QUANTIFIERS

QUANTIFIERS
• According to English grammar LONGMAN

(2008 p. 97) quantifiers are meant to inform
us about the quantity or amount of
something, particularly a noun. While some
quantifiers are more specific to tell us the
exact amount of something, some are more
generic and can only express whether
something is in small or large quantity.
CONT.
•Quantifiers further belong to a much larger

class called determiners, which are basically the
words people use at the beginning noun phrases.
They’re meant to inform us whether a noun
phrase being used is specific or general in
nature.
Types of Quantifiers
i. Quantifiers in grammar.
ii. Quantifiers in logic.
1. Quantifier in Grammar
•This encapsulates all the quantifiers that people use before
nouns to indicate the number, amount, or quantity of it.
•In which case, the quantifier can be used with both
countable and uncountable nouns.
Quantifiers to use with countable nouns
•These quantifiers are meant to indicate the number or

quantity of countable nouns. They don’t necessarily
need to narrow to the specific count, but just clue the
reader on whether the underlying noun is in small or big
quantity.
 They include little, a little, a bit of, a large amount of,
a great deal of, a large quantity of, and so forth.
LITTLE and A LITTLE are NOT one
and the same.
•While little or very little means that there isn’t enough of something, a little can
be interpreted to mean something is not a lot, but it’s surely enough.
•Examples in a sentence:
 There’s a little milk in the fridge. We can use it to bake the cakes.
 The milk is little. We can’t do much with it.
 Same goes for Few or Very Few and A few
•While few or very few means there isn’t enough of something, a few can be
interpreted to mean something isn’t a lot, but it’s surely enough. In other words,
‘few’ is meant to express a negative idea while ‘a few’ is more focused on
expressing small quantity
Examples in a Sentence:
 Very few students attended the class.
 The teacher came with only a few books.
 Few people know me by name.
 I only know a few people in town.

Quantifier to use with uncountable nouns
•These quantifiers are meant to be used before

any noun that cannot be counted, such as
water, milk, hair, furniture, and so forth.
•Examples include all, more, least, any, a lot of,
some, less, least and most to name a few.
Quantifiers in Logic
•This type of quantifier only indicates the scope of the underlying term or the
scope of a specific in domain discourse satisfying an open formula.
•Examples of Quantifiers in Logic

• Much and Many.
• These two quantifiers are meant to express large quantities
of the item in question. Speaking of which, much is used
when the underlying noun is singular, while ‘many’ is used
when the noun being used is in the plural

Examples in a Sentence:
• Much money.
• Many friends.
• While drawing the difference between the two
quantifiers, many people try to establish the connection
they have with countable and uncountable nouns .
• In which case, it’s worth noting that countable nouns
have both a singular and plural form. In the plural, this
type of nouns can be used with numbers, and that’s the
reason they’re referred to as countable nouns.
Cont.
• Examples include kids, buses, houses, lamps, roads, and so
forth.
• Meaning it’s possible to put a number before any of these and
still make sense, and if that’s the case the right quantifier to use
is many.
• Example many kids, many buses, many lamps, many roads, and
so forth.
• Uncountable nouns on the other hand only occur in the singular.
No number attached before them makes any logical sense – and
if that’s the case, the most suited quantifier to use before them is
much.
• Much money, much water, much milk and so forth.
• How Much vs How Many
• Again, we use how much when describing uncountable nouns, and
how many when describing countable nouns.
• Examples with ‘how many’?
• How many eggs?
• How many visitors are we expecting?
• How many of the students should we send home?
•
• Examples with ‘how much’?
• How much water is needed?
• How much money do you need?
• How much furniture?
A lot of/ Lots of
•A ‘lot of’ can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns. Where a lot
of is mostly used in formal writs or conversations, lots of works much better
with informal communication.
•Examples in a sentence:
 The stage has a lot of buses.
 There are a lot of eggs in the tray.
 There’s a lot of water in the drum.
 The kid was awarded a lot of money.
 He wasted lots of his hard-earned savings on drinking and partying.
Basic uses of “some” and “any”
• Some:
• Affirmatives: There are some people waiting
outside.
• Questions +”yes”: Would you like some orange
juice?
• Requests: May I have some tea?
• (=certain): Some people believe everything
• Some=several: I haven’t phoned my uncle for
some years.
Cont.
•Any:
 Negatives: I don’t want any sugar.
 Uncertain questions: Do you have any money on you?
 With “hardly”, etc.: There’s hardly any rain.
 With “at all”: I haven’t any idea at all.
 After “if”: Buy some apples if you see any.
 Any=it doesn’t matter who or which: Any fool knows the
right answer.

QUANTIFIERS

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

QUANTIFIERS

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

QUANTIFIERS

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

QUANTIFIERS

• According to English grammar LONGMAN

•Quantifiers further belong to a much larger

ii. Quantifiers in logic.

•These quantifiers are meant to indicate the number or

 Very few students attended the class.

 The teacher came with only a few books.

 Few people know me by name.

 I only know a few people in town.

•These quantifiers are meant to be used before

•Examples of Quantifiers in Logic

• These two quantifiers are meant to express large quantities

of the item in question. Speaking of which, much is used

when the underlying noun is singular, while ‘many’ is used

when the noun being used is in the plural

You might also like