ge11-2.2· Unit 2: Nouns, Articles & Determiners· ~14 min

Nouns and quantifiers

Countable and uncountable nouns, plurals, possessives and quantifiers (much/many, little/few, some/any, too/enough).

English nouns are either countable or uncountable, and this difference controls almost every choice you make about plurals and quantifiers. Countable nouns can be counted and have plural forms (one book, two books), while uncountable nouns name things we usually do not count one by one (water, money, information, advice) and have no plural and no a/an. We use 'many' and 'few' with countable plurals, but 'much' and 'little' with uncountable nouns; 'a few'/'a little' mean a small but sufficient amount, while 'few'/'little' alone stress that there is almost none. 'Some' is normal in positive sentences and offers/requests, whereas 'any' is used in negatives and questions, and 'a lot of'/'plenty of' work with both types. Remember too that many nouns are irregular (children, feet, women, mice) and that 'too' means more than we want while 'enough' means the right amount. For example: 'There isn't much milk left, so I bought a few bottles, but we still don't have enough sugar.'

Key terms

Countable noun — A noun that names things we can count one by one; it has a plural form and can take a/an and a number (one book, two books).
Uncountable noun — A noun that names something we do not count separately (water, money, information, advice, news, furniture); it has no plural -s, takes no a/an, and uses a singular verb.
Quantifier — A word or phrase that shows quantity before a noun, such as many, much, few, little, some, any, a lot of and plenty of.
a few / a little vs few / little — 'A few' (countable) and 'a little' (uncountable) mean a small but sufficient amount; 'few' and 'little' without 'a' stress that there is almost none, a negative idea.
Irregular plural — A plural that is not formed by adding -s/-es, for example child to children, foot to feet, tooth to teeth, man to men, woman to women, mouse to mice.
too / enough — 'Too + adjective' means more than is wanted or needed (too small); 'adjective + enough' means the right or sufficient amount (old enough).
Quantifiers: countable vs uncountable
QuantifierCountableUncountableUse
many / muchmany carsmuch timemany with countable plurals, much with uncountables
a few / a littlea few applesa little watera small but sufficient amount (positive)
few / littlefew friendslittle hopealmost none (negative idea)
a lot of / plenty ofa lot of booksa lot of moneylarge amount; works with both types
Plurals: countable, uncountable and irregular
SingularPluralType
boxboxesregular (add -es after x)
baby / citybabies / citiesregular (y to ies)
leafleavesregular (f to ves)
child / tooth / mousechildren / teeth / miceirregular
speciesspeciesunchanged plural
information / advice / newsno plural formuncountable (singular verb)
✎Choosing many or much: 'How ___ rice do we need?'
  1. 1Identify the noun: The noun is 'rice'. Ask whether you can count it one by one: you cannot, so 'rice' is uncountable.
  2. 2Pick the quantifier: Use 'much' with uncountable nouns and 'many' only with countable plurals. So 'much' is correct: 'How much rice do we need?'
  3. 3Check the rejected options: 'Many', 'few' and 'a few' all need a countable plural, so they cannot go with uncountable 'rice'.
✎few vs a few: 'We've got ___ eggs, so I can't make the cake.'
  1. 1Note the meaning: The result is negative: the speaker cannot make the cake because there are almost no eggs.
  2. 2Choose few or a few: 'A few' means a small but sufficient amount (positive); 'few' means almost none (negative). The negative result needs 'few': 'We've got few eggs.'
  3. 3Reject the uncountable options: 'Little' and 'a little' go with uncountable nouns, but 'eggs' is a countable plural, so they cannot be used here.
🚫Common mistake

Do not pair 'many' with an uncountable noun or 'much' with a countable plural. Say 'much rice' and 'many photos', never 'many rice' or 'much photos'. Match many/few to countable plurals and much/little to uncountables.

🚫Common mistake

'a few' and 'a little' mean a small but sufficient amount (positive), while 'few' and 'little' without 'a' mean almost none (negative). 'I have a few friends' is reassuring; 'I have few friends' sounds lonely.

⚠️Caution

Uncountable nouns (information, advice, news, furniture, evidence, progress) never take a plural -s and never take a/an. Use a singular verb: 'The news was a surprise', not 'were'. To count them, use 'a piece of': 'a piece of advice', 'pieces of evidence'.

💡Note

Many common nouns have irregular plurals you must memorise: child to children, foot to feet, tooth to teeth, man to men, woman to women, mouse to mice. A few words such as 'species' keep the same form in the plural.

Rules

  1. 1Use 'many'/'(a) few' with countable plural nouns (many cars, a few apples); use 'much'/'(a) little' with uncountable nouns (much time, a little water).
  2. 2'a few'/'a little' = a small, positive amount; 'few'/'little' (without 'a') = almost none, a negative idea.
  3. 3'some' is used in positive statements and offers/requests; 'any' is used in negatives and questions; 'a lot of'/'plenty of' fit both countable and uncountable nouns.
  4. 4Uncountable nouns (information, advice, news, furniture, money, luggage) take a singular verb and never take 'a/an' or a plural -s.
  5. 5Learn irregular plurals (child→children, foot→feet, tooth→teeth, man→men, woman→women, mouse→mice); 'too + adjective' = more than needed, 'enough' = the right amount.

Practice

15 easy · 15 medium · 15 hard

10 random questions per test

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