Quantifiers
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 enough
no any most lots of less
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
Quantifiers with count and uncount nouns 2
Level: intermediate
These more colloquial forms are also used with both count and uncount nouns:
plenty of heaps of a load of loads of tons 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 anytigers.
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 (a) few
several both neither fewer
These more colloquial forms are used only with count nouns:
a couple of hundreds of thousands of
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 little
Would you like a little wine?
Could I have a bit of butter, please?
These quantifiers are used particularly with abstract nounssuch
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.
Quantifiers with count and uncount nouns 3
Quantifiers with count and uncount nouns 4
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 sayall 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 More than two
Two supermarkets
supermarket supermarkets
The Both the All the
supermarket supermarkets supermarkets
was closed. were closed. were closed.
The Neither of the None of the
supermarket supermarkets supermarkets
wasn’t open. was open. were open.
I don’t I don’t I don’t think any
think the think either of the of the
supermarket supermarkets supermarkets
was open. was open. were open.
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)
