Quantifiers

Quantifiers are pre-modifiers which indicate how much or how many there is of something. Using quantifiers requires a distinction to be made between countable and non-countable nouns.

A countable noun can be modified by a number and has both a singular and plural form. Non-countable nouns have neither a singular or plural. Care must be taken to make sure that there is subject-verb agreement. For example:

  • A study into the effects of climate change on blue whale migration shows that the oceans are warming. (a singular countable noun with subject-verb agreement)
  • Researchers at the University of Bristol have developed a new technique for measuring climate change. (a plural countable noun with subject-verb agreement)
  • Research into online communities reveals that online identities mirror real world identities. (a non-countable noun with subject-verb agreement)

The following quantifiers are used with countable nouns:

  • (not) many
  • a number of
  • a majority of 
  • a third of
  • a quarter of
  • few
  • a few
  • none of the
  • both

The following quantifiers may be used with non-countable nouns:

  • (not) much
  • no
  • little
  • a little
  • a great deal of

The following quantifiers can be used with both countable and non-countable nouns:

  • all of
  • most of the
  • some
  • plenty of
  • a lack of
  • enough

However, care should still be taken to make sure of subject-verb agreement. Compare:

  • There is plenty of evidence.
  • There are plenty of individual cases.

A Little vs. Little / A Few vs. Few

A Little and little are used with non-countable nouns, while a few and few are used with countable nouns. A little and a few are used to imply that there is enough of something, whereas little or few imply that there is not enough. Compare:

  • The prisoners were given a little food in order to stay healthy.
  • The early settlers were unprepared and had little food to eat in the early months.
  • The island attracted few visitors until the airport was built in 1999.
  • The museum has a few visitors a month and remains profitable in the short-term.
Test Yourself

Complete the sentences with the most appropriate quantifier:

Although there have been a number of studies produced in this field,     of this research has been inconclusive.

A large number of bats have made the park their home, due to the   fruit trees that surround the area here.

An increase in the number of international students has attracted the attention of     the UN and the EU.

During the experiment, the medicine seemed to have     effect on heart rate.

The National Party finally abandoned    notion that it was serious about the reform of our public services.

According to research,     the artefacts found at the site were Roman.

Despite the financial crisis being caused by the banks, only     banking professionals have been prosecuted.

While there have been a number of reports in the media,    research has been done in this area.

It is recommended that students do part-time work during the term in order to gain   work experience.