Expressions of Quantity
Definition
An expression of quantity is a word or group of words that tells
the amount of something. It answers the questions, “How much?” or “How many?”
Example
There are lots of things to do in a big company.
Explanation
Expressions of quantity —
modify a noun.
describe the amount, or number, of something.
are used with count nouns or with non-count nouns.
are used to express —
a positive idea: “I read all the e-mail
messages.” or
a negative idea: “I read none of the e-mail
messages.”
Expressions of Quantity
Example
Sentences
Positive Expressions
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With Count Nouns
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Examples
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With Non-Count Nouns
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Examples
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all (of)
each of
every one of
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I
read all the e-mail messages in my inbox.
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all (of)
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I read all the news.
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almost all
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I read almost all the e-mail messages.
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almost all
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I read almost all the news.
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most of
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I read most of the e-mail messages.
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most of
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I read most of the news.
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a great many
a lot of
lots of
many
plenty of
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I
read lots of e-mail messages.
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a great deal of
a lot of
lots of
plenty of
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I read a great deal of news.
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quite a few
quite a lot of
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I
read quite a lot
of e-mail
messages.
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quite a bit of
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I read quite a bit of news.
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some of
several of
a certain number of
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I
read some of the e-mail messages.
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some
a certain amount of
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I read some news.
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a few of
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I
read a few of the e-mail messages.
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a little
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I read a little news.
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Negative Expressions
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With Count Nouns
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Examples
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With Non-Count Nouns
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Examples
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not all
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Not all the e-mail messages were read.
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not all
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Not all the news was read.
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not every
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Not every e-mail message was read.
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not many of
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Not many of the e-mail
messages were read.
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not much of
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Not much of the news was read.
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few of
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Few of the e-mail
messages were read.
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little of
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Little of the news was read.
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almost no
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I read almost no e-mail messages.
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almost no
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I read almost no news.
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almost none of
hardly any of
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I
read hardly any
of the e-mail
messages.
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almost none of
hardly any of
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I read hardly any of the news.
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no
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I
read no e-mail messages.
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no
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I read no news.
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none of
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I
read none of the e-mail messages.
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none of
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I read none of the news.
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Expressions
of quantity -
Grammar >>tests>>
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much -
many - a few - a little. Expressions of quantity. Learning English
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An
expression of quantity tells the amount of something.
much or many? few or little?
"much" - not countable
"How much...?" With uncountable
nouns in negative and questions.
Examples:
How much homework do we get?
How much money do I need?
How much milk do you want?
Is there much sugar in my tea?
|
"many" - countable nouns
With
countable nouns in negative and questions.
Examples:
How many sisters does he
have?
How many pupils are in this
class?
How many books do you buy?
How many cows live on this
farm?
|
"a few ..." countable
nouns
Use "(A) few ..." with countable nouns.
Examples:
There are
just a
few examples.
I meet a
few friends
I see a
few hundred pupils.
I've got few brothers.
|
"a little..." uncountable
Use "a
little" with uncountable nouns.
Examples:
There is little tea left.
Not a lot,
only a
little,
please.
I've got little money.
|
Countable
nouns and uncountable nouns
a lot of
/ lots of Use an exact quantity
or a lot of / lots
of
Examples:
There are 10 pupils.
There are a
lot of cookies
They have
got a
lot of CDs.
There are a
lot of things on your
table.
We have
got lots
of money.
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A guide to using quantifiers in
English
Part 1 .
Definition
Quantifiers are a type of determiner which denote imprecise quantity.
They modify nouns or pronouns.
They differ from numbers or numerals which indicate precise quantity.
The
most common examples:
The most common quantifiers used in English are:
some
/ any , much, many, a lot, a few, several, enough.
There are three main types of quantifier;
1. Large quantity quantifiers:
much,
many, lots of, plenty of, numerous, a large number of, etc.
►
Much and many :
Much is used with non-count nouns (always in the
singular); many is used with countnouns in the plural. (Click here
for the difference between count nouns and
non-count nouns).
IMPORTANT
NOTE: in modern spoken English, Much, and to a
lesser extent many are not often used as quantifiers in affirmative statements; but
they are very commonly used in interrogative and negative contexts.
Examples:
I have many reasons for thinking that this man is innocent is
acceptable, but rather formal; most English speakers would more naturally say:
I have plenty of / a lot of / ample / reasons for thinking
.....
Much whisky is of very good quality. This
sentence is technically acceptable, but not probable in modern spoken English.
Most people would say (and write):
A lot of whisky / A good proportion of whisky / Plenty of whisky
......
Remember : don't
use much or many in affirmative statements, if you can
avoid it. Though their use may be possible, it often sounds very
formal, old-fashioned or strange in modern English. On the other
hand, much of / many of are sometimes used in affirmative
contexts; and so much / so
many and too much / too many are quite acceptable.
Examples:
He has much money is
not normal English. Speakers would more naturally say:
He has a lot of money / He has loads of money.
Much of what you have written is very good. The
expression "much of" is acceptable in the affirmative; but except in
a formal context, most English-speakers would say (and write) something like :
A lot of what you have written...... A good deal of what
you have written.....
With so and too
There is so much poverty in the world
- There are too many people in here
►
Lots of, a lot of, plenty of, a large number of, numerous
These expressions are all more or less
synonyms. In the list above, they are arranged in order of formality, going
from the most informal (lots of) to the most formal (numerous). Informal language is more appropriate in dialogue, formal
language in written documents.
For more on style, see styles of English .
►
Much / many or Much of / many of ?
As quantifiers, much and many are not followed by of when they quantify
a noun directly. However they must be followed by of if they come
before a determiner such as an
article, a possessive or a demonstrative. The same principle applies to few / few
of(see below), some
/ some of, etc..
Examples:
I can't see many people.
but I
can't see many of my friends
Many houses were destroyed in the war.
but Many of the houses
were destroyed in the war.
They didn't drink much beer
but They didn't drink much of that beer we gave them.
►
Several and a number of
These
imply "more than one, but less than a lot". They are not usually used in negative or interrogative structures, only in
affirmative statements. For example
There are several books /
a number of books by J.K.Rowling in our library.
Several people / A number of people said that they'd seen
the missing child.
1.2. Quantifiers of relative quantity
There are a couple of common quantifiers that
express relative or proportional quantity.
►
Most / most of
These imply more
than half of, a majority of, or almost
all . They do not mean the same as many
/ many of.
► Enough
Enough implies a sufficient
quantity; it is used in affirmations, negations and
questions.
Most students will pass their exam.
The man lost most of his money at the casino.
We can get tickets for the concert, I've got enough money now.
Have you got enough money for the tickets?
No, I haven't got enough.
NOTE: do not
confuse enough as a quantifier adjective preceding a noun, with enough as an intensifier following an adjective,
as in:
That's
good enough for me.
2. Small quantity quantifiers:
►
few, a few, little, a little, not many, not much, a small number
of, etc.
These quantifiers are normally only used in affirmative
statements, to which they give a negative colouring.
►
Little, a little, not much are used with
non-count nouns (always in the singular)
Few, a few, not many are used with count nouns in the plural.
Examples:
Few people can speak more than three languages
A few (of the) paintings in this gallery are really good.
There's little point in trying to mend it. You'll never succeed!
I've got a little money left; let's go and have a drink.
3. Neutral quantifiers:
Some and any: several, a number of, each, every, etc.
These are treated separately: see
4. Recapitulation: table
of usage for common English quantifiers
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Affirmative
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Negative
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Interrogative
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Neutral
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some, several, a number of, enough
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any, enough
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any, enough
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Large quantity
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numerous, plenty of, a lot of, lots of, too many
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much, many, too many
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much, many, too many
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Small quantity
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few / a few, Little / a little
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4.1. QUANTIFIERS WITH OF...
TAKE CARE:
Much
of, many of, few of, a little of, plenty of, lots of, some of, a number of,
none of, several of, etc.
When followed by of, some of these quantifiers MUST be followed by an article or
other determiner; for others there is a choice (article or no article)
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The rule....
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... applies to
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MUST be followed by an article or other determiner
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all of, each of, some of, many of, much of, (a) few of, (a) little of, none
of, several of, enough of,
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MAY or MAY NOT be followed by an article or other determiner
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plenty of, a lot of, lots of, a
number of, a couple of,
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Here are a few examples; most are right, some
(in grey and barred out) are wrong.
Examples:
OK Some
of the people are right some of the time, but all of the people cannot be right
all of the time.
Not OK Some of people are right
some of time, but all of people cannot be right all of time.
OK Plenty
of supporters came to the match
OK Plenty of the supporters came to
the match.
OK Several of the players were sent
off.
OK Several players were sent
off.
Not OK Several of players were
sent off.
OK A couple of players were sent off
OK A couple of the players were sent
off.
OK I'd like a few of these apples,
please.
OK I'd like a few of your apples,
please
Not OK I'd
like a few of apples, please.
5. Few or a few, little or a little ?
The difference between the two expressions in
each phrase is purely one of meaning, not of usage.
Without the article, few and little (used respectively with count nouns and non-count nouns) have
the meaning of "not much/ not many, and possibly
less than one might hope for or expect". These expressions have a negative value to
them.
With the article, a few and a
little have the meaning
of "at least some, perhaps more than one might
expect" . These expressions have a positive value.
Examples:
Few of my friends were
there, so I was disappointed.
A few of my friends were
there, so I was quite happy.
Hurry up; there's little time left !
We have a little time to spare, so let's stop and have
a cup of coffee.
I
