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Pick The Right Quantifier

This document discusses different types of quantifiers that can be used with countable and uncountable nouns. It provides examples of quantifiers that can only be used with uncountable nouns, those that can be used with all types of nouns, and those that can only be used with countable nouns. It also discusses the use of "much" and "many" as well as graded quantifiers that allow comparison of quantities without specifying exact amounts.

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52 views

Pick The Right Quantifier

This document discusses different types of quantifiers that can be used with countable and uncountable nouns. It provides examples of quantifiers that can only be used with uncountable nouns, those that can be used with all types of nouns, and those that can only be used with countable nouns. It also discusses the use of "much" and "many" as well as graded quantifiers that allow comparison of quantities without specifying exact amounts.

Uploaded by

gethsemani badajoz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Pick the right quantifier

To answer the questions How much? and How


many? certain quantifiers can be used with countable
nouns (friends, cups, people), others with uncountable
nouns (sugar, tea, money) and still others with all types
of nouns.

Examples

Only with With all Only with


uncountable types of countable
nouns nouns nouns

a little no, none, not a few


any

a bit of some a number of

any several

a great deal of a lot of, lots a great number


of of
Only with With all Only with
uncountable types of countable
nouns nouns nouns

a large amount of plenty of a large number


of

 Would you like some tea and a few cookies?

 I always put a little milk and some carrots in my


soup.

 He has several apples. I don't have any fruit at


all.

 She has plenty of clothes for the winter.

 I recieved a large amount of feedback from my


survey.

Using "much" and"many"

Much and many are mainly used in interrogative and


negative sentences. They are also used in affirmative
and negative sentences in combination
with too and so. Notice: the word many can be used
alone in affirmative sentences while the
word much cannot. Much is replaced in affirmative
sentences with a lot of or lots of (these expressions
can also replace many).

Uncountable Countable nouns


nouns

How much How many people came to


sugar do you have? the concert?

There's not much Not many people came to the


sugar at the store. concert.

I have too much There were too many


sugar at home. people at the concert.

I don't know what to It's a problem when there


do with so much are so many people.
sugar.

I wish there was not There were not so many


so much
Uncountable Countable nouns
nouns

sugar here. people last year.

There is a lot of There are many people who


sugar in candy. want to come. = There are a
lot of people who want to
come.

Graded quantifiers

Graded quantifiers allow us to compare the quantity of


one thing with the quantity of another, without
specifying an exact quantity for either element. Graded
quantifiers preceed nouns. Different quantifiers are
needed for countable and uncountable nouns.
Sometimes the noun can be omitted when it is
understood from the context.

They are distinct from comparatives and superlatives,


which compare the degrees of a quality (adjectives) or
the degree of the manner something was done
(adverbs). Graded quantifiers, like comparatives and
superlatives, hold a relative position on a scale of
increase or decrease. The superlative grade is always
preceeded by the in a sentence.

Quantifier Comparative grade Superlative grade

With plural countable nouns

many more most

few fewer fewest

With uncountable nouns

much more most

little less least

Examples

 There are many people in England, more


people in India, but the most people live in
China.
 Much time and money is spent on
education, more on health services but the
most is spent on national defence.

 Few rivers in Europe are not polluted.

 Fewer people die young now than in the


seventeenth century.

 The country with the fewest people per square


kilometre must be Australia.

 Scientists have little hope of finding a complete


cure for cancer before the year 2020.

 She had less time to study than Paul but had


better results.

 Give that dog the least opportunity and it will bite


you.

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