), 条 (tiáo, long/thin), 本 (běn, volumes), 杯 (bēi, cup of), 只 (zhī, animals), 件 (jiàn, clothing/items), 包 (bāo, packets). Example: 我买了三本书和一件衬衫。(Wǒ mǎi le sān běn shū hé yí jiàn chènshān.) — I bought three books and a shirt. Never let a number touch a noun directly.
Numbers for ages (岁) and dates (年月日)
Dates run LARGEST unit to smallest — the reverse of English day/month/year: 年 (nián, read digit by digit) + 月 (yuè) + 日/号 (rì/hào) + 星期 (xīngqī, weekday). Example: 二零二四年三月五日，星期二。(Èr líng èr sì nián sān yuè wǔ rì, xīngqī'èr.) — 5 March 2024, Tuesday. For age use 岁 (suì): children are asked 你几岁？, adults 你今年多少岁？ — I am seventeen is 我今年十七岁。(Wǒ jīnnián shíqī suì.)
Money with 块/毛/分 and 多少钱
Currency units act like measure words after a number: 块 (kuài, spoken) or 元 (yuán, formal), 毛 (máo) or 角 (jiǎo) for a tenth, 分 (fēn) for a hundredth. 块/毛/分 are the spoken forms; 元/角/分 are the formal written equivalents. Ask a price with ……多少钱？(duōshao qián), a total with 一共多少钱？(yígòng duōshao qián). Example: 这件衬衫八十八块五毛。(Zhè jiàn chènshān bāshíbā kuài wǔ máo.) — This shirt is 88 yuan 5 jiao (88.5 yuan).
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Defaulting to 个 for every noun
Every noun collocates with a specific 量词, and reaching for the all-purpose 个 loses marks. 书 takes 本 (一本书), 衬衫 takes 件 (一件衬衫), 鱼 takes 条, 猫 takes 只, 茶 takes 杯, 老师 takes 位 (polite). ✗ 我买了一个书和一个衬衫。 ✓ 我买了一本书和一件衬衫。(Wǒ mǎi le yì běn shū hé yí jiàn chènshān.) — I bought a book and a shirt. Match the measure word to the noun.
Imprecise use of a simple structure is not credited even from strong candidates (s22 Q10; s23 Q10).
二 vs 两 before a measure word
两 (liǎng) replaces 二 (èr) whenever "two" sits directly before a measure word (两个, 两本, 两位) or before 百/千/万 (两百, 两千). ✗ 我买了二本书，二个人来了。 ✓ 我买了两本书，两个人来了。(Wǒ mǎi le liǎng běn shū, liǎng gè rén lái le.) — I bought two books, two people came. Use 二 everywhere else: counting, dates, phone numbers, and inside a compound number such as 十二 or 二十二.
Precision in simple structures is repeatedly rewarded or penalised (s22 Q10; s23 Q10).
Mishearing tone homophones (十/是, 分/份)
十 (shí, ten) and 是 (shì, to be) differ only by tone; hearing the wrong one turns a number into an identity word. 分 (fēn, cent) and 份 (fèn, a portion) are another such pair. Decide by TONE and context — a number sits beside numbers or a measure word, 是 before a noun/adjective. 那本书三十五块钱，不是三块五。(Nà běn shū sānshíwǔ kuài qián, bú shì sān kuài wǔ.) — That book is 35 yuan, not 3.5.
Homophone/tone precision: same-pinyin different-tone words change meaning, named for measure words and numbers (s22/s23 Listening).
Writing the date in English order
Chinese dates run year → month → day → weekday, the reverse of English. ✗ 三月五日二零二四年。 ✓ 二零二四年三月五日，星期二。(Èr líng èr sì nián sān yuè wǔ rì, xīngqī'èr.) — 5 March 2024, Tuesday. The year is read digit by digit (二零二四, not a place-value number here), and the weekday comes last, not first.
Date word-order is a general FL structure trap, not a numbered examiner-report item (general FL trap).
Dropping the measure word after a number
English speakers forget the measure word and let the number touch the noun. ✗ 我有三书。/ 这三人是我的朋友。 ✓ 我有三本书。(Wǒ yǒu sān běn shū.) — I have three books. ✓ 这三个人是我的朋友。(Zhè sān gè rén shì wǒ de péngyou.) — These three people are my friends. A number, or 这/那/几/每, always needs a measure word before the noun.
Grammatically incomplete or imprecise simple structures are not credited (s22 Q10; s23 Q10).
几 vs 多少 for asking amounts
几 (jǐ) asks a small number (usually under ten) and always takes a measure word; 多少 (duōshao) asks an open or large amount and, for money, is fixed as 多少钱. ✗ 这本书几钱？ ✓ 这本书多少钱？(Zhè běn shū duōshao qián?) — How much is this book? ✓ 你家有几口人？(Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén?) — How many people are in your family? Prices always use 多少钱, never 几钱.
Question-word choice (几/多少) is a general FL structure trap, not a numbered examiner-report item (general FL trap).
两 and 二 are simply interchangeable
Learners assume 两 and 二 are freely swappable. In fact 两 replaces 二 ONLY for a standalone "two" before a measure word (两个, 两本书) or before 百/千/万 (两百, 两千); inside a COMPOUND number like 十二 (12) or 二十二 (22) the digit stays 二. ✗ 我买了二个苹果。/ 二十两个学生来了。 ✓ 我买了两个苹果。(Wǒ mǎi le liǎng gè píngguǒ.) — I bought two apples. ✓ 二十二个学生来了。(Èrshí'èr gè xuésheng lái le.) — 22 students came.
A general second-language precision trap the syllabus rewards; not a numbered report item naming 两/二 (general FL trap).
Match the measure word, then pick 二/两
When a number or 这/那/几/每 meets a noun, add the noun's measure word — never let a number touch it. Then pick 二 or 两: use 两 only for a standalone "two" before a measure word or 百/千/万; otherwise 二 (dates, counting, and inside compounds like 二十二).
Build dates and prices in order
Build a date from the largest unit down: 年 (digit by digit) + 月 + 日/号 + 星期 — the reverse of English. For money, go 块/元 → 毛/角 → 分, and ask with 多少钱 or 一共多少钱. Example: 二零二四年三月五日 and 八十八块五毛 both run big-to-small.
Listen for tone, not just sound
In listening, tell homophones apart by TONE and context, not sound alone: 十 (shí)/是 (shì) and 分 (fēn)/份 (fèn) differ by one tone but mean very different things. Use the nearby number or measure word to decide which one you heard.
In Chinese, whenever a number (or 这/那/几/每) meets a noun, you must insert a measure word (量词) between them -- English does not need this ("three books", not "three copy books"), so English speakers often forget it. Numbers, ages, dates, clock times and money all lean on this same number-based structure, so getting it right unlocks reading, listening, writing and speaking marks across the whole exam.
How do you say "three books" in Chinese? (use the correct measure word)
用中文写出五个常见的量词，每个都配一个合适的名词，并标出拼音。
Level-of-response questions with model answers and mark scheme rubrics.
你和朋友周末要一起去买东西。请给朋友写一张便条，写清楚以下三点：（1）见面的日期、星期和时间；（2）你想买的东西和数量（用正确的量词）；（3）大概要花多少钱。请用中文（汉字）书写，约80-100字，注意便条的格式和给朋友写信的语气。（8分）
写一篇短日记，描述你上星期六过生日的情况。请说明：（1）那天的日期和星期；（2）你今年多少岁；（3）你请了几位朋友来、你们一共花了多少钱买蛋糕和别的东西（用正确的量词）。请用中文（汉字）书写，约80-100字。（8分）
