Adverbs of Quantity

(Too many/enough/more/fewer/too much/less)

Countable Nouns

Countable nouns are things which can be counted. That means that when there is more than one of them, you

need to add 's'. Also, when a countable noun is singular an article (a/an/the) is often used with it.

e.g. There are too many factories.

Non-Countable Nouns

Non-Countable Nouns are usually things which cannot be counted, such as rice or water. Non-countable nouns

only have a singular form, but we either use the word "some" or nothing at all instead of an article.

e.g. There is too much smoke.

IN OTHER WORD

1. Countable nouns have a plural form because they are considered separate and countable. Example: a car, two cars, many cars, too many cars.

2. Uncountable nouns do not have a plural form because they are impossible to separate and count. Example: traffic, too much traffic, a lot of traffic

3. Some nouns can be both, countable and countable. Example: a noise, two noises, too much noise.

little / few and a little / a few

Little is used with uncountable and few is used with countable nouns. When we use few and little without the indefinite article, they

usually have a negative meaning, but when we use them with the indefinite article, a little or a few, they have a more positive meaning. Compare the following:

I have few friends in England and I feel quite lonely.

I have a few friends in England, so I don't miss home so much.

I have little interest in classical music. I much prefer pop.

I have a little wine in the cellar. Would you like some?

Rather than little or few, we sometimes prefer to use a negative construction with much or many in conversational English, as it sounds

slightly less formal:

He has little money. > He doesn't have very much money.

She had few friends. > She didn't have many friends.

a little / a bit

A little, a bit and a little bit are often used as adverbs in colloquial British English with little or no difference in meaning. Compare the following:

You're driving too fast. Could you please drive a little

(bit) more slowly?

It was a long journey and I was feeling a bit / a little (bit) tired.

Bit can also combine with of before nouns to suggest a limited amount of something. Compare the following:

Let me give you a bit of advice. Don't drive so fast in built-up areas.

I'm not very hungry after the journey. I'll just have a bit of bread and cheese.

I've got a bit of a problem. The car has overheated, so

we'll have to wait for it to cool down.

If we use it with a determiner or pronoun, little can also be used in this way:

Would you like to try a bit of this / a little of this very

sweet dessert?

I'd love a bit of your / a little of your apple and walnut

cake. It looks and smells delicious.

fewer / less

Fewer and less are the comparative forms of few and little and are used with countable and uncountable nouns, respectively. Compare the following:

I've got a little (bit of) money in the bank. Not very much. Less than I had last year.

The weather was awful and fewer children took part in the procession this year.

too much / too many

Much and many can be used as an alternative to a lot of. Much is used with singular nouns and many is used with plural nouns. They can be used without nouns if the meaning is clear. Too expresses the idea of more than enough or more than

necessary. Compare the following:

There were many / a lot of people in the dining room, but there wasn't very much / a lot of food left on the

breakfast buffet tables.

I haven't eaten very much! ~ You've eaten far too

much in my view. Much too much.

I had put too much salt in the soup and nobody ate it.

too or very

Make sure you can distinguish between too and very. Learners of English often confuse these two adverbs. Very means extremely and too means more than is wanted. Too is often followed by adjective + infinitive clause. Compare the

following:

The maths problem was very difficult. It was too

difficult for me to solve.

We arrived at the hotel very late - too late to have

dinner there.

The lake was very muddy. It was too muddy to swim

in. A pity! It was perfect weather for swimming. Not too hot.

as much / many as

We can use as much / many as when we are talking about quantity and want to compare things or people that are more or less equal. Much and many can be used in this way as

determiners or pronouns or as an adverb in the case of

many. Compare the following:

Share prices were falling and she didn't have as much

money as she thought she had.

She won't be able to buy as many clothes this year as

she bought last year.

The breakfast buffet at the hotel was great. You could

eat as much as you wanted.

Would you like some strawberries with your cereal? Take

as many as you like.

I don't expect you to finish the report. Just do as much

as you can this evening.

You can criticise my lifestyle as much as you like. But it's my life!

AND NOW WORK OUT YOUR PIECE OF MIND

COCOUNTABLE NOUNS UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS There are _______________ cars.

There aren’t _______________ buses. We need _______________ subway lines. There should be _______________ cars.

There is _______________ traffic. There isn’t _______________ parking. We need _______________ public transportation. There should be _______________ pollution.

1. There are _______________ police officers. 2. There should be _______________ cars in the city. 3. There is _______________ public transportation. 4. The government needs to build _______________ highways. 5. There should be _______________ noise. 6. .We should have _______________ public parking garages. 7. There is _______________ air pollution in the city. 8. There are _______________ cars on the streets.

Complete these statements with the correct missing words:

1. There ___ factory workers. We need to hire ten more workers by tomorrow.

too many

aren't enough

too much

fewer

more

2. There should be ___ factories in this town. It will definitely help decrease pollution.

fewer

too many

aren't enough

too much

more

3. There is ___ industrial pollution. We need to do something urgently!

fewer

too many

more

aren't enough

too much

4. The government needs to encourage ___ environmentally friendly energy sources.

more

aren't enough

too much

fewer

too many

5. There should be ___ emissions. Traffic is a major concern!

too many

too much

aren't enough

fewer

more

6. We should have ___ alternative energy sources, so that we can protect our environment.

fewer

too many

too much

aren't enough

more

7. There is ___ industrial waste dumped in the ocean. It's a big problem!

more

too much

too many

fewer

aren't enough

8. There are ___ old appliances left by the playground. It's a complete mess!

more

too many

aren't enough

too much

fewer

9. There is too much ___ pollution.

option

industrial

food

sugar

10. There are too many cars with too many ___.

pipes

rain

petrol

emissions

11. I want to ___ my energy so I can finish my work.

eat

conserve

throw

jump

12. Can you give me any ___ ways to solve this problem?

drive

duck

solid

alternative

13. The government tries to ___ businesses to use clean energy.

hope

pull

start

encourage