Introduction to Quantifiers | Basic Grammar for IELTS PDF Download

Quantifiers

Quantifiers are adjectives or adjectival phrases that describe "how much" (uncountable) or "how many" (countable) of a given noun there is.

Types of Quantifiers

• Some quantifiers can only go with countable (precise quantity) nouns, while others can only modify uncountable (imprecise quantity) nouns. A few quantifiers can modify both.

For use with uncountable nouns

• A little, little
• A bit of
• A great deal of
• A large amount of

For use with both types of nouns

• No, none
• Some (of)
• Any
• A lot
• Lots of

For use with countable nouns

• A few, few
• A number of
• Numerous
• Several
• Much
• Many
• Plenty of
• Enough

Examples

• The city had a large amount of traffic due to road construction.
• Not much rain in the spring meant that the crops suffered in the summer.

Numbers (one, two, etc.) are different than quantifiers: quantifiers are more general in description, while numbers indicate precise quantities. However, quantifiers and numbers can be used in the same way.

The experiments were repeated a few times in order to ensure accuracy. vs. The experiments were repeated three times in order to ensure accuracy.

The quantifier "a few" describes the noun "times" in a general sense. If you wanted to do the same procedure as the author, you would not know how many times you should run the experiment. The "Methods" and/or the "Experimental" portion of a scientific manuscript should not use general quantifiers.

Connotation/Attitudes of Quantifiers

• A few and few (for countable) as well as a little and little (for uncountable nouns) may seem very similar, but they actually hold very different connotations. A few and a little indicate that the speaker feels positively about the quantity he/she is describing: though he/she may not have much, it is enough. Few and little indicate the speaker feels negatively about the quantity: he/she is lacking in the noun and would like more if it were available.

Examples

• I have a little money for lunch. → I have enough money for lunch.
• I have little money for lunch. → I do not have enough money for lunch.
• The scientist has a few techniques which she can use to determine his product. → The scientist has enough techniques which she can use to determine his product.
• The scientist has few techniques which she can use to determine his product. → The scientist does not have enough techniques which she can she use to determine his product.

Quantifiers followed by "of"

• Many quantifiers that end in "of" must be followed by an article or determiner (these, his, my, etc.), although some do not. Unfortunately, no exact rule determines which quantifiers require an article after "of." A few examples are listed below.

Examples

• Must be followed by article or determiner
• May or may not be followed by article or determiner
• All of
• Some of
• Many of
• Much of
• (A) few of
• (A) little of
• None of
• Several of
• Enough of
• Plenty of
• A lot of
• A number of
• A couple of
• Many of the doctors believed much of his research was flawed.
• None of the tourists knew that a lot of piranha species prefer to eat crackers over meat OR None of the tourists knew that a lot of the piranha species prefer to eat crackers over meat.

Quantifiers and Determiners Practice

In this section, we will delve into the use of quantifiers and determiners in English sentences.

Choosing the Correct Quantifier

• The tea was too sweet because she had put too much sugar.
• Several soil samples were taken from the archaeological dig site.
• Plenty of fish inhabit the Great Barrier Reef.

Deciding Positive or Negative Quantifiers

• A few friends visited him at the hospital, which raised his spirits.
• The stock plummeted in price at closing, so in the end there was little profit.
• She was busy with classes, so she had little time for tennis.

Determining the Necessity of Articles or Determiners

• A number of actors complained to the director about the lighting.
• Enough of students complained to the professor about the noisy room that all of the class was able to have the lecture outside.
• All of her friends found that while she had a lot of books, she preferred to read only one or two repeatedly.

For additional information on countable and uncountable nouns, refer to a tutorial offered by Yale GWL.

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