Quantifiers

Objective

By the end of this section, you will express different levels of quantity in everyday situations and sentences with the use of quantifiers in affirmative, negative and interrogative form. You can use them to understand information about food or cook recipes understanding quantities in English speaking countries.

You use quantifiers when you want to express a non-specific quantity of countable or uncountable objects. Do you remember which nouns are countable or uncountable?
Let’s try:

Countable Nouns

Remember that countable nouns are those which can be counted and separated per unit such as a tomato, egg, tire, glove, a slice of cake, a card, coins or bills, etc. We can count, for example, pieces of bread, slices of pizza, bottles of water, litres of gasoline, etc. and these nouns may be singular or plural — tomato, tomatoes, egg, eggs, etc.
Uncountable nouns

Uncountable nouns are those who can’t be separated and must be counted as large or small. In this category, we include liquids, grains, energy and feelings, such as fruit, milk, gasoline, cold, bread, love, money, etc. These nouns are only singular.

Check the following charts to find out more information about QUANTIFIERS. Click on the arrows or on the numbers to access the information.

MANY, MUCH, ANY, NO, NONE, (A) FEW, (A) LITTLE, SOME, A LOT OF, LOTS OF

ANY

We use the quantifier ANY to make questions about the existence of countable and uncountable nouns.

Examples:

A: Do you have ANY brothers or sisters? (brothers and sisters are countable nouns)
B: Sure, I have one brother and one sister.

A: Are there ANY tomatoes on the table? (tomatoes is a countable noun so we use it as a plural noun)
B: Yes, there are 7 tomatoes on the table.

A: Do you have ANY brothers or sisters? (brothers and sisters are countable nouns)

A: Is there ANY milk in the refrigerator?(milk is an uncountable noun)
B: No, there isn’t ANY. (ANY indicates here that there is NO or ZERO milk in the fridge)

Observe that we also use ANY to mention that something doesn't exist at a specific moment.

A: Was there ANY traffic on the way to school? (traffic is an uncountable noun so we use it in singular form)
B: No, there wasn't ANY traffic. (ZERO traffic)

MANY

You can also ask about the specific number of countable nouns with the quantifier MANY:

Examples:

A: How MANY brothers and sisters do you have?
B: I have one brother and one sister.

A: How MANY tomatoes are there on the table?
B: There are 12 tomatoes on the table.

or

B: There are MANY tomatoes (in this case, MANY indicates a MANY number of a countable noun)

A: How MANY windows are there in the classroom?
B: There are only 2 windows.

or

B: There aren’t MANY windows (not many indicates a small non-specific quantity)

MUCH

On the other hand, when you want to ask about the specific number of uncountable nouns, you use the quantifier MUCH:

Examples:

A: How MUCH milk is there in the refrigerator?

B: There isn't MUCH milk. Just one quarter of a carton. (isn't MUCH indicates a small quantity of an uncountable noun)

A: Was there MUCH traffic on the way to school?
B: Yes, there was MUCH traffic. It took me more than 2 hours to get here. (in this case, MUCH indicates a large number of an uncountable noun)

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You can use different quantifiers to talk about large or small quantities of countable and uncountable nouns. Look at the following charts:

Large Quantities

Small quantities

Zero Quantity

We use the following quantifiers when we want to talk about a large or big number of nouns. They are different depending on the noun. Observe that we use different quantifiers when we use a countable or an uncountable noun and sometimes we can use a specific quantifier with both, countable or uncountable nouns.

LARGE QUANTITIES COUNTABLE UNCOUNTABLE

Many X

Much X

Any X X

I have MANY dogs and they make MUCH noise when the doorbell rings.

I have LOTS OF dogs and they make A LOT OF noise when the doorbell rings.

We use the following quantifiers when we want to talk about a small number of nouns. They are different depending on the noun. Observe that we use different quantifiers when we use a countable or an uncountable noun and sometimes we can use a specific quantifier with both, countable or uncountable nouns.

SMALL QUANTITIES COUNTABLE UNCOUNTABLE

A few/few X

A little/little X

Some X X

My brother ate A FEW carrots and he drank A LITTLE tea.
or
My brother ate SOME carrots and drank SOME tea.

There were FEW people at the concert so the band only
collected LITTLE money for the dog shelter.

A few and few are a little different in meaning. A few means a small quantity of a countable noun but few has the implication of insufficiency.

The same happens with a little and little. A little is just a small quantity of an uncountable noun while little implies the small quantity is insufficient.

We use the following quantifiers when we want to say that there is zero existence of a given object. They are different quantifiers depending on the noun. Observe how in zero numbers, we use these quantifiers with countable and uncountable nouns depending on the type of sentence you’re using, whether it is affirmative, negative or a question.

ZERO QUANTITY COUNTABLE UNCOUNTABLE

Any X X

No X X

None X X

There aren't ANY large trees in the desert.
(we express zero quantity with ANY in negative sentences)

A few and few are a little different in meaning. A few means a small quantity of a countable noun but few has the implication of insufficiency.

The same happens with a little and little. A little is just a small quantity of an uncountable noun while little implies the small quantity is insufficient.

So, remember you use quantifiers to make descriptions of large or small quantities for countable or uncountable nouns. You also use quantifiers to ask about the existence and the specific number or non-specific quantities of objects and concepts.

Now that you are familiar with the different quantifiers and the way you use them, here are some exercises for you to practice:

Exercise 1

Knowing quantifiers is very useful when you want to read or share a recipe (these are the instructions you follow to make a dish).

Look at the following recipe for making a delicious traditional dish in the United States called Macaroni and Cheese. You can serve it as a side dish or as a main course pasta dinner.

Exercise 2

Lisa and Marco are ready to try this recipe, but first, they need to check if they have all the ingredients. Read the conversation and complete with much, many or any.

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

Do you know the names of the different containers in English? Here you can find some examples. Drag the images from the right column to the appropriate space in the left column. You have unlimited attempts to answer the exercise. At the end of the activity, you can check your score. Remember all containers are countable nouns.

Exercise 3

LARGE QUANTITIES	COUNTABLE	UNCOUNTABLE
Many	X
Much		X
Any	X	X

SMALL QUANTITIES	COUNTABLE	UNCOUNTABLE
A few/few	X
A little/little		X
Some	X	X

ZERO QUANTITY	COUNTABLE	UNCOUNTABLE
Any	X	X
No	X	X
None	X	X

What’s for lunch?

Now, the fun part. Go to your fridge and describe what you see in it.

With some of the ingredients you have, tell us what dish you could prepare with them. It does not have to be a complicated dish — just something you would enjoy with the ingredients you have.

Record yourself making the previous description. The recording should be between 2 and 4 minutes long.

Listen to the example so you can have an idea of what your audio should be like.

After you finish, evaluate yourself according to the following checklist. Don’t forget to use the structures reviewed on this topic. After that, according to the score you got, look in the evaluation scale to know how good you did on this task.

Criteria	Excellent 2.5 pts	Acceptable 2 pts	Not acceptable 0 pts
Use of English	There are no grammar or spelling mistakes or at least they do not prevent communication. The student shows a good command of several structures and the use of vocabulary allows him/her to express his/her ideas clearly throughout the writing.	There are a few grammar or spelling mistakes but most of the time communication is accomplished. The student only uses basic structures. However, he/she can make him/herself understood. Vocabulary is limited but enough to communicate.	There are too many grammar or spelling mistakes so communication is not achieved. The student has a poor command even of basic structures. Vocabulary is limited to a degree that impedes communication.
Task accomplishment	Task was fully accomplished, all the topics were fully covered, the text has between 80-100 words.	Task was partially accomplished, the text is either shorter or longer than 80-100 words, and only some of the topics were covered.	Task wasn’t accomplished, text has less than 80 words, and none of the topics (or only few) were covered.
Organization	The organization of the text is good, the writer uses punctuation in a way it helps to better express his/her ideas. The text is coherent.	The organization of the text is average, but the general ideas can be easily understood. Only some of the punctuation is used in a correct way.	The text isn’t properly organized. It is rather messy and ideas are not clearly expressed. It’s difficult to understand the writer’s point of view.
SENTENCE STRUCTURE	I used several complete sentences of varying lengths and tenses.	Most of my sentences are complete enough; they vary in length, but only in one tense.	Some of my sentences are not complete; there is a little variety in my writing.
Use of “quantifiers”	The writer uses “quantifiers” at least 5 times in a correct way.	The writer only uses “quantifiers” 3 times, but in a correct way.	The writer uses ”quantifiers” less than 3 times and in an incorrect way.

Criteria	Excellent 2 pts	Acceptable 1.5 pts	Not aceptable 0 pts
Use of English	There are no grammar mistakes or at least they do not prevent communication. The speaker shows a good command of several structures and the use of vocabulary allows him/her to express his/her ideas clearly throughout the audio.	There are few grammar mistakes but most of the time communication is accomplished. The speaker only uses basic structures. However, he/she can make him/herself understood. Vocabulary is limited but enough to communicate.	There are too many grammar mistakes and so communication is not achieved. The speaker has a poor command even of basic structures. Vocabulary is limited to a degree that impedes communication.
Task accomplishment	Task was fully accomplished, all the questions were answered, the audio lasted from 2-4 minutes.	Task was partially accomplished, the audio was either shorter or longer than 2-4 minutes, and only some of the topics were covered.	Task wasn’t accomplished, audio lasted less than a minute, and none of the topics were covered.
Fluency	There are no hesitations, pauses are made only when convenient. It is evident that the speaker is NOT reading.	There are some hesitations and unnatural pauses. The seems to be reading at some points.	There are more pauses than actual speech. The speaker seems to be only reading.
Pronunciation	There are no pronunciation mistakes or at least they do not stop communication.	There are some pronunciation mistakes but most of the times communication can be achieved.	Pronunciation is poor, with lots of mistakes and communication is not achieved.
Use of “quantifiers”	The speaker uses “quantifiers” at least 5 times in a correct way.	The speaker only uses “quantifiers” 3 times, but in a correct way.	The speaker uses ”quantifiers” in less than 3 times and when he does he does it in an incorrect way.

Quantifiers:

a lot of, lots of, many, some, a few, any, much, a little

Presentation

Objective

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

Reading

What people eat for dinner around the world

Listening

Let’s do some grocery shopping!

Let’s cook now!

Writing

What people eat for dinner in Mexico

Speaking

What’s for lunch?

Self-assessment

How much / how many

References

Basic references

Complementary

Ficha de créditos
Coordinación general	Jorge León Martínez
Coordinación de desarrollo	Edith Tapia Rangel
Coordinación académica	Ana Lilia Villegas Pacheco
Elaboración del contenido	Mariana Vasconcelos Ortega
Administración del proyecto	Maricarmen Hernández Cervantes
Coordinación de asesoría pedagógica	Elisa Campero Malo Susana Claudio Vargas
Asesoría pedagógica	Irma Gabriela Torres Prieto
Coordinación de diseño gráfico e integración	Juan de Dios Fuentes Reyes Fabiola Moncada Cortés Isaura Ovando Vázquez
Diseño gráfico e integración	Benjamín Pérez Juárez