How Much Do You Know about Quantifiers?
2024-10-04
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1For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar.
2Today we are going to talk about different ways of expressing quantity in English.
3A quantifier is a word or number that shows an amount or number.
4You probably already know how to use common quantifiers like much and many. For example:
5How many apples would you like?
6How much fruit would you like?
7The quantifier many is used before apples, which is a count noun. Much is used before fruit, a noncount noun.
8Make sure you understand the difference between count nouns and noncount nouns before you study quantifiers.
9You can learn about count and noncount nouns in last week's episode of Everyday Grammar.
10Quantifiers are adjectives and adjective phrases that go before nouns.
11They give information about how much or how many of an item you are talking about.
12Some quantifiers, like many, go only before count nouns.
13Others, like much, go only before noncount nouns.
14And a few quantifiers can go before count or noncount nouns.
15One, each and every are examples of count noun quantifiers.
16Here are some examples:
17One movie that I enjoy is "The Godfather."
18Each child is special.
19Every member of the country club is rich.
20With plural count nouns, just add of the between the quantifier and the noun it describes.
21One of the boys is from China.
22Each of the cars has air conditioning.
23Every one of the students is smart.
24Notice that boys, cars and students are plural nouns.
25But the verbs that follow them are singular.
26In most situations, one, each and every make the subject singular, even if the subject contains a plural noun.
27This tricky rule confuses native speakers and English learners alike.
28There are a few quantifiers related to the number two.
29You can say I have two shoes, I have a couple of shoes, I have both shoes, and I have a pair of shoes.
30If you have more than two countable items, you can use several, a few, many and a number of.
31I have several assignments due this week.
32There are a few Thai restaurants in my town.
33There are many ways to practice English.
34A number of the cars are imported.
35Now let's move on to quantifiers that only work with noncount nouns: a little, much and a great deal of.
36Here are some examples:
37Could you loan me a little money?
38The old woman has much wisdom to share.
39There is a great deal of oil in Saudi Arabia.
40Little can go before a count noun if it is used as an adjective. For example, "The little boy is playing."
41In this example, little does not refer to a number or quantity; it refers to the size of the boy.
42There are several "safe" quantifiers that can go with both count and noncount nouns.
43Some is the most popular.
44Most, plenty of, all and any are other options.
45Listen for the quantifiers in these examples:
46He cut some wood. (noncount noun)
47Most Americans speak English. (count noun)
48I have plenty of money. (noncount noun)
49All children are special. (count noun)
50Do you have any coffee? (noncount noun)
51To refer to the absence or lack of something, simply use no before a count or noncount noun.
52There was no rice left. (noncount noun)
53There were no books in the library. (count noun)
54She had no love for her ex-husband. (noncount noun)
55No, when used as a quantifier, has the same meaning as zero.
56Lots and a lot of are very popular quantifiers - maybe too popular.
57Some English teachers do not like them.
58They think that lots and a lot of are overused and unsophisticated.
59You should avoid lots and a lot of in formal writing.
60Native speakers usually shorten a lot of to "a lotta" in casual speech.
61Listen carefully to these two sentences:
62I have a few friends.
63I have few friends.
64What is the difference? The first sentence contains the article a.
65This little word makes a big difference in meaning.
66I have a few friends focuses on a positive idea.
67The speaker is satisfied with the number of friends he has.
68The second sentence, I have few friends, focuses on a negative idea, his lack of friends.
69The speaker wishes he had more friends.
70It might help to think of few as a half-empty glass of water.
71A few is like a half-filled glass of water.
72The amount of water is the same.
73But the speaker's attitude about the amount of water is different.
74Few and a few are only used before count nouns.
75The same positive-negative distinction applies to a little and little.
76Use little and a little before noncount nouns.
77I have a little money means the speaker has some money.
78I have little money means the speaker does not have enough money.
79Speaking of little, we have little time left for today's program.
80We hope you learned a few tips about how to use quantifiers.
81I'm Jill Robbins.
82And I'm John Russell.
1For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. 2Today we are going to talk about different ways of expressing quantity in English. 3A quantifier is a word or number that shows an amount or number. You probably already know how to use common quantifiers like much and many. For example: 4How many apples would you like? 5How much fruit would you like? 6The quantifier many is used before apples, which is a count noun. Much is used before fruit, a noncount noun. 7Make sure you understand the difference between count nouns and noncount nouns before you study quantifiers. You can learn about count and noncount nouns in last week's episode of Everyday Grammar. 8Quantifiers are adjectives and adjective phrases that go before nouns. They give information about how much or how many of an item you are talking about. Some quantifiers, like many, go only before count nouns. Others, like much, go only before noncount nouns. And a few quantifiers can go before count or noncount nouns. 9Quantifiers only used with count nouns 10One, each and every are examples of count noun quantifiers. 11Here are some examples: 12One movie that I enjoy is "The Godfather." 13Each child is special. 14Every member of the country club is rich. 15With plural count nouns, just add of the between the quantifier and the noun it describes. 16One of the boys is from China. 17Each of the cars has air conditioning. 18Every one of the students is smart. 19Notice that boys, cars and students are plural nouns. But the verbs that follow them are singular. In most situations, one, each and every make the subject singular, even if the subject contains a plural noun. 20This tricky rule confuses native speakers and English learners alike. 21There are a few quantifiers related to the number two. You can say I have two shoes, I have a couple of shoes, I have both shoes, and I have a pair of shoes. 22If you have more than two countable items, you can use several, a few, many and a number of. 23I have several assignments due this week. 24There are a few Thai restaurants in my town. 25There are many ways to practice English. 26A number of the cars are imported. 27Quantifiers only used with noncount nouns 28Now let's move on to quantifiers that only work with noncount nouns: a little, much and a great deal of. Here are some examples: 29Could you loan me a little money? 30The old woman has much wisdom to share. 31There is a great deal of oil in Saudi Arabia. 32Little can go before a count noun if it is used as an adjective. For example, "The little boy is playing." In this example, little does not refer to a number or quantity; it refers to the size of the boy. 33Quantifiers used with both count and noncount nouns 34There are several "safe" quantifiers that can go with both count and noncount nouns. Some is the most popular. Most, plenty of, all and any are other options. Listen for the quantifiers in these examples: 35He cut some wood. (noncount noun) 36Most Americans speak English. (count noun) 37I have plenty of money. (noncount noun) 38All children are special. (count noun) 39Do you have any coffee? (noncount noun) 40To refer to the absence or lack of something, simply use no before a count or noncount noun. 41There was no rice left. (noncount noun) 42There were no books in the library. (count noun) 43She had no love for her ex-husband. (noncount noun) 44No, when used as a quantifier, has the same meaning as zero. 45Lots and a lot of are very popular quantifiers - maybe too popular. Some English teachers do not like them. They think that lots and a lot of are overused and unsophisticated. You should avoid lots and a lot of in formal writing. Native speakers usually shorten a lot of to "a lotta" in casual speech. 46Few/a few vs. little/a little 47Listen carefully to these two sentences: 48I have a few friends. 49I have few friends. 50What is the difference? The first sentence contains the article a. This little word makes a big difference in meaning. 51I have a few friends focuses on a positive idea. The speaker is satisfied with the number of friends he has. The second sentence, I have few friends, focuses on a negative idea, his lack of friends. The speaker wishes he had more friends. 52It might help to think of few as a half-empty glass of water. A few is like a half-filled glass of water. The amount of water is the same. But the speaker's attitude about the amount of water is different. Few and a few are only used before count nouns. 53The same positive-negative distinction applies to a little and little. Use little and a little before noncount nouns. 54I have a little money means the speaker has some money. 55I have little money means the speaker does not have enough money. 56Speaking of little, we have little time left for today's program. We hope you learned a few tips about how to use quantifiers. 57I'm Jill Robbins. 58And I'm John Russell. 59Adam Brock wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 60__________________________________________ 61Words in This Story 62quantifier - grammatical term. a determiner or pronoun indicative of quantity (e.g., all, both ) 63count noun - grammatical term. a noun that can form a plural and, in the singular, can be used with the indefinite article 64noncount noun - grammatical term. a noun (such as "sand" or "butter") that refers to something that cannot be counted 65options - n. choices 66assignment - n. a job or duty that is given to someone : a task someone is required to do 67absence - n. a state or condition in which something expected, wanted, or looked for is not present or does not exist : a state or condition in which something is absent 68unsophisticated - adj. not complicated or highly developed; basic 69focus - v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific 70negative - adj. harmful or bad : not wanted 71positive - adj. good or useful 72distinction - n. the quality that makes a person or thing special or different