Quantifiers

Quantifiers

How many?​ How much?

We use much with singular uncountable nouns.​

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Is there much unemployment in that area?​

We use many with plural nouns.

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​Many cold days are ahead.

​How many eggs are in this cake?

There aren’t many women priests.

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​Many

Many and Much with a noun

​Much

Much of and Many of

​Much or many require of before articles (a/an, the), demonstratives (this, that), possessives (my, your) or pronouns (him, them):

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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?

​A lot of and Lots of with a noun

A lot of and lots of are universal and 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?​

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Let's practice

and then continue!

A little and a few represent positive quantity and mean "some", "a small amount".

All she wanted was a few moments on her own. - some, a small number.

​She saves a little money every month. - some, a small amount.

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​Little and few represent negative quantity, diminutive size or shortage.

​She had few moments on her own. - not many, almost none.

​​They had little money to spend. - not much, almost nothing

Little, A little, Few, A few

Use with plural countable nouns

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We stayed a few days in Florence and visited some museums.

​A few

​Use with singular uncountable nouns.

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Mary drank some tea and ate

a little bread.

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​A little

A little and A few

Use with plural countable nouns.

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​Few cities anywhere in Europe can match the cultural richness of Berlin.

​Few

​Use with singular uncountable nouns.​

I’m not very happy about it but I suppose I have little choice.

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​Little

Little and Few