Quantifiers

We use quantifiers when we want to give someone information about the number of something
how much or how many
Quantifiers with count and uncount nouns


all
no
some
any
more
most
a lot of
lots of
enough
less


We can use these quantifiers with both count and uncount nouns

➧ 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.


These colloquial forms are also used with both count · uncount nouns

➧ Joe has plenty of friends.
➧ There was heaps of food.
➧ That's a load of garbage!
➧ We have loads of time.
➧ They make tons of money.


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 any tigers.


but we can use some for offers and requests

➧ Would you like some tea?
➧ I want some apples, please.


Quantifiers with count nouns

(not) many
several
each
both
either
neither
(a) few
fewer


These more colloquial forms are used only with count nouns

➧ I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.
➧ There were hundreds of people.
➧ We've got thousands of these bags.


Quantifiers with uncount nouns

(not) much
a bit of
a little


These quantifiers are used particularly with abstract nouns such as time, money and trouble

➧ It will probably cost a great deal of money.
➧ He spent a good deal of time watching TV.


Members of groups

We put a noun directly after a quantifier when we are talking about members of a group in general

➧ Few spiders are dangerous.
➧ Most children like chocolate.
➧ I never have enough energy.


but if we are talking about members of a specific group, we use of the as well

➧ Few of the spiders 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 & both, we don’t need to use of.
We can say all the … both the … .


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 · years

➧ We had holidays at our grandmother's every year.
➧ We went to the beach every day.
➧ We visit our daughter every Friday.


We do not use a determiner with every and each

➧ Every shop was decorated with flowers. ✓
The every shop ✗


➧ Each child was given a prize. ✓
The each child ✗
More Lessons ➧ Here


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