Quantifiers: Some, Any, Many, Much, Few, Little

Quantifiers indicate amount or quantity.

Some vs. Any

Some (affirmative sentences, offers, requests)

Affirmative:

• I have some money.
• There are some books on the table.
• She needs some help.

Offers and Requests:

• Would you like some coffee?
• Can I have some water?
• Could you give me some advice?

Any (negative sentences, questions)

Negative:

• I don’t have any money.
• There aren’t any books here.
• She doesn’t need any help.

Questions:

• Do you have any questions?
• Is there any milk left?
• Have you seen any good movies lately?

Any (meaning “it doesn’t matter which”)

• Take any book you want.
• Call me any time.
• Any color is fine.

Countable vs. Uncountable

Many vs. Much

Many (countable, plural)

• Many people came.
• How many books do you have?
• There aren’t many options.

Much (uncountable)

• Much time was wasted.
• How much money do you need?
• There isn’t much water left.

A Lot Of (both)

More common in affirmative sentences:

• I have a lot of friends. (countable)
• She has a lot of experience. (uncountable)
• Lots of people agree. (informal)

Few vs. Little

Few / A Few (countable)

Few (negative meaning: not many, not enough):

• Few people understand this. (= almost nobody)
• I have few friends here. (= not enough)

A few (positive meaning: some, enough):

• A few people came to help. (= some, which is good)
• I have a few ideas. (= some ideas)

Little / A Little (uncountable)

Little (negative meaning: not much, not enough):

• There is little hope. (= almost none)
• I have little time. (= not enough)

A little (positive meaning: some, enough):

• There is a little milk left. (= some, enough)
• I need a little help. (= some help)

Summary Chart

Other Quantifiers

All, Most, Some, None

• All students passed. / All the water is gone.
• Most people agree. / Most information is correct.
• Some books are old. / Some advice is bad.
• None of the students failed. / None of the money was spent.

Each, Every (singular countable)

• Each student has a book.
• Every day is a new chance.

Both, Either, Neither (two things)

• Both options are good.
• Either answer is correct.
• Neither solution works.

Practice

Choose the correct quantifier:

1. “How ___ time do we have?” → How much time do we have?

2. “There are ___ apples left.” (some, positive) → There are a few apples left.

3. ”___ people attended the meeting.” (large number) → Many / A lot of people attended the meeting.

4. “I don’t have ___ experience.” → I don’t have much / any experience.