a bit (of) / bits (of): The Puzzle of the Broken Bridge

The Puzzle of the Broken Bridge

Liam loved exploring the woods behind his house, but today was different. A thick fog had rolled in overnight, and as he wandered deeper, he stumbled upon something impossible—a broken bridge over Whispering Creek. The wooden planks were shattered into dozens of pieces, and a strange glowing sign hovered in the air:

"To fix this bridge, you must prove your English skills. Answer correctly, and the pieces will mend themselves!"

Liam blinked. Magic English puzzles? Before he could question it, the first challenge appeared.

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Question 1 (Quantifiers – "a bit of" / "bits of")

"Which sentence is correct?"
a) Can I have a bit of advice?
b) Can I have bits of advice?
c) Can I have a bit advice?

Liam scratched his head. He remembered his teacher saying that "advice" was an uncountable noun—you couldn’t say "one advice, two advices." So, you could ask for a bit of advice (like a small amount) but not bits of advice (which would imply separate pieces).

"A!" he called out.

CRACK! A plank of wood flew into place.

"Smart thinking!" the bridge hummed. "Uncountable nouns like ‘advice,’ ‘water,’ or ‘information’ often pair with ‘a bit of’ for small amounts!"

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Next, a swirling cloud of word fragments appeared. Liam had to assemble them into a proper sentence.

Question 2 (Word Order – Present Simple)

"Arrange these words correctly:"
[bits / there / of / glass / are / the / on / floor]

a) There are bits of glass on the floor.
b) Bits of glass there are on the floor.
c) On the floor there are bits of glass.

Liam imagined his mom’s warning when he dropped a cup. "A!" he said confidently.

SNAP! Another plank locked into place.

"Perfect!" the bridge chimed. "In English, we usually say ‘There are…’ first when describing something that exists!"

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The final challenge was a riddle from a talking owl perched on the last broken plank.

Question 3 (Vocabulary – Synonyms for "a bit")

"Which word means the same as ‘a bit’?"
a) A ton
b) A little
c) A mountain

Liam laughed. "B—a little!"

With a final CLICK, the bridge repaired itself, solid and sturdy.

"Well done!" the owl hooted. "Now you know—‘a bit’ and ‘a little’ are like tiny cousins!"

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Liam crossed the bridge, grinning. Maybe English wasn’t so hard—it just needed a bit of magic!

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Answers & Quick Tips:

1. a) Can I have a bit of advice? – Use a bit of with uncountable nouns (advice, water, time).

2. a) There are bits of glass on the floor. – Correct word order for describing what exists somewhere.

3. b) A little – Both mean a small amount.

The End… or just the beginning of Liam’s next language adventure? 🌉✨