Active Grammar 2 - Nigel Turton 2007
Unit 2 Words used with nouns
● Quantifiers
● Demonstratives
● Quantifiers
(not many eggs, not much rice)
Some stories do not have a happy ending.
THE SAD STORY OF NICKY NOO
Many years ago, long before there were cars and electricity, there was a small village called Nicky Noo. The village was a few miles from Nanky Woo, the nearest town.
Most of the families in Nicky Noo kept some chickens and these birds laid a lot of eggs. The men and women also grew a lot of rice in the fields around the village and so for many years there was always enough food to eat.
One year, however, a lot of the chickens became sick and so there were only a few eggs. Also, there was not much rain and, with only a little water, a lot of the rice plants withered and died. Suddenly, the people of Nicky Noo were hungry. There were not many eggs and there was not much rice.
After a few weeks, when all the food was gone, the people of Nicky Noo packed their bags and left for Nanky Woo. They hoped to find work in the town and earn some money to buy food.
The writer of this story often tells us how many or how much.
a few miles a lot of eggs
not much rice not many eggs
a little water some chickens
Grammar help
The highlighted words and phrases are called quantifiers.
They tell as about quantity (how many or how much).
Which is more?
Some quantifiers are used only with countable nouns.
a few eggs
a few cars
not many mistakes
too many chicks
many balloons
REMINDER
You use a few and many only with countable nouns.
Some quantifiers are used only with uncountable nouns.
a little jam
too much meat
a little salt
not much furniture
a little rice
REMINDER
You use a little and much only with uncountable nouns.
Some quantifiers are used with both types of nouns.
Look at the table below. What does it tell you?
PRACTICE
Fill in each gap with much or many.
1 How ... pocket money do you get?
2 There is so ... homework to do!
3 How … books are there in the school library?
4 How ... children are there in your class?
5 How ... water do you drink every day?
6 How ... teeth have you got?
• Demonstratives
(this book, that book)
Sally and her mother are buying some new clothes.
In Book 1 you learned how to use this, that, these and those as pronouns. Do you remember?
As pronouns, you use this, that, these and those instead of a noun.
You can also use these words with a noun.
REMlNDER
You use this and these for things that are near to you.
You use that and those for things that are not so near to you.
REMlNDER
You use this and that when you are talking about just one person or thing.
You use these and those when you are talking about more than one person or thing.
With uncountable nouns, you always use this and that.
PRACTICE
Match each picture with the correct sentence.
Write the correct letter (А, В, C or D) in each box.
A. Where did you get this pair of new shoes?
B. Where did you get that pair of new shoes?
C. Where did you get these pairs of new shoes?
P. Where did you get those pairs of new shoes?
