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Quantifiers are of two types.
Ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) refer to distribution and rank.
Cardinal numbers (one, two, three, etc.) refer to quantity and percentage.
l Satyajit Ray was the first Indian to win a French honour. (ordinal)
l There are four balloons in that bunch. (cardinal)
Uses of Quantifiers
Quantifiers are used to indicate the amount or quantity of something or somebody. They can be
used with both countable and uncountable nouns.
Much and Many
Much and many are used in interrogative and negative sentences. These are also used in affirmative
and negative sentences in combination with too and so.
l My brother has many friends.
l This chocolate has too much sugar in it.
l There were so many calls that I lost the count.
A few and A little
A few (for countable nouns) and a little (for uncountable nouns) are used to describe a quantity in
a positive way, implying that although the speaker may not have much, he has enough.
l I have a few chocolates for distribution.
l Don’t worry! I do have a little money left with me.
Few and Little
Few (for countable nouns) and little (for uncountable nouns) are used to describe a quantity in a
negative way, which means ‘not as much as expected or wished for’.
l Few birds come here to rest.
l There is little water left in this lake.
Some and Any
Some and any are used in both interrogative and affirmative sentences. They do not tell any
specific number or amount.
They ate the bread with some honey and milk.
l
l Did you meet any of your friends in Goa?
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