English grammar: Quantifiers

What this grammar point covers

Quantifiers are words in English that show how much or how many of something there is. They are used before nouns to give more information about quantity.

When to use it

Use quantifiers when you want to talk about the amount or number of things, but not a specific number. They help you describe quantity in both positive and negative sentences, and in questions.

Key forms

• much, many, a lot of, lots of, some, any, few, little, several, plenty of

Examples

Tips

• Use 'many' with countable nouns (e.g., books, apples) and 'much' with uncountable nouns (e.g., water, money).
• Use 'some' in positive sentences and 'any' in negatives and questions.
• Be careful: 'few' and 'little' mean not much, while 'a few' and 'a little' mean some.

Exceptions and edge cases

• Some quantifiers can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns, like 'a lot of' and 'some'.
• Certain quantifiers are only used in formal or informal contexts.