quantifiers

Quantifiers

Unit 3

• Quantifiers are words and expressions that we use to talk about amount.

• 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.
• FOR EXAMPLE:
• 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 countable and uncountable 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

Some quantifiers can be used only with uncountable 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

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.

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

Nouns with either and neither have a singular verb.

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

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. For example:
• 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.