Quantifiers (Determiners)



Agreement Diagnostic: identify specific points that need review

Quantifiers (Increasing or Decreasing Amount)

Quantity Phrases: indicate how much or how many

kid at desk with hand raised 

Each of the kids knows the answer.

Most of the kids know the answer.
Most of the class knows the answer.

A number of kids know the answer.
The number of kids is ten.

Some / Any: specify sufficient quantity for count and noncount nouns


I'd like some tea.
I didn't get any tea.

Would you like some / any tea?

I doubt that there are any oranges here.
Not one of the shops has any tea.
I don't think that any oranges are left.

—What kind of tea is it? 
—I don't know… some tea he bought last week.

Much/ Many: specify large quantity for count and noncount nouns


Not many good snacks are in the refrigerator.
Not much junk food is in the refrigerator.

Are there many good snacks in the refrigerator?
Is there much junk food in the refrigerator?

There are many good snacks in the refrigerator. (ok)
There is much food in the refrigerator. (awkward)

Little/ Few: specify insufficient or minor quantity for count and noncount nouns

Glass half empty 

I have little water in my glass.
I have a little water in my glass.

I have few friends.
I have a few friends.

Much / More: a large quantity vs an additional amount

healthy food 

People have much more knowledge about eating right.
Many more people are eating healthier diets.

People eat too much fat, sugar and salt.
People eat too many chips, cookies and candy bars.

He is much too old for her. 
She is far too young for him.

Less/Fewer : an barely sufficient quantity vs minus an additional amount


*Do you want less lines and wrinkles on your face?
fewer lines than before / less wrinkling than before

We use fewer toxic chemicals. (number)
We use less toxic chemicals. (percentage, composition)

Less is more  (noun)

Most / Most of the: specify a majority in a group


Most students ask questions.
Most of the students in my English class ask questions.

A number of the students ask questions.
The number of the students who ask questions is low.

Food Quantifiers: specify amounts or units

a sack of rice 

We bought a sack, a bag, a box of rice.

I'd like a glass, a bottle, a gallon, a liter of milk.

We bought a stalk of celery, a spear of asparagus, a head of lettuce, a wheel of cheese, an ear of corn, a cube of ice, a bar of chocolate.

 a pork chop, a beef steak, a roast lamb, a leg of lamb, a ham   

Beef comes from a steer. Veal comes from a calf.

Related Pages

Another / The other: specify one more or the rest

milk and cookies

She ate one.  (a cookie)

Then she ate another (one more)

Then she ate the others (the rest)

She wanted other cookies not these.

Common Mistakes: avoid  the top 20 agreement errors

Jean Muffins 

Fashions come and go. * Everyone have problems balancing comfort with fashion.

Agreement in Context: Identify subject-predicate agreement

 pumping gas

 Thirty million barrels of oil is "a drop in the bucket" compared to U.S. demand.