5. The Power of Quantifiers

 

Imagine English as a camera. Nouns are the objects you see: friends, ideas, money, time, problems, information. But quantifiers are the zoom button. They show whether there is a lot, a small amount, not enough, an unknown number, or just some. Compare these sentences:

I have friends. (This gives basic information.)
I have a few friends. (Now we understand the number better: not many, but some.)
I don’t have much time. (Now the sentence sounds more urgent.)
There are a lot of people outside. (Now the situation feels crowded.)

Quantifiers may look small, but they change the message completely. That is why this unit will help you speak and write more precisely when you describe people, places, problems, choices, time, money, information, and everyday situations.

 

Revise: in Form 7, you already learned several important quantifiers. Before learning new ones, let’s revise the ones you are already familiar with: Quantifiers: Some, Any, Much, Many, A lot of, A few, A little

 

Learn: before choosing a quantifier, always ask one question: Can I count this noun one by one? If the answer is yes, it is a countable noun. (one mistake, five mistakes) If the answer is no, it is usually an uncountable noun. (money, time, information, water, advice). We do not say "one money", "two informations", or "three advices". Revise basics of countable and uncountable nouns from Form 6: Countable and Uncountable Nouns

 

 

 

We use "few" and "a few" with plural countable nouns — nouns we can count one by one. 

I have a few questions. = I have some questions. This is normal.

Few students understood the instructions. = Not many students understood them. This may be a problem.

We have a few ideas. = We have some ideas, so we can start.
We have few ideas. = We do not have many ideas, so this may be difficult.

 

2. Either / Neither

We use "either" and "neither" with a singular countable noun when we speak about two people, things, answers, or options.

Either answer is possible. = Answer 1 is possible, and answer 2 is also possible.

Neither answer is correct. = Answer 1 is not correct, and answer 2 is not correct.

 

3. Both

We use "both" when we speak about two people or two things together. "Both" means one and the other together.
Both answers are correct. = Answer 1 is correct, and answer 2 is correct.

Both students passed the exam. = Abi skolēni nokārtoja eksāmenu.

Both the students passed the exam. = Abi šie skolēni nokārtoja eksāmenu.

The meaning is almost the same. "Both the students" is a little more specific because we know which two students we mean.

Both of the students passed the exam.
Both of my friends like music.
Both of these answers are possible. 
In this structure, after "of" we need a determiner, for example, the, my, these, those.

Both of us were tired. = Mēs abi bijām noguruši.
Both of them are wrong. = Viņi abi kļūdās.
Both of you should listen carefully. = Jums abiem uzmanīgi jāklausās.

She invited us both. = She invited both of us.
The teacher helped them both. = The teacher helped both of them.
I saw you both yesterday. = I saw both of you yesterday.

They both passed the test. = Both of them passed the test.

The players are both tired. = Both players are tired.

Have they both finished the task?

 

Each student has a worksheet.
Every student has a worksheet.

Each student received a worksheet. = This focuses on students individually. Student 1 may have worksheet A, student 2 may have worksheet B, and so on.

Every lesson starts at 8:30. = This means all lessons follow the same pattern.

Each of the students has a worksheet.
Each of my friends speaks English.
Each of these questions is important.

Each of us has a role.
Each of them has a different answer.
Each of you is responsible for one question.

 

 

 

Little / A Little
We use "little" and "a little" with uncountable nouns — nouns we do not usually count one by one.

We have a little time before the lesson. = We have some time. It may be enough.
We have little time before the lesson. = We do not have much time. It may not be enough.

 

 

 

1. All
We use "all" when we mean the complete group or the complete amount. 

All students completed the task. = Visi skolēni izpildīja uzdevumu.
All answers are correct. = Visas atbildes ir pareizas.
Here, "students" and "answers" are countable plural nouns, so the verb is usually plural: completed, are, have.

I read all the information carefully. = Es rūpīgi izlasīju visu informāciju.
All the money is in my bag. = Visa nauda ir manā somā.
Here, "information" and "money" are uncountable nouns, so the verb is usually singular: is, was, has.

All of the students completed the task. = Visi skolēni izpildīja uzdevumu.
All of the information is useful. = Visa informācija ir noderīga.
But remember: after "of", we need a determiner such as: the, my, these, those.

 

We use "no" when we mean zero or not any.

There are no mistakes in this sentence. = Šajā teikumā nav kļūdu.
Here, "mistakes" is a countable plural noun, so the verb is usually plural: were, are, have.

No money was left after the journey. = Pēc ceļojuma nauda nebija palikusi.
Here, "money" is an uncountable noun, so the verb is usually singular: is, was, has.

There are no mistakes. / There aren’t any mistakes.
I have no money. / I don’t have any money.

 

3. None of
We use "none of" when we mean not one person or thing from a group, or not any part of an amount.
None of the students were late.
None of my friends know the answer.
None of these answers are correct.
None of the information was useful.
None of the money is missing.
None of the homework was finished.
None of us were ready.
None of you have finished.
None of them know the answer.