How to Use Quantifiers at Work
Introduction
Quantifiers are important words that let us express the quantity of something. There are several quantifiers in English and they can be a little tricky to use. What I find interesting is that even more advanced speakers often make mistakes when using quantifiers.
So, here’s a description of each quantifier with examples to help improve your understanding of them. In today’s episode I will also outline the typical mistakes people make.
What are quantifiers?
A quantifier is a word or phrase used before a noun to indicate an amount or quantity of a thing. There are quantifiers to describe large quantities (a lot, much, many), small quantities (a little, a bit, a few) and undefined quantities (some, any). There are also quantifiers that express the idea of a sufficient amount (enough, plenty).
There are some quantifiers that have a similar meaning but differ because one is used with countable nouns and the other is used with uncountable nouns. Countable nouns are things that we can count; for example, a desk, two pens. Uncountable nouns are things that we cannot count and only have a singular form; for example, some furniture, some work.
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Quantifiers that express large quantities
We use many, much, a lot (of) to refer to big quantities. We use many with countable nouns and much with uncountable nouns, and we can use a lot (of) with both countable and uncountable nouns.
Examples:
Quantifiers for small quantities
To talk about small quantities, we can use a few and a little. We use a few with countable nouns and a little with uncountable nouns. It’s also possible to use a bit with uncountable nouns, but it is more informal.
Examples:
To talk about small quantities, we can use a few and a little. We use a few with countable nouns and a little with uncountable nouns. It’s also possible to use a bit with uncountable nouns, but it is more informal.
Examples:
Undefined quantities
When we want to refer to a plural noun or an uncountable noun, without giving a specific quantity, we use some and any. We use some in affirmatives and any in questions and negatives.
Examples:
Sufficient quantities
The words enough and plenty express the idea of being a sufficient quantity. Both words can go with countable and uncountable nouns. We use plenty (of) to mean there is more than a sufficient quantity of something. For example:
We use enough to express the idea of having, or not having, a sufficient quantity. For example:
Questions about quantity
When we want to ask the quantity of something, we use how much with uncountable nouns or how many with countable nouns.
Examples:
We also use how much when we ask the cost of something. For example:
Understanding real life use cases
Quantifiers are used frequently in business negotiations, and they often have an underlying meaning. If you are not a native speaker of English then maybe some of these subtle uses may be missed by you.
What I mean is that, often people will use them to sound more polite rather than telling you straight up their true feelings. For example:
In this case, what the person actually means is that the payment terms are restrictive or very restrictive. We use a bit in this case to sound less direct and more polite.
Common mistakes
Finally, I just want to quickly point out the common mistakes that non-native speakers make. These mistakes generally relate to the incorrect use of countable and uncountable nouns.
My advice is to make sure you have a clear understanding of uncountable nouns in English. For example, in this sentence I have used the word advice, this is an uncountable noun, yet some people will use it in a plural form. To make it singular we would need to use the expression, a piece of. For example:
So, one of the main sources of mistakes when using quantifiers is to distinguish between countable nouns (also called unit nouns) and uncountable nouns (mass nouns), but here you have a useful tip to do it.
Unit nouns have two forms, singular and plural: e.g., a chair, chairs. You can say 1 chair, 2 chairs, 3 chairs etc. This is why unit nouns are also called countable nouns.
Mass nouns only have one form: e.g., furniture, clothes. So, you can’t say 1 furniture, 2 furnitures, 3 furnitures etc. This is why mass nouns are also called uncountable nouns.
Final thoughts
As you can see, quantifiers are adjectives used to express the quantity of the noun they follow. While they might refer to an unspecified quantity, they still help us better understand the amount of what we’re talking about.
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