Page 25 - Grasp English B1 (Grammar Book)

In the School Canteen 4

Quantifiers with countable and uncountable nouns

quantifiers: a few/a little/much/many/several
We use quantifiers to talk about the number or amount of something. They can be used with both
countable and uncountable nouns. See the following chart:

countable nouns uncountable nouns countable &uncountable nouns

a few a little any
many/not many a bit of some

much/not much several
a lot of/lots of

Some is usually used in affirmative sentences. e.g.
However, in offers and requests, we can use some There are only a few desserts I really like.
in question forms. For a small number of uncountable nouns, we
e.g. use not much and little when the meaning is
There is some juice in the fridge. negative.
I have some friends in this town. e.g.
Would you like to have some coffee?
There is little snow on the mountain so we can’t
Any is used in negative sentences and questions. go skiing.
It can be used both uncountable (money, water, There isn’t much time, so let’s just go for a quick
etc.) and plural countable (children, books, etc.) coffee.
nouns. To express a positive meaning, we use a little or
e.g. a bit of.
Do you have any chocolate in your backpack? e.g.
There aren’t any workers in the office now. It’s OK, I’ve got a little time. Let’s have lunch.
Note: no is also used as not any. We use it I’ve got a bit of money. Would you like some
in affirmative sentences, but it has negative lunch?
meaning:
We can also use a little and a bit of with only to
There isn’t any money in my pocket. = There is no expressive something negative.
money in my pocket.
e.g.
Several means more than one, but less than a There is only a bit of chocolate. We need to get
lot. It is usually used in affirmative sentences with some more.
plural countable nouns. It’s only raining a little, so we can go for a walk.
e.g. With both countable and uncountable nouns,
I have read several poem books with Dan.
we can use a lot of and lots of to express a large
For a small number of countable nouns, we quantity.
use not many and few when the meaning is e.g.
negative. There are a lot of fancy dresses in her closet.
e.g. They have lots of novels in their library.
There are few students at school today because Note: many and much aren’t usually used in
of the bad weather. affirmative sentences. We use them in negative
There are not many choices of main meal for sentences and questions as question words how
lunch. many and how much.
e.g.
To express a positive meaning, we use a few.
e.g. There aren’t many rivers in the area. (-)
There are a few amazing things you should see We don’t have much money. (-)
in the city. How many blankets are there in the bedroom?
How much fruit is there at home?
We can also use a few with only to expressive
something negative.

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