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.
I N 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 PI ECE OF MI ND
COCOUNTABLE NOUNS UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
There are _______________ cars.
There arent _______________ buses.
We need _______________ subway lines.
There should be _______________ cars.
There is _______________ traffic.
There isnt _______________ 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