Quantifiers

Quantifiers

In English grammar, a quantifier is a word (or phrase) which indicates the number or amount being referred to. It generally comes before the noun (or noun phrase). The chart below shows which type of noun goes with which quantifier.

However, note that some of the examples in the chart can take on several different roles within a sentence. For example, ‘any’ can be used as a quantifier, a pronoun or an adverb:

• any as a quantifier: Have you got any tomatoes?
• any as a pronoun: I don’t want any of you making a noise.
• any as an adverb: Can’t this car go any faster?

In these notes, we are only considering these words/phrases as quantifiers.

Quantifier	Singular nouns (C)	Plural nouns (C)	Uncountable nouns (U)
all	–	Yes	Yes
any	No, but see note.	Yes	Yes
both	*	Yes	*
each	Yes	–	–
enough	–	Yes	Yes
every	Yes	–	–
few/a few/fewer	–	Yes	–
little/a little/less	–	–	Yes
lots of / a lot of	–	Yes	Yes
many	–	Yes	–
more	–	Yes	Yes
no	Yes	Yes	Yes
several	–	Yes	–
some	–	Yes	Yes

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.

We use these quantifiers with both count and uncount nouns:

all	any	enough	less	a lot of	lots of
more	most	no	none of	some

and some more colloquial forms:

plenty of

heaps of

a load of

loads of

tons of

etc.

Some quantifiers can be used only with count nouns:

both

each

either

(a) few

fewer

neither

several

and some more colloquial forms:

a couple of

hundreds of

thousands of

etc.

Some quantifiers can be used only with uncount nouns:

a little

(not) much

a bit of

And, particularly with abstract nouns such as time, money, trouble, etc:, we often use:

a great deal of

a good deal of

 

Much, many, a lot of, lots of: quantifiers

de English Grammar Today

We use the quantifiers much, many, a lot of, lots of to talk about quantities, amounts and degree. We can use them with a noun (as a determiner) or without a noun (as a pronoun).

 

Much, many with a noun

We use much with singular uncountable nouns and many with plural nouns:

[talking about money]

I haven’t got much change. I’ve only got a ten euro note.

Are there many campsites near you?

Questions and negatives

We usually use much and many with questions (?) and negatives (−):

Is there much unemployment in that area?

How many eggs are in this cake?

Do you think many people will come?

It was pouring with rain but there wasn’t much wind.

There aren’t many women priests.

Affirmatives

In affirmative clauses we sometimes use much and many in more formal styles:

There is much concern about drug addiction in the US.

He had heard many stories about Yanto and he knew he was trouble.

In informal styles, we prefer to use lots of or a lot of:

I went shopping and spent a lot of money.

See also:

• Lots, a lot, plenty

Much of, many of

When we use much or many before articles (a/an, the), demonstratives (this, that), possessives (my, your) or pronouns (him, them), we need to use of:

How much of this book is fact and how much is fiction?

Claude, the seventeenth-century French painter, spent much of his life in Italy.

Unfortunately, not many of the photographers were there.

How many of them can dance, sing and act?

When we are talking to someone face-to-face, we can use this much and that much with a hand gesture to indicate quantity:

[the speaker indicates a small amount with his fingers]

I only had that much cake.

 

A lot of, lots of with a noun

We use a lot of and lots of in informal styles. Lots of is more informal than a lot of. A lot of and lots of can both be used with plural countable nouns and with singular uncountable nouns for affirmatives, negatives, and questions:

We’ve got lots of things to do.

That’s a lot of money.

There weren’t a lot of choices.

Can you hurry up? I don’t have a lot of time.

Are there a lot of good players at your tennis club?

Have you eaten lots of chocolate?

See also:

• Lots, a lot, plenty

 

Much, many, a lot of, lots of: negative questions

When we use much and many in negative questions, we are usually expecting that a large quantity of something isn’t there. When we use a lot of and lots of in negative questions, we are usually expecting a large quantity of something.

Compare

Haven’t they sold many tickets?	(No, they haven’t.) The speaker expects that they have sold a small quantity of tickets.
Haven’t they sold a lot oftickets? (or lots of)	(Yes, they have.) The speaker expects that they have sold a large quantity of tickets.
Isn’t there much food left?	(No, there isn’t.) The speaker expects that there is a small quantity of food left.
Isn’t there a lot of food left? (or lots of)	(Yes, there is.) The speaker expects that there is a large quantity of food left.

 

Much, many, a lot, lots: without a noun

We usually leave out the noun after much, many and a lot, lots when the noun is obvious:

A:

Would you like some cheese?

B:

Yes please but not too much. (not too much cheese)

A:

Can you pass me some envelopes?

B:

How many? (how many envelopes?)

A:

How many people came?

B:

A lot. (or Lots.)

 

Much with comparative adjectives and adverbs: much older, much faster

We can use much before comparative adjectives and adverbs to make a stronger comparison:

Sometimes the prices in the local shop are much better than the supermarket’s prices.

I feel much calmer now I know she’s safe. (much calmer than I felt before)

She’s walking much more slowly since her operation. (much more slowly than before)

 

Too much, too many and so much, so many

Too much, too many with a noun

We often use too before much and many. It means ‘more than necessary’. We can use too much before an uncountable noun and too many before a plural noun, or without a noun when the noun is obvious:

I bought too much food. We had to throw some of it away.

They had a lot of work to do. Too much. (too much work)

There are too many cars on the road. More people should use public transport.

There are 35 children in each class. It’s too many. (too many children)

So much, so many with a noun

We use so rather than very before much and many in affirmative clauses to emphasise a very large quantity of something:

He has so much money!

There were so many jobs to do.

As much as, as many as

When we want to make comparisons connected with quantity, we use as much as and as many as:

Try and find out as much information as you can.

You can ask as many questions as you want.

See also:

• As … as
• As much as, as many as

 

Much, many and a lot of, lots of: typical errors

• We use much with uncountable nouns and many with countable nouns:

It doesn’t need much effort.

Not: It doesn’t need many effort.

• We usually use a lot of and lots of rather than much and many in informal affirmative clauses:

There are a lot of monuments and a lot of historic buildings in Rome.

She gave me a lot of information.

We don’t use of after much or many when they come immediately before a noun without an article (a/an, the), demonstrative (this, that), possessive (my, your) or pronoun (him, them):

They haven’t made many friends here.

We don’t use a lot of without a noun:

A:

Do many people work in your building?

B:

Yes. Quite a lot. (quite a lot of people)

 

Members of groups

You can put a noun after a quantifier when you are talking about members of a group in general…

Few snakes are dangerous.
Both brothers work with their father.
I never have enough money.

…but if you are talking about a specific group of people or things, use of the … as well

Few of the snakes are dangerous.
All of the children live at home.
He has spent all of his money.

Note that, if we are talking about two people or things we use the quantifiers both, either and neither:

 

One supermarket	Two supermarkets*	More than two supermarkets
The supermarket was closed The supermarket wasn't open I don’t think the supermarket was open.	Both the supermarkets were closed. Neither of the supermarkets was open. I don’t think either of the supermarkets was open.	All the supermarkets were closed None of the supermarkets were open I don't think any of the supermarkets were open

*Nouns with either and neither have a singular verb.

Singular quantifiers:

We use every or each with a singular noun 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.

BUT: We do not use a determiner with every and each. We do not say:

The every shop was decorated with flowers.
The each child was given a prize.

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