Find details in a short notice

Printable paper with separate answer pages Step-by-step lessons

Original teaching practice. Read one pattern, cover its model and try the questions before checking the separate answer section. Examples adapted from Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning, CC BY-NC-SA) retain the course-reference provenance.

Find details in a short notice

Distinguish people, quantities, places, and times in short messages.

Before you start: Recall people names, small numbers, at / in在zài locations, to have / there is有yǒu existence and clock times. Match quantities to their nouns; do not assume that nearby facts belong to the same person or object.

Build the meaning

Read or listen first for the type of information: who, how many, where, or when. Spotting a familiar word is not enough; check that it answers the question.

table桌子zhuō zi(bound form) up上shàngto have / there is有yǒu两个liǎng gècup杯子bēi zi locates two cups on a table. (bound form) up上shàng follows the place noun; to have / there is有yǒu introduces what exists there.

Place + 有 + number + measure word + thing

Work through a decision

Read table桌子zhuō zi(bound form) up上shàngto have / there is有yǒu两个liǎng gècup杯子bēi ziand / with和héthree三sān本书běn shū。Wang Li (1900-1986), one of…王力wáng lìafternoon下午xià wǔ四点sì diǎnto go去qùschool学校xué xiào – two cups and three books are on the table; Wang Li goes to school at four in the afternoon. Asked to have / there is有yǒu几本书jǐ běn shū, choose three三sān本书běn shū, the three books. 两个liǎng gè belongs to cups; 四点sì diǎn is a clock time. The same message can contain several numbers serving different roles.

Compare: 林安lín ān(modifier / structural particle)的debook书shūat / in在zàischool学校xué xiào locates Lin An’s book at school; 林安在lín ān zàischool学校xué xiào locates Lin An herself. Where the book is tells you nothing about where its owner is. Likewise, table桌子zhuō zi(bound form) up上shàngto have / there is有yǒubook书shū identifies a setting for books but need not name their owner.

Useful words in context

table桌子zhuō zi zhuōzi – table. table桌子zhuō zi(bound form) up上shàngto have / there is有yǒubook书shū。
(bound form) up上shàng shàng – on / above. table桌子zhuō zi(bound form) up上shàng。
cup杯子bēi zi bēizi – cup. 两个liǎng gècup杯子bēi zi。
book书shū shū – book. three三sān本书běn shū。
root本běn běn – measure word for books. 两本书liǎng běn shū。

Listen before reading the script

Ask a partner to read the listening script from the answer section while you keep it covered. Then attempt the listening question. If you work alone without audio, use the script for reading practice; it is not a listening test.

Read a different account

table桌子zhuō zi(bound form) up上shàngto have / there is有yǒu两个liǎng gècup杯子bēi ziand / with和héthree三sān本书běn shū。林安lín ān(modifier / structural particle)的debook书shūat / in在zàischool学校xué xiào。Wang Li (1900-1986), one of…王力wáng lìafternoon下午xià wǔ三点sān diǎnto go去qùschool学校xué xiào。

Try the reading question before checking the English meaning in the answer section.

Speak with a partner

Describe a fictional table with two cups and one book. Ask a partner how many cups they heard.

Check the distinction: If you read the transcript before answering, record that as supported reading, not unseen listening.

Learn step by step · Practise and review.

Practice without the models

Choose a pattern, cover its teaching examples, and attempt its questions. Use the labels to find feedback in the separate key.

Find details in a short notice

0901.1 Listening. How many cups are in the recording?

A. Two
B. Three
C. None

0901.2 Reading. Which quantity belongs to books in the reading?

A. Two
B. Four
C. Three

0901.3 Complete “three books”: three三sān…………book书shū。

0901.4 Match each word with its meaning in this unit.

1. table桌子zhuō zi
1. (bound form) up上shàng
1. cup杯子bēi zi
1. book书shū
1. root本běn
A. measure word for books
B. on / above
C. table
D. book
E. cup

0901.5 Write a new table description with different quantities. Ask one detail question about it.

Write or say your own response before reading the key.

0901.6 table桌子zhuō zi(bound form) up上shàngto have / there is有yǒu三个sān gècup杯子bēi zi。table桌子zhuō zi(bound form) up上shàng means on the table, 三个sān gè means three and cup杯子bēi zi means cups. Which question can this message answer directly?

A. Who bought the cups?
B. How many cups are on the table?
C. When does school begin?

0901.7 table桌子zhuō zi(bound form) up上shàngto have / there is有yǒu四个sì gècup杯子bēi ziand / with和hé两本书liǎng běn shū。table桌子zhuō zi(bound form) up上shàng means on the table, 四个sì gècup杯子bēi zi four cups and 两本书liǎng běn shū two books. First attach each number to its noun. How many books are there?

A. Six
B. Two
C. Four

0901.8 Read: chair椅子yǐ zi(bound form) up上shàngto have / there is有yǒu一包yī bāotea茶chá，table桌子zhuō zi(bound form) up上shàngnot have / haven't没有méi yǒutea茶chá。Wang Li (1900-1986), one of…王力wáng lì(modifier / structural particle)的debook书shūat / in在zàischool学校xué xiào。chair椅子yǐ zi means chair and to cover包bāo counts packets here. Which claim is supported?

A. Tea is on the chair; Wang Li is at school.
B. Tea is on the chair; Wang Li’s book is at school.
C. Tea is on the table; Wang Li’s book is at school.

0901.9 Use Mandarin for the new sentences or dialogue. You may explain your reasoning in English. Write a new short message with two object quantities, two locations and a person’s travel time. Ask one quantity question and one location question that can be answered from the message. Then state one fact about ownership or a person’s location that the message leaves unknown. Read the message aloud or exchange questions with a partner.

Write or say your own response before reading the key.

A fresh situation

R1. Interpret and repair. A notice reads Tuesday星期二xīng qī èrafternoon下午xià wǔ两点liǎng diǎn，classroom教室jiào shìto appear见jiàn. A pupil plans to go on Wednesday morning. Which two details conflict?

R2. Use it yourself. Write a notice for a Thursday meeting at three in the afternoon in the library.

Write your responses before opening the key. Compare meaning as well as form; a different valid answer need not copy the model.

Open the answers after your attempt

Answers and explanations

Check after your attempt. For open tasks, compare the message and the stated criteria, then revise one detail.

Find details in a short notice

0901.1 B. Three

三个sān gècup杯子bēi zi gives three cups; the reading described a different scene.

0901.2 C. Three

three三sān本书běn shū is three books; 两个liǎng gècup杯子bēi zi refers to cups.

0901.3 root本běn

root本běn is the measure word for books in this phrase.

0901.4 1–C: table桌子zhuō zi = table; 2–B: (bound form) up上shàng = on / above; 3–E: cup杯子bēi zi = cup; 4–D: book书shū = book; 5–A: root本běn = measure word for books

Use the example sentences to check each word’s meaning in context.

0901.5 One possible response: table桌子zhuō zi(bound form) up上shàngto have / there is有yǒu三个sān gècup杯子bēi ziand / with和hé两本书liǎng běn shū。a few几个jǐ gècup杯子bēi zi？

Check meaning and form:

State the place.
Use (measure word)个gè with cups and root本běn with books.
Ask a quantity question.

Compare the meaning and structure with the checklist. Your own response may differ from the model.

0901.6 B. How many cups are on the table?

The message supplies the number and location of cups. It supplies no purchaser, owner or school time. Recognising a number is useful only when it is attached to the requested object.

0901.7 B. Two

两本书liǎng běn shū gives two books. Four counts cups; six adds different object types and does not answer the book question. Use the requested noun as well as the number.

0901.8 B. Tea is on the chair; Wang Li’s book is at school.

chair椅子yǐ zi(bound form) up上shàngto have / there is有yǒu一包yī bāotea茶chá locates a packet of tea on the chair, while table桌子zhuō zi(bound form) up上shàngnot have / haven't没有méi yǒutea茶chá excludes it from the table. Wang Li (1900-1986), one of…王力wáng lì(modifier / structural particle)的debook书shū locates Wang Li’s book, not Wang Li himself, at school. Distinguish the object from its owner.

0901.9 One possible response: Possible message: table桌子zhuō zi(bound form) up上shàngto have / there is有yǒuthree三sān本书běn shū。chair椅子yǐ zi(bound form) up上shàngto have / there is有yǒu两个liǎng gècup杯子bēi zi。林安lín ānafternoon下午xià wǔ五点wǔ diǎnto go去qùschool学校xué xiào。Questions: table桌子zhuō zi(bound form) up上shàngto have / there is有yǒu几本书jǐ běn shū？cup杯子bēi ziat / in在zàiwhere哪里nǎ lǐ？Replies: 三本sān běn。at / in在zàichair椅子yǐ zi(bound form) up上shàng。The message does not say who owns the cups or where Lin An is before her trip. Other coherent quantities and locations are valid.

How to revise: If a number or place came from the wrong clause, mark the noun and its detail together before trying again. Check negative statements before claiming an object is present. Use new objects or numbers after correcting the mismatch.

Check meaning and form:

Keep each quantity attached to its object.
Keep the two locations and travel time distinct.
Make both questions answerable from the exact message.
Identify an unknown fact without inferring a person’s location from an object’s location.
Write or speak the requested sentences, questions or dialogue in Mandarin; optional English reasoning does not replace them.

If a number or place came from the wrong clause, mark the noun and its detail together before trying again. Check negative statements before claiming an object is present. Use new objects or numbers after correcting the mismatch.

Listening script and meaning

table桌子zhuō zi(bound form) up上shàngto have / there is有yǒu三个sān gècup杯子bēi zi，not have / haven't没有méi yǒubook书shū。

There are three cups on the table and no books.

Reading meaning

There are two cups and three books on the table. Lin An’s book is at school. Wang Li goes to school at three in the afternoon.

Speaking model

A: table桌子zhuō zi(bound form) up上shàngto have / there is有yǒu两个liǎng gècup杯子bēi ziand / with和héone / a一yī本书běn shū。 B: a few几个jǐ gècup杯子bēi zi？ A: 两个liǎng gè。

Compare the intended message first. Ask a listener to comment on intelligibility and pronunciation; matching the written model does not establish speaking accuracy.

Fresh-situation answers

R1. Tuesday星期二xīng qī èr is Tuesday, not Wednesday; afternoon下午xià wǔ两点liǎng diǎn is two in the afternoon, not morning. classroom教室jiào shì identifies the classroom meeting place.

R2. One possible response. Thursday星期四xīng qī sìafternoon下午xià wǔ三点sān diǎn，library图书馆tú shū guǎnto appear见jiàn。The new notice supplies a day, a time and a place. Check every detail against your intended arrangement.