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.'
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