Grammar - Quantifiers (some, any, much, many, a lot of, a few, a little)

 

GRAMMAR

Quantifiers are words used to talk about the quantity (amount) of something. They help us answer questions like:

• How much?
• How many?

 

1. Some

• Use: For positive sentences with uncountable nouns and plural countable nouns.
• Examples:
• “I have some milk.” (uncountable)
• “She bought some apples.” (countable)

2. Any

• Use: For questions and negative sentences with uncountable nouns and plural countable nouns.
• Examples:
• “Do you have any sugar?” (uncountable)
• “We don’t have any eggs.” (countable)

3. Much

• Use: For questions and negative sentences with uncountable nouns.
• Examples:
• “How much rice do we need?”
• “There isn’t much water left.”

4. Many

• Use: For questions and negative sentences with plural countable nouns.
• Examples:
• “How many potatoes are there?”
• “There aren’t many tomatoes.”

5. A Lot Of

• Use: For positive sentences with uncountable and plural countable nouns.
• Examples:
• “He eats a lot of bread.” (uncountable)
• “They bought a lot of carrots.” (countable)

6. A Few

• Use: For small quantities with plural countable nouns.
• Examples:
• “I need a few onions for the soup.”

7. A Little

• Use: For small quantities with uncountable nouns.
• Examples:
• “Add a little salt to the dish.”

 

ACTIVITIES

Use your notebook to answer the activities below.

A - Complete the sentences with the correct quantifier: some, any, much, many, a lot of, a few, a little.

1. Do you have __________ milk?
2. She bought __________ apples at the store.
3. How __________ sugar do we need for the cake?
4. There aren’t __________ tomatoes in the fridge.
5. He eats __________ bread every day.
6. Add __________ salt to the soup.
7. We need __________ onions for the recipe.

 

B - Decide if the sentences are true (T) or false (F). Correct the false sentences.

1. “Much” is used with countable nouns.
2. “A few” is used with uncountable nouns.
3. “Some” can be used in positive sentences.
4. “Any” is used in questions and negative sentences.
5. “A little” means a small quantity of something.

 

ANSWERS

A -

1 - Do you have any/some milk?

1. any (most common in questions)
2. some (used in offers or when expecting a positive answer, e.g., “Do you have some milk?”)

 

2 - She bought some / many / a lot of / a few apples at the store.

1. some (general quantity, positive sentence)
2. many (emphasizes a large number, e.g., “She bought many apples.”)
3. a lot of (emphasizes a large quantity, e.g., “She bought a lot of apples.”)
4. a few (emphasizes a small number, e.g., “She bought a few apples.”)

 

3 - How much sugar do we need for the cake?

 

4 - There aren’t many / any tomatoes in the fridge.

1. many (used with countable nouns like tomatoes in negative sentences)
2. any (used in negative sentences to mean “zero,” e.g., “There aren’t any tomatoes.”)

 

5 - He eats a lot of / some bread every day.

1. a lot of (emphasizes a large quantity, e.g., “He eats a lot of bread.”)
2. some (general quantity, e.g., “He eats some bread.”)

 

6 - Add a little / some salt to the soup.

1. a little (small quantity, e.g., “Add a little salt.”)
2. some (general quantity, e.g., “Add some salt.”)

7 - We need some / a few / many / a lot of onions for the recipe.

1. some (general quantity, e.g., “We need some onions.”)
2. a few (small number, e.g., “We need a few onions.”)
3. many (large number, e.g., “We need many onions.”)
4. a lot of (large quantity, e.g., “We need a lot of onions.”)

 

B -

1. F – “Much” is used with uncountable nouns.
2. F – “A few” is used with countable nouns.
3. T – Correct.
4. T – Correct.
5. T – Correct.