SOME - ANY - A LITTLE - A FEW - MUCH - MANY

Words to express quantity in English.

Some, any, a little, a few are used to express quantity, to say or ask if you have a quantity of something or not.

 Some is used in affirmative sentences, and also when asking for or offering something.

 Any is used in negative and interrogative sentences.

A few is used with countable nouns: a few apples (a small number of apples).

A little is used with uncountable nouns: a little cheese (a small quantity of cheese).

Here are some examples :

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

There are some apples in the bowl. There aren't any apples. Are there any apples?
(We don't know how many, but the bowl is not empty.) (The bowl is empty.) (We want to know if the bowl contains apples.)
There are a few apples (not many, a small number). There aren't many apples. Are there many apples?
(is there a large number of apples?)
There is a little cheese (not much, a small quantity). There isn't much cheese. Is there much cheese?
(is there a large quantity of cheese?)
N.B.: Asking and offering: Can I have / would you like some coffee?
 A LOT OF -  MUCH  - MANY

A lot of, much and many are used to talk about quantities, amounts and degree.

A LOT OF :

A lot of can be used in all sentences: affirmative, negative and interrogative, with both countable and uncountable nouns.

 We learned a lot of new English words.

 We didn't learn a lot of grammar.
 Did you learn a lot of  English expressions?

There is hardly any difference between a lot of and lots of.  Lots of is slightly more informal.

 The new owner made a lot of money on the stock market.

 Charlie's got lots of money and he's generous with it.

A lot (without of) means a great deal. A lot is not followed by a noun.

 Tom knows a lot of vocabulary.

 Charlie is talkative. He talks a lot.

MUCH :

Much is used with singular uncountable nouns (for example: 'much English')

 I don't know much English yet.

 Do you get much homework to do?
MANY :

Many is used with plural countable nouns (for example: 'many words')

 I don't know many words yet.

 Do you get many exercises to do?

Much and many are more commonly used in negative and interrogative sentences. They are rarely used in affirmative sentences, except:

 If they begin a sentence:
o Many people believe all they hear.
o Much of what was said was confusing.

 If they are preceded by ‘so’, ‘as’ and ‘too’ and in some expressions with ‘very’:
o There was much noise.
o There was so much noise that I couldn’t hear very well.
o We ate many cherries.
o You can eat as many cherries as you like.
o They gave us much information.
o They gave us too much information.
o I enjoyed the film very much.

 In formal or written English.
In affirmative sentences much and many are more often used in formal or written English, whereas a lot of / lots of  are more
common in informal conversation.
In newspaper reports and headlines, for example, much and many are generally used.

Although much and many are less frequently used in affirmative sentences, they can however be used:

 The results of the elections led to much concern.

 There are many books available on the subject.
MUCH and MANY + OF:

Before articles (a/an, the), demonstratives (this, that), possessives (my, your) or pronouns (her, them), we need to
use of with much and many:

 Much of his life was devoted to humanitarian causes.

 Not many of the witnesses could describe the attacker.

TO SUM UP:
Affirmative Negative Interrogative
We learn a lot of English. I don't know a lot of English. Do you learn a lot of English?
She spends much time on her homework.. She doesn't spend much/a lot of time on her homework. Does she spend much/a lot of time on her homework
She spends a lot of time on her homework.
Sam watches many domentaries on TV. Sam doesn't watch many/a lot of films on TV. Does Sam watch many/a lot of news reports on TV?
Sam watches a lot of documentaries on TV.
But:
Much effort went into the preparation. It doesn't require much/a lot of preparation. Does it require much/a lot of preparation?

Many people drive too fast. We don't meet many/a lot of people. Do you meet many/a lot of people?

See: countable-uncountable nouns
Little, a little, few, a few
 

(A) little and (a) few are quantifiers meaning ‘some’. Little and few have negative meanings. We use them to mean ‘not as much as may be expected
or wished for’.
Compare

All she wanted was a few moments on her

some, a small number
own.

She had few moments on her own. not many/almost none

She saves a little money every month. some, a small amount

They had little  money to spend. not much/almost nothing

A:

Have you got any money?

some, a small amount
B:

Yes, a little.
 A:

Have you got any money?

not much/almost nothing
B:

No, very little.

A little, a few with a noun

We use a little with singular uncountable nouns. We use a few with plural countable nouns:
Mary said nothing, but she drank some tea and ate a little bread.
We stayed  a few  days in Florence and visited the museums.
See also:

Little, few with a noun

We use little with uncountable nouns. We use few with plural countable nouns. They are used in formal contexts:
I’m not very happy about it but I suppose I have little choice.
Few cities anywhere in Europe can match the cultural richness of Berlin.
[talking about a period of history]
At that time  few  people travelled who didn’t have to.
(A) little, (a) few without a noun
We can use (a) little and (a) few as pronouns. We can use them to substitute for a noun when it is obvious from the context:
After that, she began to tell them a little about her life in Scotland, particularly her life with the Rosenblooms.
Don’t take all the strawberries. Just have a few. (Just have a few strawberries.)
Little and few are not very common without a noun. We use them in formal contexts:
Little  is known about his upbringing and education.
Few would be in favour of police officers carrying weapons.
See also:

(A) little of, (a) few of

We use of with (a) little and (a) few when they come before articles (a/an, the), demonstratives (this, that), possessives (my, your) or pronouns
(him, them):
Put the flour into a bowl, blend with  a little of the milk, beat in the egg yolks, then the sugar and the rest of the milk.
A few of his films were seen abroad.

A little: adverb
We use a little as an adverb of degree. It is more formal than a bit:
He smiled just a little.
Her hands were shaking a little.
See also:

A little with adjectives, determiners, adverbs

We use a little before adjectives and adverbs to modify them. It is more formal than a bit:
She seemed to be getting  a little better.
What you need is a little more romance.
We often use a little with bit:
I find that a little  bit hard to believe.
See also:

Little: adjective
We use little as an adjective to mean ‘small’:
‘You’re going to have a  little baby brother, Martha,’ her mother told her one day.
I know a little  restaurant not far from here.

Little or small?
Little and small have similar meanings. We use small to refer only to size. We use little to refer to size, but also to express a positive emotion
(especially with words like beautiful, lovely, wonderful):
He’s a small baby. (He’s smaller than average.)
He’s a lovely little baby. (He’s lovely and small.)
There’s a wonderful little café at the end of the street. (preferred to: There’s a wonderful small café at the end of the street.)