Quantifiers

Maddie: Would you like some cake, Kristie?

Kristie: No cake for me, thanks, I’ve already had some.

Tommy: Hi, Lucy! Let’s take a selfie. Smile!!

Martin: You’ve got a lot of presents, Tommy!!!

Lucy: How many are there?

Tommy: Eight, I think. Let’s open Lucy’s first!

Tommy: Erm… There’s nothing in the box. It’s empty.

Lucy: No, there’s a piece of paper in it.

Martin: What does it say?

Tommy: How much money do I owe you?

Lucy: You borrowed 20 pounds last week to buy a selfie stick and you haven’t given it yet, so I didn’t have any money to buy you a present!

Look at the highlighted words. What are they used for?

All these words are used to show the quantity of nouns. These are quantifiers.

In most languages it is usually one word that indicates a big quantity, a certain amount or a small quantity. But in English we have several words for each idea. For example, for a large quantity sometimes you have to use a lot of / lots of, much or many; for a small quantity it’s sometimes little / a little, sometimes few / a few. We also have some, any and no.

So sometimes it can get quite tricky and confusing which word to choose.

By the end of this lesson you’ll have a clear idea of when and how to use these words

Much, many, a lot of / lots of, some any no little / a little, few / a few are quantifiers. We use these words to talk about the quantity of nouns.

Some / Any / No

We use some, any and no with plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns.

·                   We use some in positive sentences.

E.g.

There are some letters for you on the table.

There is some juice in the fridge.

·                   We also use some in questions, when we offer something to someone, or when we ask something from someone.

E.g.

Would you like some cake?

Can I have some water, please?

·                   We use any in negative sentences and questions.

E.g.

I didn’t have any money to buy you a present!

Did you have any money to buy him a present?

·                   We use no in positive sentences. Because no is negative, the sentence becomes negative too.

E.g.

There are no animals in the picture. (or There aren’t any animals in the picture.)

I’ve got no money with me. (or I haven’t got any money with me.)

Much, Many, A Lot of / Lots of

Much, many, a lot of / lots of are used to talk about a large quantity of something.

We use much with uncountable nouns and many with countable nouns.

Much and many are normally used in questions and negative sentences.

E.g.

Is there much water in the lake this year?

I haven’t got much time, so be quick.

Have you got many emails today?

There aren’t many shops in this area.

How much and How many are often used in questions to ask about quantity.

How much + uncountable noun asks about the amount of something (количество).

How many + countable noun asks about the number of something.

E.g.

How many presents are there?

How much money do I owe you?

How much time have we got?

How many letters are there in this word?

A lot of / lots of go with both countable and uncountable nouns and are normally used in positive sentences. There is no difference in meaning between these two expressions.

E.g.

You’ve got a lot of / lots of presents, Tommy!!!

There are a lot of vitamins in vegetables.

She spends a lot of money on clothes.

We use little / a little, few / a few to describe a small quantity of something.

A few is used with plural countable nouns and a little with uncountable nouns.

They both have a positive meaning.

A few means “not many, but some” – несколько

E.g.

We’ve got a few eggs. Let’s make an omelette.

A little means “not much, but enough” – немного

E.g.

I’ve got a little money. I can get the tickets for the concert.

Few / Little both have negative meaning and mean “hardly any/almost none” – мало.

Compare:

There is a little petrol in the tank. It will get us to the next town.

There is little petrol in the tank. We need to buy some more.

There are a few hotels in this town. You will find the room to spend the night.

There are few hotels in this town. We can’t find the room. We’ll have to spend the night in the car.

Let’s summarize what we have so far:

The most important thing to remember is that much / little / a little are for uncountables. Many / few / a few are for countables. And some / any / no / a lot of / lots of can be used with both.

The second most important thing to remember is that much and many are normally used in questions and negative sentences.

We use a lot of in positive sentences only.

The third most important thing to remember is that Few / Little both have negative meaning and mean “hardly any/almost none” – мало.

And the last thing to remember is that a few means “not many, but some” – несколько, a little means “not much, but enough” – немного.

Now let’s practise the rule. Complete the sentences.

Kristie is very pretty and slim. She knows a lot about the things we should eat or drink.

Maddie: 1) How much sugar is there in a glass of cola? (We use HOW MUCH because “sugar” is an uncountable noun.)

Kristie: 2) There’s a lot of sugar in cola! We shouldn’t drink much cola. It’s not healthy. (In both sentences we need the words to show a big quantity – много. The 1^st sentence is positive, that’s why we use “a lot of”. The 2^nd sentence is negative and Cola is an uncountable noun. We used MUCH.)

Maddie: 3) How many vitamins are there in hamburgers? (We use HOW MANY because “vitamins” is a countable plural noun.)

Kristie: 4) There aren’t any vitamins in hamburgers. But there’s lots of fat! So be careful! (The 1^st sentence is negative. Both ANY and MANY are possible. The 2^nd sentence is positive and “fat” is an uncountable noun.)

Maddie: 5) How many calories are there in a piece of chocolate cake? (We use HOW MANY because “calories” is a countable plural noun.)

Kristie: 6) There are a lot of calories in chocolate cake. (The sentence is positive. We can’t use MANY.)

Maddie: 7) How much fat is there in a glass of milk? (We use HOW MUCH because “fat” is an uncountable noun.)

Kristie: 8) There isn’t much fat in a glass of milk. (The sentence is negative and “fat” is an uncountable noun.)

Milk is really good for you and you can drink a few glasses every day – but no more than three. (“Glasses” is a countable plural noun.)

Maddie: So… let's raise a glass of milk to Tommie's birthday!

Tommy: Girls, say “sausages”!!

That`s all for today.

I hope, the information was useful to you.

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