Tip 12
quantifiers
In the previous tip it was explained how in English there are nouns which we can count in units\numbers and others which can only we quantified.
- the quantifier -some- with things which are uncountable.
- the article a\an with countable nouns.
some bread \ some milk \ some time \ some effort \ some sand \ some light
a loaf of bread \ a cup of milk \ a minute of your time \ a bag of sand
In fact, in the same way that there arer categories of nouns, there are also 2 distinct categories of quantifiers that go along with them:
Quantifiers that define quantity
a large amount: much, a great deal of, a large amount of, a large quantity of
an indefinite amount: some, a certain amount of
a small amount: a little, a bit
no amount: any
Examples:
– Much of the work is over.
– It takes a great deal of time to climb the mountain.
– When you make a big dinner, some food is always wasted.
– Do you want some milk with your coffee? Just a bit.
– We don’t have any milk!
quantifiers that define numbers
a large number: many, a large number of, a great number of
an indefinite number: some,several, a number of, a couple of
a small number: a few, few, very few
Zero numbers: any
Examples:
– Many people go on holiday during summer time.
– There is a great number of chairs in the room.
– Several people signed up for the course today.
– Some of the students live outside of Tel Aviv.
– I have a few questions.
– I don’t have any answers.
notice how there are 2 quantifiers that we use to define both quantity and numbers: some, any
– Some milk (quantity) \ some students (number)
– Any milk (quantity) \ any answers (number)
In fact there are 2 more popular quantifiers that we use to describe both quantity and number: a lot of \ plenty of
A lot of milk (quantity) \ A lot of students (number)
Plenty of mlik (quantity) \ Plenty of answers (number)
the reason it’s so important to be familiar with these qunatifiers and how to use them is because in many other languages there’s often just one word word that decribes two separate quantifiers in English or sometimes even three. Many languages to not have a distinction between countable and uncountable nouns.
Write or memorize as many sentences that are related to your day to day life where you need to use such quantifiers and make sure you use them correctly. You will very notice a marked improvement in both your fluency and accuracy when using quantifiers.
