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What are quantifiers in English?

By: revel arroway, Isabel McKay Thu Sep 19 2024
English
Adjectives, Determiners

In English, a quantifier (or quantifying adjective) is a word or phrase that describes the general amount of something. We use quantifiers to answer the questions how much or how many, without using a number. Here are some examples of English quantifiers:

some peoplemany toysa few cats
a lot of souplots of pizzaa bit of cheese
several ideasno thoughtsany chairs

In this post we’ll introduce you to the basics of how to use quantifiers in English. We’ll talk first about where to put them, then we’ll talk about the most important quantifiers that are used for different purposes. At the end, we’ll get to some more advanced topics, like the rules for using quantifiers like a lot of and lots of and the difference between quantifying adjectives and indefinite pronouns.

Are you ready to learn to use some quantifiers? I hope you have enough time to study up on them! Most of these adjectives are really important!

Table of Contents

    Where to put a quantifying adjective in a sentence?

    A quantifying adjective, like almost all adjectives in English, comes before the noun it modifies. The basic pattern is:

    quantifier

    noun

    John has some eggs in his fridge.

    When there are descriptive adjectives in the sentence, the quantifying adjective will come before the descriptive adjective:

    quantifying adjective

    descriptive adjective

    noun

    John has some fresh eggs in his fridge.

    Here are a few more rules to follow:

    • After a quantifier, mass nouns are singular (as always), but count nouns are usually plural.

      mass nouncount noun

      some money (singular)

      some people (plural)

      Exception!

      These English quantifiers come before a singular count noun: either, neither, each, every.

    • Some quantifiers can only be used with mass nouns. Other quantifiers can only be used with count nouns. Some quantifiers can be used before both!

      count nounmass noun

      many people
      many money

      many can only come before a count noun

      less people
      less money

      less can only come before a mass noun

      some people
      some money

      some can come before count nouns and mass nouns!

      Have a look at this list of quantity words for mass nouns vs. count nouns in English to learn more!

    • Quantifiers are usually determiners. This means that:

      • They do not follow other determiners like the, my, that, or Sarah’s:

        the some people

      • We do not use them after a linking verb like be:

        The people are some.

      Check out our mini-post for a more thorough review of what determiners are in English.

      👍Take note!

      All quantifiers can be determiners, but…

      • Some quantifiers can also be adjectives, so they do not always follow the two rules above:

        This is one of the few exceptions you must learn.

        here few comes after the because it is an adjective not a determiner
      • Some quantifiers are set phrases that include a determiner (e.g. a lot of or a little of). We’ll talk more about these phrases at the end of the post.

    How to use the most common quantifiers in English?

    In this section we’ll talk about the main uses of quantifiers in English, and introduce you to the most important ones to use for each purpose.

    To ask about a quantity/amount

    In English, we use how much to ask about the amount of a mass noun and how many to ask about the amount of a count noun.

    count nounmass noun

    How many pencils does Joe have? → 2 pencils

    How much money does Joe have? → 2 dollars

    To ask whether the quantity is greater than zero (in a yes-no question) use the word any. You can use this with count or mass nouns.

    count nounmass noun

    Does Joe have any pencils? → yes

    Does Joe have any money? → no

    Tip

    Check out our post on any and some in English to learn more about the uses of this word!

    To describe a large quantity

    The following quantifiers describe a large quantity: a lot of, lots of, much, many, several, numerous, a good/great deal of, substantial, abundant, and plenty of.

    The most common way to describe a large quantity is with the quantifiers a lot of or lots of. These can be used with count nouns and mass nouns.

    count nounmass noun

    Pat has a lot of toys.

    Pat has a lot of homework.

    count nounmass noun

    Pat has lots of toys.

    Pat has lots of homework.

    Tip

    Lots of and a lot of have exactly the same meaning, but a lot of is more common in the U.S.A.

    The more formal quantifiers much and many are also used to talk about large quantities. Have a look at our post on using much and many in English to learn more!

    To describe a small quantity

    To describe a small quantity, use few or a few (with count nouns) and little or a little (with mass nouns).

    count nounmass noun

    Kara had a few toys. 😁

    Kara had a little fun. 😁

    count nounmass noun

    Kara had few toys. 😢

    Kara had little fun. 😢

    Tip

    Here is the difference between few / little and a few / a little:

    • a few and a little are more common and are optimistic. The amount is small, but that is okay.

    • few and little are formal and are more negative. The amount is too small.

    For a less formal alternative to few / little, use a lot of in a negative sentence.

    • 😢Kara didn’t have a lot of toys.😢

    • 😢Kara didn’t have a lot of fun.😢

    To describe a general quantity

    To describe a general quantity greater than a little and less than a lot, use the word some.

    count nounmass noun

    Marco made some cookies.

    Marco made some coffee.

    You can also use several with count nouns, but this is more formal.

    Important

    There is a lot to learn about using some! For example, we do not usually use some in negative sentences:

    Marco didn’t make some scones.

    Have a look at our post on some and any in English to learn more!

    When the quantity is zero

    The word no describes a zero quantity:

    count nounmass noun

    Paolo has no pets.

    0 pets

    Paolo has no time.

    0 time
    Tip

    Using no is fairly formal. The most common way to say that the amount of something is zero is to use the word any in a negative sentence.

    count nounmass noun

    Paolo doesn't have any pets.

    Paolo doesn't have any time.

    Have a look at our posts on some and any in English or on no and none in English to learn more.

    To compare quantities

    When describing the larger or the largest quantity, use more or the most.

    count nounmass noun

    Melissa has more friends than Kelsey.

    Melissa has more cereal than Kelsey.

    Paolo ate the most hot dogs.

    Paolo drank the most soda.

    To describe the smaller or the smallest quantity, fewer / less or the fewest / the least:

    count nounmass noun

    Kelsey has fewer friends than Melissa does.

    Kelsey has less cereal than Melissa does.

    Marcus ate the fewest hot dogs.

    Paolo drank the least soda.

    You might hear some native speakers use less used with a count noun, as in the common grocery store sign: “ten items or less” instead of “ten items or fewer”!

    To learn more about where these quantifiers come from, check out our posts on English comparative adjectives and English superlative adjectives.

    To give percentages

    The quantifiers every, each, and all describe 100% of a group.

    count nounmass noun

    Every student passed the test.

    100% of the students passed

    Each student passed the test.

    100% of the students passed

    All cats have tails.

    100% of cats in general have tails

    All milk is white.

    100% of milk in general is white
    Tip

    Check out our post on each, every, and all in English to learn more about the differences between these similar words!

    The word most describes >50% of a group in general.

    count nounmass noun

    Most cows have spots.

    >50% of cows in general have spots

    Most milk comes from cows.

    >50% of milk in general comes from cows

    To say whether you have the amount that is needed to complete a task

    We use the quantifiers enough, plenty of, sufficient (formal), and adequate (formal) if a quantity is equal to or greater than the amount we need to complete a task. The most common is enough.

    count nounmass noun

    Kelsey doesn't have enough chairs for her guests.

    Kelsey has enough money to buy a computer.

    Tip

    When the amount is not enough, you can sometimes use the very formal words insufficient or inadequate:

    count nounmass noun

    Kelsey has insufficient funds to buy a computer.

    Kelsey has inadequate strength for the task.

    To describe a group with two members

    The words both, either, and neither are only used when you are talking about a group with 2 members. For example, if I am talking about two children, Joe and Fran, I can say:

    Both children speak English.

    → John and Fran

    Does either child speak English?

    → John or Fran

    Neither child speaks English.

    not John and not Fran

    Tip

    Check out our post on both, either, and neither to learn more about these tricky words!

    Quantifying adjectives vs. indefinite pronouns

    Quantifying adjectives and indefinite pronouns in English are both used to describe a quantity in general terms. The main difference is that a quantifying adjective describes a noun, while an indefinite pronoun replaces a noun.

    Question: How many children did you see?

    Answer 1:

    I only saw a few boys.

    It comes before a noun.

    Answer 2:

    I saw a few.

    It replaces a noun.

    Most English quantifying adjectives can also be used as indefinite pronouns, but some can only be one or the other. For example, no can only be a quantifying adjective, while none can only be a pronoun.

    I saw no children.

    I saw none children.

    none is not an adjective

    I saw no.

    I saw none.

    no is not a pronoun

    What’s the difference between ‘most’ and ‘most of’?

    The difference between most + noun and most of + noun comes down to whether most is being used as a quantifying adjective or an indefinite pronoun.

    One other way to use English indefinite pronouns is in this structure:

    indefinite pronoun

    of

    specific noun

    none of the cake

    some of the cake

    a lot of the cake

    So most + noun and most of + noun have two different patterns:

    • most + noun → quantifying adjective + noun

    • most of + noun → indefinite adjective + of + specific noun

    Let’s compare the two structures to see the differences in meaning and grammar.

    quantifying adjective + noun

    e.g. some cheese

    indefinite pronoun + of + specific noun

    e.g. some of the cheese

    Describes a quantity or proportion in general

    Describes a quantity or proportion that is taken from a specific set

    The noun never has a determiner

    The noun always has a definite determiner (the, my, that…)

    Here are some examples to illustrate the difference in meaning:

    Quantifying Adjectives
    Indefinite Pronouns

    most people

    the majority of people in general

    most of the people

    the majority of people in a specific group

    no cake

    a total absence of cake

    none of the cake

    0% of a specific cake

    many students

    a large number of students in general

    many of her students

    a large percentage of her specific students

    a little time

    a small amount of time in general

    a little of the time

    a small amount of a specific window of time

    This simple difference will work for most quantity descriptions!

    Important

    There are a few set phrases that end in of that we use as quantifying adjectives. These include:

    a lot of

    tons of

    lots of

    a bunch of

    a bit of

    loads of

    a ton of

    plenty of

    We call these quantifying adjectives because they can come before a noun with no determiner and it refers to a quantity in general.

    a lot of people

    → a large number of people in general

    a bit of soup

    → a small amount of soup in general

    plenty of lemons

    → a significant number of lemons in general

    However, if you remove of from these set phrases you can create an indefinite pronoun:

    quantifying adjectiveindefinite pronoun

    I met a lot of people. → I met a lot.

    I served a bit of soup. → I served a bit.

    I picked plenty of lemons. → I picked plenty.

    And these indefinite pronouns can come before of + specific noun:

    I met a lot of the people.

    → a large number from a specific group

    I cooked a bit of that soup.

    → a small amount from a specific soup

    I picked plenty of these lemons.

    → a sufficient amount of some specific lemons

    Summing up

    Whew! We’ve covered a lot of information in this post on quantifying adjectives. How about a quick reminder?

    • Quantifying adjectives (aka. quantifiers) are adjectives that answer the questions how many and how much, giving a specific or general idea of quantity of a noun.

      • Quantifiers mostly come before plural count nouns or singular mass nouns, and are not used with determiners (the, that, my...).

      • Some quantifying adjectives are used with count nouns, others with mass nouns, and others with both.

    • We saw some quantifying adjectives to use with large, small, general, and zero quantities.

    • We also saw how to use quantifying adjectives for other things, like comparing quantities, discussing percentages, and how to discuss whether a quantity is sufficient to perform a task

    • Finally, we looked at the difference between quantifying adjectives and indefinite pronouns, particularly how and when to use quantifier + noun vs. indefinite pronoun + of + noun.

    Ready to start practicing? Try out our English quantifier activities! Or, keep exploring by following some of the links in the sections above!

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