UNIT 5 - GRAMMAR COURSE

EXPRESSIONS OF USED WITH COUNT NOUNS USED WITH NONCOUNT An expression of quantity
Q u m NOUNS may precede a noun. Some
expressions of quantity are
(a) one one apple 0* used only with count nouns,
each each apple 0 as in (a) and (b).
every every apple 0
(b) two, etc. two apples 0
both both apples 0
a couple of a couple of apples 0
afew a few apples 0
several several apples 0
many many apples 0
a number of a number of apples

(c) a little 0 a little rice Some are used only with

much 0 much rice noncount nouns, as in (c).
a great deal of 0 a great deal of rice

(d) no no apples no rice Some are used with both

somelany sonzelany apples somelany rice count and noncount nouns,
a lot ofllou of a lot of/lots of apples a lot oJ1ots of rice as in (d).
plenty of plenty of apples plenty of rice
most most apples most rice
all all apples all rice

*8 = not used. For example, you can say ''1 ale one applknbut NOT ''I ate one rice."

EXERCISE 19. Expressions of quantity. (Chart 7-9)

Directions: Draw a line through the expressions that CANNOT be used to complete
the sentence correctly. Item 1 has been started for you.
1. Jake has -homework. 2. Isabel has -assignments.
a. &wee a. three
b. several b. several
C. some C. some
d. a lot of d. a lot of
e. too much e. too much
f. too many f. too many
g. a few g. a few
h. a little h. a little
i. a number of i. a number of
j. a great deal of j. a great deal of
k. hardly any k. hardly any
1. no 1. no

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EXERCISE 20. MUCH vs. MANY. (Chart 7-9)

Directions: Write much or many. Also write the plural form of the italicized nouns as
necessary. In some sentences, you will need to choose the correct verb in parentheses.

cities
1 . I haven't visited MdhY e i q in the United States.

2. There (isn't/aren9t) ish'i- wk~h money in my bank account.

3. I haven't gotten mail lately.

4. I don't get letter.

5. There (isn't/arenyt) hotel in my hometown.

6. There (islare) too firniture in Anna's living room.

7. There (isnyt/arenyt) traffic today.

8. There (isn'daren't) car on the road today.

9. I can't go with you because I have too work to do.

10. A: How side does a pentagon have?

B: Five.

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11. I couldn't find information in that book.

12. How homework did the teacher assign?

13. I haven't met people since I came here.

14. How postage does this letter need?

15. I think there (islare) too violence on television.

16. I don't have patience with incompetence.

17. The doctor has so patient that she has to work at least twelve
hours a day.

18. A: How tooth does the average person have?

B: Thirty-two.
19. There (isn'ttaren 't) international news in
the local paper.

20. How fish (islare) there in the ocean?

21. How continent (islare) there in the world?

22. How progress has your country made in improving the quality of
medical care available to the average citizen?

EXERCISE 21. Expressions of quantity. (Chart 7-9)

Directions: If the given noun can be used to complete the sentence, write it in its correct
form (singular or plural). If the given noun cannot be used to complete the sentence,
write 0.
1. Helen bought several . . . . 3. Sam bought a lot o f . . . .
lamp Iawps stamp stawps
furniture & rice vice
jewelry A stuf~ A
necklace ~eckldces thing ththss

2. Jack bought too much .... 4. Alice bought a couple o f . . . .

shoe & bread
salt sak loaf of bread
equipment eskipweht honey
tool a f jar of honey

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5. I read a few. . . . 9. Nick has a number of ....

novel shirt
literature
Poem
Poetry

6. I bought some . . .. 10. I don't have a great deal o f . . ..

orange juice patience
light bulb wealth
hardware fiend
computer
pencil
software

7. We need plenty o f . . . . 11. I need a little ....

sleep luck
information money
fact advice
help new hat

8. I saw both. . . . 12. The author has many . . . .

woman idea
movie theory
scene hypothesis
scenery knowledge

EXERCISE 22. Expressions of quantity. (Chart 7-9)

Directions: Use many or much* with the following words, changing the words to plural if
necessary. Pronounce final -sl-es loudly and clearly. The cuer's book is open. The
responder's book is closed. If you use this exercise in pairwork, switch roles after Item 14.
Examples: sentence + many sentences
water + much water
thief + many thieves
1. furniture 8. piece 15. music 22. hypothesis
2. desk 9. mouse 16. progress 23. mail
3. branch 10. advice 17. race 24. office
4. equipment 11. sheep 18. knowledge 25. slang
5. machinery 12. homework 19. marriage 26. roof
6. machine 13. prize 20. information 27. shelf
7. woman 14. goose 21. luck 28. tooth

*You may want to practice some of these words in sentences. Much is usually not used in affirmative sentences;
instead, a lot of or a great &al of is kequently used. Much is used primarily in negative sentences and questions.

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a few (a) She has been here only two weeks, but she has A few and a little* give a positive idea; they
already made a few friends. indicate that something exists, is present, as in
(Positive idea: She has made somejhmak.) (a) and (b).
a little (b) I'm very pleased. I've been able to save a littb
money this month.
(Positive idea: I have saved some money instead of
spending all of it.)

(c) I feel sorry for her. She has (very) few friends. Few and little (without a ) give a negative idea;
(Negative idea: She does not have many fnends; she they indicate that something is largely absent.
has almost no fi.iends.)
(d) I have (very) little money. I don't even have Very (+ fewllittle) makes the negative
enough money to buy food for dinner. stronger, the numberlamount smaller.
(Negative idea: I do not have much money; I have
almost no money.)

*Afew and few are used with plural count nouns. A little and IittIe are used with noncount nouns.

EXERCISE 23. U s i n g A FEW and FEW; A LllTLE and LITTLE. ( C h a r t 7-10)

Directions: Without substantially changing the meaning of the sentence, replace the
italicized words with a few, (very) few, a little, or (very) little.
o\ little
1. I think that ferrpe lemon juice on fish makes it taste better.
(vevy) Few
2. Many people are multilingual, but m&-mmypeople speak more than ten languages.

3 . Some sunshine is better than none.

4. January is a cold and dreary month in the northern states. There is not much sunshine

during that month.

5. My parents like to watch TV. Every evening they watch two or three programs on T V

before they go to bed.

6. I don't watchTV very much because there are hardly any television programs that I enjoy.

7. If a door squeaks, several drops of oil in the right

places can prevent future trouble.

8. If your door squeaks, put some oil on the hinges.

9. Mr. Adams doesn't like to wear rings on his fingers.

He wears almost no jewelry.

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EXERCISE 24. Using A FEW and FEW; A LITTLE and LITTLE. (Chart 7-10)
Directions: Complete the sentences with a few, (uery)few, a little, or (very) little.
1. Do you have or F e w minutes? I'd like to ask you or Few
questions. I need or little more information.

2. Diana's previous employer gave her a good recommendation because she makes
Vevy few mistakes in her work.

3. After Steve tasted the soup, he added salt to it.

4. I don't like a lot of salt on my food. I add salt to my food.

5. I like music. I like to listen to music after dinner before I begin

studying.

6 . Driving downtown to the stadium for the baseball game was easy. We got there
quickly because there was traffic.

7. Jim is having a lot of trouble adjusting to eighth grade. He seems to be unpopular.

Unfortunately, he has friends.

8. We're looking forward to our vacation. We're planning to spend

days with my folks and then days with my husband's folks. After
that, we're going to go to a fishing resort in Canada.

9. A: Are you finished?

B: Not yet. I need more minutes.

10. A: Are you finished?

B: Not yet. I need more time.

11 I was hungry, so I ate nuts.

12. Because the family is very poor, the children have toys.

13. Into each life, rain must fall. (a sayingl

14. Natasha likes sweet tea. She usually adds honey to her tea.
Sometimes she adds milk, too.

15. Has anyone ever called you on the phone and tried to sell you something you didn't
want? I have patience with people who interrupt my dinner to
try to sell me a magazine.

16. He's a lucky little boy. Because his parents have taken good care of him, he has had
problems in his young life.

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(a) CORRECT: A lot of books are paperbacks. Some expressions of quantity (such as a lot of) always
(b) CORRECT: A lot of m y books are paperbacks. contain of, as in (a) and (b). See GROUP ONE below.
(c) INCORRECT: A lot books are paperbacks.

(d) CORRECT: Many of m y books are paperbacks. Sometimes of is used with an expression of quantity, as in
(e) INCORRECT: Many my books are paperbacks. (d), and sometimes of is NOT used with the same
expression of quantity, as in ( f ) . See GROUP TWO below.
(f) CORRECT: Many books are paperbacks.
(g) INCORRECT: Many of books are paperbacks.
GROUP ONE: EXPRESSIONS O F QUANTITY THAT ALWAYS CONTAIN OF
a lot of a number of a majority of
lots of a great deal of plenty of

GROUP TWO: EXPRESSIONS OF QUANTITY THAT SOMETIMES CONTAIN OF AND SOMETIMES NOT
all (of) many (of) one (of) both (of) some (of)
most (of) much (of) Z-WO (of) several (of) any (of)
almost aU (of) a few (of) three (of)
a little (of) etc.

(h) Many of m y books are in English. I Of is used with the expressions of quantity in GROUP TWO
( i ) Many of those books are in English. I when the noun is specific. A noun is specific when it is
( j ) Many of the books on that shelf are in English. preceded by:
1 . my, John's (or any possessive), as in (h) .
2. this, that, these, or those, as in (i).
1 3. the, as in (j)

(k) Many books are in English. Of is NOT used with the expressions of quantity in GROW
TWO if the noun it modifies is nonspenjic. In (k): The noun
books is nonspecific; ie., the speaker is not referring to
"your books" or "these books" or "the books on that desk."
The speaker is not referring to specific books, but to books
in general.

0 EXERCISE 25. Using OF in expressions of quantity. (Chart 7-1 1)

Directions: Add of if necessary. Write 0 if of is not necessary.
1. I know several & Jack's friends.
2. I've made several friends lately.

3. Some students are lazy. Most -students are hard-working.

4. Some the students in Mrs. Gray's class are a little lazy.

5. Most -books have an index.

6. Most -Ali's books are written in Arabic.

7. I bought a few -books yesterday.

8. I've read a few those books.

9. I'm new here. I don't know many -people yet.

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10. I've just moved into a new apartment. I don't know many -my neighbors yet.

1 1. Have you taken any trips lately?

12. Sam hasn't met any -the students in the other class.

13. I usually get a lot -mail.

14. A lot -the mail I get is junk mail.

15. Our class has 30 students. Mr. Freeman's class has 25 students. Ms. North's class has
20 students. Of the three classes, our class has the most students.*

16. Most the students in our class are very smart.*

17. Out of all the students, Ali usually asks the most -questions during class. Most
-his questions are about grammar.

18. Most people need six to eight hours of sleep every night.

19. Most -the people in this class always hand in their assignments on time.

20. China has the most -people of any country in the world.

(a) CORRECT: All of the students in my class are here. When a noun is specific (e.g., the students), using of
(b) CORRECT: AU the students in my class are here. after all is optional as in (a) and (b).

(c) CORRECT: All students must have an 1.D. card. When a noun is nonspecific, of does NOT follow all, as
(d) INCORRECT: AU of students must have an I.D. card. in (c).
(e) I know both (oJ) those men. Similarly, using of after both is optional when the noun
is specific, as in (e).
( f ) CORRECT: 1 know both men. When a noun is nonspecific, of does NOT follow both,
(g) INCORRECT: 1 know both of men. as in (f).

EXERCISE 26. ALL (OF) and BOTH (OF). (Chart 7-12)

Directions: Of is not necessary in any of these sentences. In the sentences in which the use
of of is optional, write (of) in the blanks. If of is not possible because the noun is
nonspecific, write 0.
1. All (0C) the children listened to the story.

2. Almost all J& children like fairy tales.

( 1 ) The most = superlative. The superlative is used to compare three or more persons or things. The most is
never immediately followed by of. Example: Out of all the buys, Tom ate the mostfood.
( 2 ) Most (not preceded by the) = an expression of quantity whose meaning ranges from "over fifty percent" to
"almost all." Example: Most of the food at that restaurant is good, but not all of it.

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3. Both -those books are mine.

4. I bought two books. Both books were expensive.

5. Almost all -students study hard for exams.

P
6. All birds have wings, but not all -
birds can fly. Both -the birds in the
picture are incapable of flight.

7. I have two brothers. Both -my brothers

are in school.
emu kiwi
8. Do you know all -the people in your biology class?

9. All the students in my class are studying English.

10. Not all -people are biendly, but most people have kind hearts.

EXERCISE 27. Using OF in expressions of quantity. (Charts 7-1 1 and 7-12)

Directions: Add of andlor write 0.
1. Some ,d fish are surface feeders. Others are bottom feeders.

2. Some OF the fish we caught were too small to keep.

3. Almost all Of OR ,dthe fish in Jennifer's aquarium died. She finally had to admit
that she didn't know much about taking care of tropical fish.

4. I bought several books at the used book sale.

5. Several my friends and I have volunteered to clean up the litter left on the
school grounds by thoughtless students.

6. The airline was crippled by a strike last month, but now it's over. All the
pilots were happy to get back to work after the strike.

7. Most people have a little trouble using the currency in a foreign

country for a few days after they first arrive.

8. There's nothing I like better than a good book, but I haven't done much reading for
pleasure lately. Most the reading I do is related to my work.

9. It's important for young people to have goals in their lives. My mother always told me
that any dream is worth pursuing if I know in my heart it is what I want to
do. Few people have made great accomplishments in life without first
having a dream-a personal, inner vision of what is possible.

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Square dancing is a traditional folk dance in the

United States. We all had a lot fun
learning to square dance at the party. Many
the people at the party had never
done any square dancing before.

When my parents were young, they had

little opportunity to travel.

A few children are given their first

watch by the time they are six years old.
However, most these children cannot
tell time correctly.

(a) One student was late to class. One, each, and every are followed immediately by
(b) Each student has a schedule. singular count nouns (never plural nouns, never
(c) Every student has a schedule. noncount nouns).

(d) One of the students was late to class. One of, each of, and every one of* are followed b y
(e) Each (one) of the students has a schedule. specifc plural count nouns (never singular nouns;
( f ) Every one of the students has a schedule. never noncount nouns).

*COMPARE:
Every one (two words) is an expression of quantity; e.g., I have read every one of those books.
Everyone (one word) is an indefinite pronoun; it has the same meaning as everybody; e.g., EveryonelEverybody has a
schedule.
NOTE: Each and etmy have essentially the same meaning.
Each is used when the speaker is thinking of one personlthing at a time: Ench student has a schedule. = Mary has a schedule.
Himshi has a schedule. Carlos has a schedule. Sabrina has a schedule. (etc.)
Evevy is used when the speaker means "all": Ezmy student has a schedule. = All oj the students have schedules.

EXERCISE 28. Using ONE, E A C H , and EVERY. (Chart 7-13)

Directions: Complete the sentences with the correct form, singular or plural, of the noun in
parentheses.
1. There is only one qiv\ on the sixth-grade soccer team. (girl)
2. Only one of the in the sixth grade is on the soccer team. (@TO
3. Each of the got a present. (child)

4. Mr. Hoover gave a present to each . (child)

5. We invited every of the club. (member)

6 . Every one of the came. (member)

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EXERCISE 29. Using ONE, EACH, and EVERY. (Chart 7-13)

Directions: Some (but not all) of the following sentences contain errors. Find and correct
the errors.
stkAeht
1. It's important for every wxl-ats to have a book.

2. Each of the students in my class has a book. (no change)

3. Spain is one of the country I want to visit.

4. The teacher gave each of students a test paper.

5. Every student in the class did well on the test.

6. Every furniture in that room is made of wood.

7. One of the equipment in our office is broken.

8. I gave a present to each of the woman in the room.

9. One of my favorite place in the world is an island in the Caribbean Sea.

10. Each one of your suitcases will be checked when you go through customs.

11. It's impossible for one human being to know every languages in the world.

12. I found each of the error in this exercise.

EXERCISE 30. Activity: expressions of quantity. (Charts 7-9 -, 7-13)

Directions: Conduct an opinion poll among your classmates. Report your findings using
expressions of quantity. Prepare five yeslno questions that ask for opinions or information
about the respondents' likes, dislikes, habits, or experiences.
Possible questions:
1. Do you read an English language newspaper every day?
2. Do you like living in this city?
3. Do you have a car?
4. Have you ever ridden a horse?
5. Are you going to be in bed before midnight tonight?

Record your classmates' responses. Then in your report, make generalizations about this
information by using expressions of quantity. For example:
1. Only a few of the people in this class read an English newspaper every day.
2. Most of them like living in this city.
3. Three of the people in this class have cars.
4. About half of them have ridden a horse at some time in their lifetime.
5. Almost all of them are going to be in bed before midnight tonight.

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EXERCISE 31. Review: expressions of quantity. (Charts 7-9 + 7-13)

Directions: Most of the statements below are inaccurate overgeneralizations. Make each
statement clearer or more accurate by adding an expression of quantity. Add other words
to the sentence or make any changes you wish. The following list suggests expressions of
quantity you might use. Work in pairs, in groups, or as a class.

all (03 many (of) one (ofl some (ofl

each (ofi much (of) nu0 (of) several (08
every a number of half of (a) few (ofi
almost all (of) a great deal of 50 percent of (a) linle (ofi
most (ofl a lot of three fourths of hardly any (of)
a majority of none of
hundreds of no
thousands of
millions of

Example: My classmates are from Japan.

Possible sentences: + Most of my classmates are ji-om Japan.
-+ All (of) my classmates are JLom Japan.
-+ One of my classmates is JLom Japan.
-+ Hardly any of my classmates areji-om Japan.
+ None of my classmates is @om Japan.

1. My classmates speak Arabic.

2. People are friendly.
3. The pages in this book contain illustrations.
4. Babies are born bald.
5. The students in my class are from South America.
6. People like to live alone.
7. The people I know like to live alone.
8. The countries in the world are in the Northern Hemisphere.
9. The citizens of the United States speak English.
10. Children like to read scary stories.
11. The children in my country go to school.
12. Airplanes depart and arrive precisely on time.
13. The rivers in the world are polluted.
14. The pollution in the world today is caused by human beings.
15. City dwellers do not have cars.
16. The food at (name of the place you usually eat) is very good.

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