Short explanation of expressions of quantity (Quantifiers), i.e., words like some, few, little, much, many, a lot of, plenty of, which we use to indicate the amount or quantity of something. With examples and an easy exercise.

1. Expressions of quantity (Quantifiers)
We use words like some, few, little, much, many, a lot of, plenty of (called
quantifiers) to indicate the amount or quantity of something. Look at the examples:
a few tomatoes ...
some pizzas resembled
We choose a quantifier according to amount or quantity and the noun that follows.
The following chart shows how we can use quantifiers.
a few (+)
many few (-) She has a few good friends. (positive)
plural count
a lot (of) / lots (of) several He reads few books. (negative)
nouns
plenty (of) some There are several children outside
enough
a little (+) There’s a little milk left.
much
Non-count little (-) (positive meaning: we don’t need more)
a lot (of) / lots (of)
nouns some We had little money to spend.
plenty (of)
enough (negative meaning: not enough)
Note: We use any instead of some in negative sentences and in questions where we
are not sure of the answer.
Do you have any science fiction books at home? No, I don’t have any.
Would you like some coffee? (an offer - expecting a positive answer)
Is there some post for me? (expecting a positive answer, looking forward to getting some post)
Exercise: Fill in the blanks with a suitable quantifier from the list above. There
may be more than one possible answer.
1. This restaurant serves _____different kinds of pizza. This makes it really hard
to choose.
2. There are _____restaurants in this part of town; only two or three.
3. Add _____ginger to the melon. It really improves the flavour.
4. There are _____excellent dishes in this restaurant, for instance, the lasagne
and the cannelloni.
5. You look hungry. Do you want _____more meat?
6. I don’t have _____ice-cream. We finished it last night.
7. Just buy _____apples and bananas ... enough for a small fruit salad.
8. We have very _____time. The bus leaves in ten minutes.
9. _____people visit this part of Spain because it’s so isolated.
10. I’m not planning to take _____money on this trip.
11. Shelly didn’t like the curry so she ate very _____.
12. There is _____bread in the cupboard in the kitchen.