Unit 8B Grammar

1. What are quantifiers?
• Quantifiers are words that precede (come before) and
modify (describe) nouns. They indicate the amount or
quantity such as how many or how much.
• Selecting the correct quantifier depends on your
understanding the distinction between Countable (Count)
and Uncountable (Non-Count) Nouns.

2. Examples:
There are some books on the desk. (Count Noun)
He's got only a few dollars. (Count Noun)
How much money have you got? (Non-Count Noun)
There is a large quantity of fish in this river. (Non-Count Noun)
He's got more friends than his sister. (Count Noun)

3. Examples of Quantifiers
• With Only Countable Nouns
many both
fewer each
a few/few/(very) few* either/neither
several a couple of
a number of hundreds of
a large number of thousands of
a great number of
a majority of
* NOTE
few, very few = not many of something, not enough
a few = some, a certain amount

4. • With Only Uncountable Nouns
(not) much
a little/little/(very) little*
a bit (of)
a good deal of
a great deal of
a large amount of
a large quantity of
* NOTE
little, very little = not a lot of something, not enough
a little = some, a certain amount
Examples of Quantifiers

5. • With Both Countable and Uncountable Nouns
all a lot of
enough lots of
more/the most plenty of
less/the least
no/none
not any
some
any
Examples of Quantifiers

6. Language Tips on Quantifiers
• In formal English, it is better to use “many” and “much” rather
than phrases such as “a lot of”, “lots of” and “plenty of”.
• There is a difference between “few” and “a few”.
Examples: few flowers = not many flowers
a few flowers = some flowers
• There is a difference between “little” and “a little”.
Examples: little time = not a lot of time
a little time = some time

7. 1. Could we have ___________ champagne, please?
2. They live in a very small apartment because they have ________ money.
3. Very __________ people can speak five languages.
4. Cactus plant are easy to care for because they need _________ water to
survive.
5. They have already been to Africa ___________ times.
6. We have ___________ time before our flight so let’s go eat something.
7. He speaks German very well but sometimes he makes ______________
mistakes.
8. I am happy she has ____________ problems in her life.
9. Would you like ______________ candies?
10. I know ______________ about this subject.
Practice: Complete the sentences with few/a few/little/a little.
a little
little
few
little
a few
a little
a few
few
a few
little

8. 1. I have __________ friends in Europe.
2. I don’t drink __________ coffee.
3. How __________ children do you have?
4. How __________ does this bag cost?
5. How __________ rice do you need?
6. How __________ is this shirt?
7. We don’t have __________ time.
8. I went to Minnesota ____________ times last year.
9. There is not ___________ sand in the car.
10. Jim works on ___________ different projects.
Practice: Complete the sentences with ”much” or “many”.
many
much
many
much
much
much
much
many
much
many

9. 1. The children have plenty of toys.
2. Would you like a little champagne?
3. He spends the majority of his time on the computer.
4. I sent a lot of emails.
5. There is a bit of water on the floor.
Practice: Find synonyms for the quantifiers in the sentences.