DETERMINERS AND

QUANTIFIERS
BY: DANIEL BADEL; ANDRS MOSQUERA
AND JUAN NICOLAS SANCHEZ
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. What are determiners?
2. Some and any; something, somebody, etc.
3. Much (of), many (of), a lot of, lots (of) etc.
4. All (of), the whole (of), both (of).
4. Each (of) every and all.
5. No, none (of), and not any
6. Few, a few (of), Little, a liffle (of), etc.
7. Quantifiers with and without of.
Determiners
Articles
a, an, the
Demonstratives
this, that, etc.
Possessives
my, your, etc.
Quantifiers
Some, any, all,
most, many,
much, a few, a
little, etc
Distributives
each, every,
both, either,
neither, another,
other
Interrogatives
what, which, etc

Some and any

We use some in positive
sentences:


We use any in negative
sentences:



Some Any
Some and any are used with plural and uncountable nouns
when we talk about limited, but indefinite or unknown numbers
or amounts of things.
I made some
mistakes in the
exam
I didnt make
any mistakes in
the exam
We also use any with words such as barely, hardly,
never, rarely, seldom; deny, fail, forbid, refuse,
prohibit; impossible, unlikely (they have a negative
meaning).

She rarely
gives any good
advice
Are you going to
work on the
project today?
Of course not!
This is Friday. I
never do any
homework on
Fridays.
any and some in questions
In most questions we use any:
Is there any ice in the fridge?
Do you need any help?

We normally use some (not any) when we
offer things or when we ask for things in
order to sound positive, expecting Yes as
an answer:

A: Would you like some coffee?
B: Yes, please.
A: Can you lend me some money?
B: Sure. How much do you need?


Some other examples
(Questions)
Hasnt there been some
discussion about the
proposal? (= I think/expect
there has)
Didnt John's parents give
him some money?
(= I think/expect they did)

Has there been any
discussion about the
proposal yet?
Did John's parents give
him any money?
Some (Expecting the answer
Yes)
Any (open yes-no question)





Some and any with singular countable
nouns
Some and any can also be used to talk about a particular
person or thing without mentioning them specifically. In this
case they are stressed:

There must be some way I can contact Jo. (There must
be a way, but I dont know it.)
Isnt there any book here that will give me the
information I want? (= There must be a book like this,
but I cant find out what/where it is.)
I was asked a really difficult question by some student in
class two.



SOME DETAILS
Can you tell the difference?
Any of the
students can
answer the
question.
Some of the
students can
answer the question
With if we normally use any
If you have
any problems,
let me know.
Ok, thank
you.
Any questions
should be sent
to the manager
= if there are any
questions
Someone/anyone ( or somebody/anybody):
I thought I heard someone knocking at the door.
Is there anyone at home?

Something/anything
Somewhere/anywhere

Their use similar to some and any

They need a singular verb:
If anybody calls, tell them Im not at home. (not If
anybody call...)

M u c h ( o f ) , m a n y ( o f ) , a l o t
o f , l o t s ( o f ) , e t c .
Much (of) and
many (of) are used
to talk about
quantities and
amounts.
Much (of) is used
with uncountable
nouns and
many (of) with plural
nouns

Many people (= plural
noun) eat too much
meat (= uncountable
noun).



Much of can also
be used with a
singular countable
noun to mean a
large part of:

Much of the city was
destroyed by the
bombs.
We can use much
and many without a
noun if the meaning
is clear:
Much (of) and many (of) are mainly
used...
...in negative
sentences to
emphasize that we
are talking about
small (or smaller
than expected)
quantities or
amounts.
Not many of my
friends knew I was
getting married.
He didn't show
much interest in
what I said.
...in questions to ask
about quantities or
amounts.
How many
questions could you
answer?
In affirmative sentences
we often use a lot of,
lots of, or plenty of to
talk about large
amounts and quantities,
particularly in
conversation and
informal writing. Using
much (of) often sounds
a little formal, and many
(of) is often very formal
or inappropriate:
Lots of her students went on to become
teachers. ('Many of is a little more formal)
We had plenty of hotels to choose from,
('many hotels' is more formal)
I've given the problem a lot of thought,
('much thought' is very formal)
John offered me a lot of money for the
car. {not much money)

However, in formal
contexts, such as
academic writing,
much (of) and
many (of) are often
preferred, or
phrases such as a
great deal of or a
large
amount/number of:
Much debate has been generated by
Thornton's controversial paper.

A great deal of the exhibition was devoted to
his recent work, (or Much of...)

A large amount of the food was inedible, (or
Much of...)
In formal contexts we
can also use much
and many as
pronouns:
Much remains to be
done before the drug
can be used with
humans.
Many (= many
people) have argued
that she is the finest
poet of our
generation.
Notice that in
both formal and
informal
contexts we can
use much and
many in
affirmative
sentences after
as, so, and too:
I'd say there
were twice as
many women at
the meeting as
men.
She gave me
so much
spaghetti, I
couldn't eat it
all.
We rarely use much
and many without a
noun at the end of
affirmative
sentences. Instead
we use phrases
such as a lot or
lots:
'Have you got any
oranges?'
'Yes, I've got a lot /
lots.' (not ...I've got
many.)
But we can
use much and
many at the
end of
affirmative
sentences
after as, so,
and too:



Do you want some
of the pudding?
I've got too much.

We often use plenty
of instead of a lot of
or lots of. However,
plenty of means
'enough, or more
than enough' and is
therefore not likely
in certain contexts.
We took lots of food
and drink on our
walk through the
hills,
(or ...plenty of...)
Jim doesn't look
well. He's lost a lot
of weight,.
('plenty of is unlikely
here)
Notice that we don't use plenty
without of before a following
noun:

We've got plenty of time left.
(not We've got plenty time left.)
PRACTICE

Choose the words that are possible in these
sentences. In each case, there is more than
one possible answer.

The new factory provided jobs in a region where
there was not much job/work/jobs/employment.

Many questions/information/research/problems
need to be considered before a decision can be
made.
Each, every and all
We can use each and every with singular
countable nouns to mean all things or people in a
group.

They often have a similar meaning:
Each (or every) ticket costs 35.







Singular
verb
You can say each of
(the.../these.../them
etc.):

Each of the tickets
costs 35.

Read each of these
sentences carefully.

Each of the books is
a different color.

You can say every one of
(but not every of):

Ive read every one of
those books. (every of
those books)

Ive read every one of
them.


For 2 things we can only use each (not every):

He was carrying a suitcase in
each hand.

Each can be used in the middle of a sentence:

The soldiers each receive a medal. (= Each
soldier receives a medal.

The students were each given a book. (=
Each student was given a book.)


Each can also be used at the end of a
sentence:

These pineapples cost 1.50 each. (= each of
these pineapples costs 1.50)

We use they, their and them to refer back to
phrases such as each soldier, every candidate
etc. which do not indicate a specific gender (male
or female):

Every candidate said that they thought the
interview was too long.
Each woman complained that they (or she)
had been unfairly treated.
SOME DIFFERENCES
When we think of things
separately, one by one:

Study each sentence
carefully. (= study the
sentences one by one)

When we think of things
as a group. The meaning
is similar to all.
Every sentence must
have a verb. (= all
sentences in general)
We use each We use every
Each artist sees
things differently.

Every artist is
sensitive.

We use every:
Regular repeated events such as:

The festival is held every August in Budapest.
I leave the house every morning at 6 am.



Every and all
They often have a similar meaning:



When we to talk about time, their meaning is usually
different:
John stayed all weekend. (=the whole of the
weekend)
John stayed every weekend when he was at
university. (=without exception)

Every student in the class passed
the exam.
All the students in the class
passed the exam.
Every country has a national flag. All countries have national flags.




It rained every day
last week.




It rained all day
yesterday.
N o , n o n e ( o f ) , a n d n o t a
n y
no + noun She had no shoes
on.
No information
was given about
how the study was
conducted.
There's no train
until tomorrow.
none + 'no noun


Have we got any
more sugar?
There's none in the
kitchen.


'How many
children have you
got?'
'None.'
We use no or none (of) instead of not a or
not any to emphasize the negative idea in a
sentence.
Compare:

There isn't a key for
this door.
o
r
There's no key for this door, (more
emphatic)
She didn't give me
any help at all.
o
r
She gave me no help at all
Sorry, there isn't any
left.
o
r
Sorry, there's none left
She didn't have any
of the typical
symptoms of cholera.
o
r
She had none of the typical
symptoms of cholera.
Notice that we can't
use not any in initial
position in a clause
or sentence:
No force was
needed to make
them move,
(not Not any force was
needed...)
None of the
children was/were
awake,
(not Not any of the
children...)
We often prefer no
and none of rather
than not any or ...n't
any in formal written
English
In a formal or literary
style we can use not
a in initial position in a
clause or sentence
(notice the word order
here;
Not a word would
she say about the
robbery.
Not a sound came
from the classroom.
After no, we use a
singular noun in
situations where
we would expect
one of something,
and a plural noun
where we would
expect more than
one. Compare:
Since his resignation,
the team has had no
manager, (rather than
...had no managers.)
I phoned Sarah at
home, but there was no
answer, (rather than
...were no answers.)
There were no biscuits
left, (rather than ...was no
biscuit left.)
He seems very lonely at
school, and has no
friends, (rather than ...no
friend.)
But sometimes we
can use either a
singular or plural
noun with little
difference in
meaning:
No answer (or
answers) could be
found.
We want to go to
the island but
there's no boat (or
there are no boats)
to take us.

When we use none
of with a plural noun
the verb can be either
singular or plural,
although the singular
form is usually more
formal:

However, when we
use none with an
uncountable noun the
verb must be singular.
None of the parcels
have arrived yet.
(or ...has arrived...)




None of the
homework has been
done.

If we want to give special emphasis to no
or none of we can use phrases like no
amount of with uncountable nouns and
not one (of) with singular countable
nouns:
She was so seriously ill that no amount of
expensive treatment could cure her.
It was clear that no amount of negotiation
would bring the employers and workers closer
together.
Not one member of the History department
attended the meeting.
Not one of the hundreds of families affected
by the noise wants to move.
PRACTICE
Complete these sentences in the most
appropriate way using no + noun, none of + the
+ noun, or none + 'no noun'.
-When their teacher stood on his chair,
____________could understand what was happening.
(children)

-The Democrats won a few seats in the south of the
country, but___________ in the north. (-)

- Do I really have to go and stay with Aunt Agatha?'
'Yes, I'm sorry, but there is_____________
(Alternative)
Quantifiers with and without of