quantifiers (1)

Do you know how to use a few, few, very little and a bit of?
Test what you

know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.
Look at these examples to see how these quantifiers are used with countable
and uncountable nouns.
I have a few friends, so I'm not lonely.
She has few friends, so she's quite lonely.
We've got a bit of time before our train. Shall we get a coffee?
We've got very little time before our train. Hurry up!
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
A few and a bit of or a little mean some. Often we feel this amount is enough
or more than we expected. We use a few with plural nouns and a bit of or a
little with uncountable nouns.
I have a few ideas.
I've brought a few friends.
There's a bit of milk left.
It needs a little more work.
We use few and very little to show that we are talking about a small amount.
Often we feel this amount is not enough or less than we expected. Few is for
countable nouns and very little is for uncountable nouns.
Few people came to the meeting.
There are few places where you can still see these birds.
We have very little time.
I have very little money.
Note that you can use little without very, but it is less common and sounds
quite formal.
She had little water.
Much, many, little, few, some, any – Grammar chart

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Many/much
Many for countable, much for uncountable in (?) (-)
We use many before plural (countable) nouns

and much before uncountable nouns. We use them in negative sentences
and questions. We don’t normally use them in affirmative sentences.
 There isn’t much coffee in the jar.

 Were there many people in the party?
Too much/too many

Note that we don’t normally use much/many in affirmative sentences, but we can
use too much and too many in affirmative sentences.
 There’s too much salt in the soup.

 You eat too many biscuits.
How much/how many
We use how many and how much to ask about quantity.
 How many concerts have you ever been to?

 How much coffee have you had today?
A lot of/lots of
Before both countable and uncountable
We use a lot of or lots of (more informal) before both plural (countable)

and uncountable nouns. We normally use them in positive sentences.
 She spends a lot of time watching TV.

 We had lots of good moments together.
Of before noun; no of at the end of sentence
We must always use a lot of or lots of including of before a noun. However, we

can use the expressions a lot or lots (without of) at the end of a sentence.
 ‘How many beers did you have?’ ‘I don’t know; I had lots/a lot.’
 I like her a lot.
(A) few/(a) little/a bit of

Few for countable; little for uncountable
We use (a) few before plural (countable) nouns and (a) little or a bit of (more
informal) before uncountable nouns.
 I have to do a few things this afternoon.
 He always gets good results with very little effort.
 Can you put a bit of sugar in the tea?
Few or a few? little or a little?
A few means ‘some but not many; enough’, and a little means ‘some but not
much; enough’ .
Few/little mean ‘almost none; not enough’.
Normally, the difference between a few/little (WITH a)

and few/little (WITHOUT a) is that a few/little is positive in meaning,
and few/little is negative. Compare:
 There’s little milk in the fridge; we have to buy more. (Not enough; we
need more)
 ‘Shall I buy some beers?’ ‘No, it’s OK, there are a few in the
fridge.’ (=Enough; we don’t need more)
 ‘Do you speak English?’ ‘No, I speak very little English.’ (=Negative)
 ‘Do you speak English?’ ‘Yes, I speak a little English.’ (=Positive)
Some/any
Some in (+); any in (?) (-)
We use some in affirmative sentences and any in negative sentences

and questions.
 Is there any sugar in the cupboard?

 Have you got any new friends?
 I have some questions to ask you.
With both countable (plural) and uncountable
Both some and any can be used before countable and uncountable nouns.
But if we use them before a countable noun, the noun must be in the plural form.
 Are there any students in the classroom? (NOT Is there any student in
the classroom?)
Some for offers and requests
We use some (NOT any) in interrogative sentences when we are offering or

requesting (=asking for) something.
 Would you like some help?

 Can I have some tea, please?
Quantifiers
Learn about quantifiers like all, some, enough and less and do the exercises to practise using
them.
Level: beginner
We use quantifiers when we want to give someone information about the number of
something: how much or how many.
Sometimes we use a quantifier in the place of a determiner:
Most children start school at the age of five.

We ate some bread and butter.
We saw lots of birds.
Quantifiers with count and uncount

nouns
We can use these quantifiers with both count and uncount nouns:
all some more a lot of
no any most lots of

We have lots of time.
Joe has lots of friends.
I can't go out. I've got no money.
There was a lot of food but no drinks.
Quantifiers with count and uncount nouns 1
Level: intermediate
These more colloquial forms are also used with both count and uncount nouns:
plenty of heaps of a load of loads of
We have loads of time.

Joe has plenty of friends.
There was heaps of food.
Level: beginner
some and any

We do not normally use the quantifier some in negative and interrogative sentences. We
normally use any:
Do you have any children?

Did you see any friends?
We don't have any children.
I didn't see any friends.
We saw some lions at the zoo, but we didn't see any tigers.
but we can use some for offers and requests:
Would you like some tea?

I want some apples, please.
some and any 1
some and any 2
Quantifiers with count nouns

Some quantifiers can be used only with count nouns:
(not) many each either
several both neither
These more colloquial forms are used only with count nouns:
a couple of hundreds of thousand
I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.

There were hundreds of people at the meeting.
Quantifiers with uncount nouns

Some quantifiers can be used only with uncount nouns:
(not) much a bit of a
Would you like a little wine?

Could I have a bit of butter, please?
These quantifiers are used particularly with abstract nouns such as time, money and trouble:
a great deal of a good deal of
It will probably cost a great deal of money.

He spent a good deal of time watching television.
Level: intermediate
Members of groups
We put a noun directly after a quantifier when we are talking about members of a group in
general:
Few snakes are dangerous.

Most children like chocolate.
I never have enough money.
but if we are talking about members of a specific group, we use of the as well:
Few of the snakes in this zoo are dangerous.

Most of the boys at my school play football.
He’s spent all (of) the money that we gave him.
Both (of) the chairs in my office are broken.
Note: with all and both, we don’t need to use of. We can say all the … and both the … .
both, either and neither

If we are talking about two people or things, we use the quantifiers both, either and neither:
One supermarket Two supermarkets More tha

The supermarket Both the supermarkets All the s
was closed. were closed. were clo
The supermarket Neither of the supermarkets None of

wasn’t open. was open. were ope
I don’t think the supermarket I don’t think either of the supermarkets I don’t th
was open. was open. were ope
Note that nouns with both have a plural verb but nouns with either and neither have a singular
verb.
both, either and neither 1
both, either and neither 2
every and each

We use the quantifiers every and each with singular nouns to mean all:
There was a party in every street. (= There were parties in all the streets.)
Every shop was decorated with flowers. (= All the shops were decorated with
flowers.)
Each child was given a prize. (= All the children were given a prize.)
There was a prize in each competition. (= There were prizes in all the competitions.)
We often use every to talk about times like days, weeks and years:
When we were children, we had holidays at our grandmother's every year.

When we stayed at my grandmother's house, we went to the beach every day.
We visit our daughter every Christmas.
We do not use a determiner with every and each:
Every shop was decorated with flowers. (NOT The every shop)
Each child was given a prize. (NOT The each child)

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Do you know how to use a few, few, very little and a bit of?

Test what you

Much, many, little, few, some, any – Grammar chart

We use many before plural (countable) nouns

 There isn’t much coffee in the jar.

Too much/too many

 There’s too much salt in the soup.

How much/how many

We use how many and how much to ask about quantity.

 How many concerts have you ever been to?

We use a lot of or lots of (more informal) before both plural (countable)

 She spends a lot of time watching TV.

Of before noun; no of at the end of sentence

We must always use a lot of or lots of including of before a noun. However, we

(A) few/(a) little/a bit of

Few or a few? little or a little?

Few/little mean ‘almost none; not enough’.

Normally, the difference between a few/little (WITH a)

We use some in affirmative sentences and any in negative sentences

 Is there any sugar in the cupboard?

With both countable (plural) and uncountable

We use some (NOT any) in interrogative sentences when we are offering or

 Would you like some help?

Most children start school at the age of five.

Quantifiers with count and uncount

all some more a lot of

no any most lots of

plenty of heaps of a load of loads of

We have loads of time.

some and any

Do you have any children?

Would you like some tea?

Quantifiers with count nouns

(not) many each either

several both neither

a couple of hundreds of thousand

I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.

Quantifiers with uncount nouns

(not) much a bit of a

Would you like a little wine?

a great deal of a good deal of

It will probably cost a great deal of money.

Few snakes are dangerous.

Few of the snakes in this zoo are dangerous.

both, either and neither

One supermarket Two supermarkets More tha

The supermarket Neither of the supermarkets None of

every and each

When we were children, we had holidays at our grandmother's every year.

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