Quantifiers
some/any, much/many, (a) few/(a) little and how to measure quantity.
Quantifiers are words that tell us how much or how many of something we mean, and the correct one depends on whether the noun is countable or uncountable. We use 'many' and 'few/a few' with countable plural nouns (many books, a few friends) and 'much' and 'little/a little' with uncountable nouns (much money, a little water); 'a lot of' and 'some' work happily with both. 'Some' is normally used in positive statements (I have some apples) and in polite offers and requests, while 'any' is used in negatives and questions (I don't have any apples; Do you have any apples?). The pairs 'a few' and 'a little' carry a positive idea of 'a small but enough amount', whereas 'few' and 'little' carry a negative idea of 'almost none / not enough'. Remember that uncountable nouns stay singular and take a singular verb. For example: 'There are only a few eggs left, but we still have a little milk, so we don't need to buy any today.'
Key terms
| Quantifier | Countable | Uncountable | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| many / much | many (many books) | much (much money) | many with countable, much with uncountable; common in questions and negatives |
| a few / a little | a few (a few apples) | a little (a little water) | positive: a small but sufficient amount |
| some / any | yes (some/any apples) | yes (some/any water) | some in positives and offers; any in negatives and questions |
| a lot of / lots of | yes (a lot of cars) | yes (a lot of time) | large amount; works with both, common in positive statements |
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a few | a small but sufficient number (positive, countable) | I made a few new friends at the camp. |
| few | almost none / not enough (negative, countable) | Very few students passed, so the teacher was sad. |
| a little | a small but sufficient amount (positive, uncountable) | We still have a little bread, so we can make sandwiches. |
| little | almost none / not enough (negative, uncountable) | There is little hope, so the team has almost given up. |
- 1Sentence: 'How ___ money do you have?' Choose much or many.
- 2Check the noun: 'Money' cannot be counted and has no plural, so it is uncountable.
- 3Apply the rule: Uncountable nouns take much, not many.
- 4Answer: 'How much money do you have?' (Compare: 'How many books?' because books is countable.)
- 1Sentence: 'Very ___ students passed the difficult test, so the teacher was sad.'
- 2Check the noun: 'Students' is countable, so the choice is between few and a few (not little / a little).
- 3Check the meaning: The teacher was sad, so the idea is negative: almost none passed.
- 4Answer: Use few = 'almost none'. 'Very few students passed.' (Use a few only for a positive 'some': 'I made a few friends.')
Do not mix the countable/uncountable sets: use many with countable plural nouns (many books) and much with uncountable nouns (much money). 'Many money' and 'much books' are wrong.
Use some in positive statements and polite offers/requests (I have some apples; Would you like some tea?), but any in negatives and ordinary questions (I don't have any money; Do you have any brothers?).
Without 'a', few and little mean 'almost none / not enough' (negative). With 'a', a few and a little mean 'a small but sufficient amount' (positive). 'Few friends came' = hardly anyone; 'A few friends came' = some did.
Uncountable nouns (information, advice, furniture, money) stay singular: no plural -s and a singular verb. Say 'much information' and 'There is much furniture', never 'informations' or 'many furnitures'.
Rules
- 1Use many/(a) few with countable plural nouns (many cars, a few apples); use much/(a) little with uncountable nouns (much time, a little sugar).
- 2Use some in positive sentences and polite offers/requests; use any in negatives and questions (I have some / I don't have any / Do you have any?).
- 3a lot of, lots of and some can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.
- 4a few / a little mean 'a small but sufficient amount' (positive); few / little mean 'almost none' (negative).
- 5Uncountable nouns take a singular verb and never take a/an or a plural -s (much information, not 'many informations').
Practice
15 easy · 15 medium · 15 hard
10 random questions per test