EXPRESSING QUANTITY (1)

How can we give someone information about the number of something?

• The nouns – singular and plural

– countable and uncountable
• Determiners / quantifiers
- some / any
- no / none / any
- much / many / little / few / a lot / plenty
- all / all of ; most / most of ; none / none of
- both / both of; either / either of; neither / neither of
- both…and… / either ….or…/ neither ….nor…
- all / whole / every / each
 1.1. The plural of nouns
a) we form the plurals of most nouns by adding –s:
e.g. frog – frogs
bird – birds
Note: but nouns ending in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -o => -es
e.g. bus – buses
glass – glasses
dish – dishes
torch – torches
box – boxes
potato – potatoes
!!! but radio – radios
piano – pianos
b) nouns ending in consonant +y => - ies:
e.g. butterfly – butterflies

Note: but nouns ending in vowel (a, e, o, u) +y => -s

e.g. donkey – donkeys
c) nouns ending in –f or –fe, by removing the –f or –fe would
form the plural by adding – ves:

e.g. leaf – leaves

knife – knives
 d) irregular plurals:

mouse – mice sheep – sheep

man – men foot – feet
person – people tooth – teeth
child - children fish – fish
mouse – mice ox - oxen
e) sometimes we use a plural noun for one thing that has two parts
(+ plural verb):
e.g. trousers / jeans / shorts
pyjamas
glasses
binoculars
scissors

e.g. My trousers are too long.

Those are nice jeans. or That’s a nice pair of jeans.
I need some new glasses. or I need a new pair of glasses.
f) some nouns end in – ics, but are not usually plural:
e.g. economics
politics
athletics
e.g. Gymnastics is my favorite sport.
(not Gymnastics are….)

Note: news is singular

e.g. What time is the news on TV?
g) some nouns ending in –s can be singular/ plural:

means a means/ many means of transport

series a TV series/ two TV series
species a species of bird/ 200 species of …
h) some singular nouns are often used with a plural verb:

e.g. audience, committee, company, family, firm, government,

staff, team

e.g. The government (= they) have decided to increase taxes.

The staff at the company (= they) are not happy with their
working conditions.
Italy are playing Brazil next Sunday. (in a football match)
i) we think of a sum of money, a period of time, a distance
as one thing => the associated verb is singular

e.g. Fifty thousand pounds (= it) was stolen in the robbery.

Three years (= it) is a long time to be without a job.
Two miles isn’t very far to walk.
1.2. Countable and uncountable nouns

Countable nouns can be singular or plural.

Uncountable nouns have only one form.

Countables Uncountables

Kate was singing a song. Kate was listening to music.

We don’t have enough cups. We don’t have enough water.

Note:
• Uncountable nouns are not used with the indefinite article a/ an;
we can make some of these words countable, however, by saying:

e.g. a piece of advice/ equipment/ research, etc.

• Uncountable nouns are singular:

e.g. The news is bad.
The advice was useful.

• We don’t say some informations/ advices, etc…

• “travel” = noun, the act of travelling
e.g. I enjoy foreign travel.
but use journey or trip when you mean “movement from
one place to another”.
e.g. I had an interesting trip to Spain last year.

luggage accommodation research damage

progress information experience luck
knowledge machinery chaos work
furniture traffic weather
Many nouns can be used as countable or uncountable nouns,
usually with a difference in meaning:

Countable Uncountable
Did you hear a noise just now? I can’t work here. It’s too much noise.

I bought a paper to read. I need some paper to write on.

There’s a hair in my soup. You’ve got very long hair.

You can stay with us. There’s a spare room. You can’t sit here. There isn’t room.

Enjoy your trip. Have a good time! I can’t wait I don’t have time.
Compare:

I’m looking for a job. I’m looking for work.

It’s a nice day today. It’s nice weather today.

That’s a good suggestion. That’s good advice.

2. Determiners

We can use SOME and ANY with plural countable nouns:

e.g. We sang some songs.
Did you buy any apples?

but we can use them also with uncountable nouns:

e.g. We listened to some music.
Did you buy any apple juice?
!! we use SOME in positive sentences (e.g. We bought some
flowers.) and ANY in negative sentences (e.g. We didn’t buy any
flowers.)

!! we use ANY also in sentences with negative meaning:

e.g. He refused to eat anything.
It’s a very easy exam. Hardly anybody fails.
!! we use ANY after IF:
e.g. Let me know if you need anything.
I am sorry for any trouble I have caused.
(=if I have caused any trouble)

!!. we can use ANY with the meaning “it doesn’t matter which”:
e.g. You can take any bus. They all go to the centre.
Come and see me any time you want.