Quantifiers

What is a quantifier?

Some cats searching for food

A quantifier is a type of noun marker that express quantity. It answers to the questions how much or how many. They express inexact quantity. For example the words several and many do not give an exact quantity. These words give a rough idea of the quantity.

Use of Quantifiers

Quantifiers go before nouns. Remember this order> Quantifier + noun

I have some cats.

I have a couple of comics.

Type of quantifiers

We can classify the quantifiers in the next categories:

For count nouns

several, many and a couple of

Only non-count nouns

A great deal of

Much

For count or non-count nouns

Some
All of
A lot of

Quantifiers for both count and non-count nouns (with examples)

For large quantities

A lot of

Last year I earnt a lot of money because I worked a lot.

Plenty of (more than necessary)

Don't worry, you have plenty of time to finish your project.

For small quantities

Some

There are some books on the table.

Other quantities

No (absence of something)

There is no cars on the street.

No dogs are allowed in this building.

Any

I don't have any friends here

All (inclusion of everybody or everything)

All human beings are born free and equal

Most (majority)

Actually, most Russians prefer warm weather.

Enough (the quantity I need)

I have enough experience for this job.

Other aspects of quantifiers

Each vs every

Each unlike every marks a difference.

Each person is unique in his own way.

Every is focused in the group and in the similarities of the group.

Every day I do the same in my job.