Grammar Quantifiers - Countable and Uncountable Nouns   Now that we already know Countable and Uncountable nouns, let´s learn some quantifiers: Many, Much, A lot of, Some, Any, A few, A little, Few and Little   Many is used with countable nouns, while Much is used with uncountable nouns. They are both used for big quantities/amounts: Many (Countable) Much (Uncountable) 1) She put many sugar cubes in her coffee 2) I wake up thirsty so I drink many different things 3) They told us many times to finish our job 4) Many men don´t have patience for shopping 5) The war is over and many soldiers are back home 1) I don´t like much sugar in my coffee 2) Do you drink much milk in the morning? 3) He doesn´t need much time to finish his job 4) Men don´t have much patience for shopping 5) War is a terrible thing and it causes much pain     A lot of is used in affirmative sentences, with countable and uncountable nouns, for big quantities/amounts: A lot of (Countable) A lot of (Uncountable) 1) We bought a lot of sugar cubes 2) I want a lot of bottles of water because I am extremely thirsty 3) She will buy a lot of loaves of bread for breakfast 4) Gabrielle´s mother has to buy a lot of ketchup bottles 5) The man has a lot of dollars in his wallet 1) I want a lot of sugar in my coffee, please 2) I am so thirsty, I need a lot of water 3) She is hungry, she will eat a lot of bread 4) Gabrielle eats a lot of ketchup on her fries 5) The woman has a lot of money in her purse     Some is used in affirmative sentences, with countable and uncountable nouns, for small quantities/amounts: Some (Countable) Some (Uncountable) 1) The student took some notes while the teacher was explaining 2) We know some persons that can help us to finish our project 3) The teacher needs some volunteers to help him with the explanation 4) You have to buy some umbrellas because the weather forecast says it will rain 5) The director received some emails from his customers and suppliers 1) She needs some water because she´s thirsty 2) The air is too dry and warm, we need some rain 3) The waiter is bringing some sugar for the bitter coffee 4) You look so tired, I think you need some sleep 5) He wants some money to buy an ice-cream     Any is used in interrogative and negative sentences, with countable and uncountable nouns, for undetermined quantities/amounts: Any (Countable) Any (Uncountable) 1) Did they have any pets at home? No, they didn´t have any pets at home 2) Will he need any special lesson? No, he won´t need any special lessons 3) Are the students reading any books? No, they are not reading any books 4) Does it take any specialist to operate this machine? No, it doesn´t take any specialist 5) Do you have any pen I could borrow? No, I don´t have any pens to lend you 1) Do you have any water I could drink? Yes, I have some water 2) Will you need any help? Yes, please, I will need some help 3) Did you buy any special bread? Yes, I bought some special bread 4) Are you taking any furniture home? Yes, I am taking some furniture 5) Was he in need of any equipment? Yes, he was in need of some     A few and A little are used to express small quantities/amounts in a positive way   A few (Countable) A little (Uncountable) 1) Those girls have a few good friends. They are satisfied with their friends 2) The businessman has a few employees but he doesn´t need any more 3) The teacher has a few students and he is very happy because they are good ones 4) The company has a few customers because it is new in the market 5) The secretary has a few emails to answer because she is very competent 1) The thirsty boy needs a little water to drink 2) The housewife wants a little money to buy some groceries 3) Do you need a little time to pack your bags? 4) They gotta have a little patience because the situation is serious 5) I would like to drink a little coffee, may I?     Few and Little are used to express small quantities/amounts in a negative way   Few (Countable) Little (Uncountable) 1) That poor little girl has few friends. She´s a very lonely girl 2) The postman delivered few letters this morning. People use email now 3) Because of the holiday, there were few vehicles on the streets 4) She didn´t have much time to take pictures. She brought few pictures from her trip 5) Men are not like women when it comes to shoes: men usually have few shoes 1) The girl has little money and she can´t buy what she wants 2) There is little juice in the pitcher because someone has drunk it 3) The Brazilian woman is taking little baggage with her to Argentina 4) The party was not so good because there was little people 5) My glass is almost empty because there is little wine in the bottle     Globalized English School English in English   2009 - 2010 Globalized English School  - All rights reserved