Grammar-Quizzes › Noun Phrases › Determiners › Quantity Phrases

Quantity Phrases

Indicate a particular amount

Each v. Both v. Most

1. EACH— SINGULAR	2. BOTH—PLURAL	3. MOST
Each is included in a group of quantifiers that can function as [1] a determiner to a noun (a modifier), [2] a noun (quantifier), [3] or the head of a quantity phrase (noun + prep. phrase) Each is singular in agreement with the verb.	Both is included in a group of quantifiers that can function as [1] a determiner, [2] a quantity noun, or [3] the head of a quantity phrase. Both is plural in agreement with the verb.	Most is included in a group of quantifiers that functions differently from the others. The quantifier or quantity expression modifies a noun or noun phrase. The head noun of the phrase determines the verbal agreement.
1A. DETERMINER	2A. DETERMINER	3A. DETERMINER
Each technician knows the solution. Verb agrees with quantity determiner.	Both techs know the solution. Verb agrees with quantity determiner.	Most jobs require skills. Most work requires skills. Verb agrees with the preceding noun.
1B. QUANTITY NOUN	2B. QUANTITY NOUN	3B. QUANTITY NOUN
Each knows the solution. Verb agrees with sng. quantity noun.	Both know the solution. Verb agrees with quantity noun.	Most require skills. (jobs) Most requires skills. (work) Verb agrees with the understood noun.
1C. HEAD OF QUANTITY PHRASE	2C. HEAD OF QUANTITY PHRASE	3C. MODIFIER TO HEAD NOUN¹
Each of the techs knows the solution.	Both of the techs know the solution.	Most of the job requires skills. Most of the jobs require skills. Most of the work requires skills.
Every one of the techs knows the solution. Verb agrees with singular quantity phrase.	A couple of the techs know the solution. Verb agrees with plural quantity phrase.	A lot of the tech jobs require skills. Verb agrees with head noun of noun phrase

Categories: N – noun; NP – noun phrase;Det – Determiner; Predeterminers; V – verb; VP – verb phrase; Adv – adverb; PP – prepositional phrase;

Mod – Modifier –; Head – Head (primary element in a phrase); Quant – Quantifier

Agreement: sng – singular; pl – plural; CN count noun (e.g., job, computer); NCN – noncount noun (e.g., work, equipment)

¹ Also see diagrams: Two Analyses of Most in Grammar Notes section below.

Glossary

Determiner – is a word category that includes quantifiers, articles, demonstratives, ordinal numbers, etc.; see Determiners.

delimited – in grammar, the quantifying determiner defines the limits (each, all), specifies in part (half, a few, ten percent), or estimates (some, a lot).

equipment (N) – collective noun for required items for a particular purpose (e.g., devices, machines, computers, tools or sporting goods)

head – in grammar, it is the primary word of the phrase; it is called head because of its important role (meaning) in the phrase

precedes (V) – comes before in position (or time)

predeterminer – in grammar, a modifier to the determiner; see Predeterminer

quantity (N) – an amount of something that can be counted or measured

quantify (V) – to determine the amount or number of something

quantifiers (N) – a grammatical term for noun markers expressing quantity

require (V) – need, be necessary

skill (N) – expertise, special knowledge about the subject or practiced abilities

solution (N) – the answer, the way to solve or fix the problem

tech (N) – shortened form of technician, a person who repairs or services computers.

understood (Adj) – in grammar, some nouns are known from context, previous mention or both have a mutual understanding.

unlimited – in grammar, the meaning of the quantifying determiner is universal, unlimited; it does not define or limit (e.g. any, all, every).

update (V) – install current hardware parts or software programs

Quantifiers like Each

Singular in Agreement

Pattern 1A: Determiner is Singular

QUANTITY DETERMINER	SUBJECT	PREDICATE + COMPLMENT
DELIMITED, DEFINED	DET + SNG. CN	SINGULAR VERB AGREEMENT
EACH ONE	Each computer One computer	needs updating. needs updating.
NEITHER EITHER	Neither computer Either¹ computer	needs updating. needs updating.
DELIMITED	DET + NCN	SINGULAR VERB AGREEMENT
MUCH LITTLE	Much work (noncount) Little work	needs to be done. needs to be done.
UNLIMITED	DET + N	SINGULAR VERB AGREEMENT
ANY EVERY	Any² computer Every computer	needs updating. needs updating.

¹ Either (Det.) has two meanings: one or the other (free choice), one and the other (both) See Either/Neither.

² Any is usually singular in agreement, but may require plural agreement in questions. Do any computers need updating?

Pattern 1B: Quantity Noun is Singular

QUANTITY NOUN	SUBJECT	PREDICATE + COMPLMENT
DELIMITED & DEFINED	CN	SNG V
EACH ONE NONE	Each¹ One None	needs updating. needs updating. needs updating. / need updating. (informal)
NEITHER EITHER	Neither Either	needs updating. needs updating.
DELIMITED, DEFINED IN PART	NCN	SNG V
MUCH LITTLE	Much Little	needs to be done. needs to be done.
UNLIMITED, UNIVERSAL	CN	SNG V
ANY EVERY	Any² / Any one / Anyone Every³ / Every one / Everyone	needs updating. needs updating.

¹ The meaning of the subject noun is understood from context.

² Any rarely occurs as a stand-alone quantity noun: Which one do you want? Any is fine.(free choice) Note that any one refers to an animate or inanimate item; anyone (indefinite pronoun) refers to an unknown person. See Any One vs. Anyone.

³ Every is not used as a stand-alone quantity noun. Use every one or everyone / everybody instead. See link above.

Pattern 1C: Quantity Phrase is Singular

QUANTITY NOUN PHRASE	SUBJECT	PREDICATE + COMPLMENT
DELIMITED & DEFINED	NP = N + [P + THE + PL CN]	SNG VERB
EACH OF	Each of the¹ computers Each of the computer (plural required) Each of computers (the required)	needs updating.
ONE OF MORE THAN ONE OF	One² of the computers More than one of the computers	needs updating.
NONE OF NOT ONE OF	None of the computers None of the computers Not one of the computers	needs updating. need³ updating. (informal) needs updating.
NEITHER OF EITHER OF	Neither of the computers Either of the computers	needs updating. needs updating. (choice)
DELIMITED & DEFINED IN PART	NP = N + [P +CN / NCN]	SNG VERB
A BOX OF A COLLECTION OF e.g., a bag, a pound, a combination, a set Also see Food Quantifiers	A box of old laptops A set of old laptops and mice A collection of old equipment	needs to be taken away. needs to be taken away.
DELIMITED, ESTIMATED	NP = N [P + THE + NCN]	SNG VERB
MUCH OF LITTLE OF	Much of the equipment. (the required) Little of the equipment. (the required)	needs updating.
DELIMITED, ESTIMATED	NP = N [P + (THE OPTIONAL) + NCN]	SNG VERB
A GREAT DEAL OF A GOOD DEAL OF A LITTLE OF (a large amount, a small amount, a smidgen of, a bit of, etc.)	A great deal of equipment A good deal of the equipment A great deal of *computers	needs updating. (sing.)
UNLIMITED	NP = N [P +THE + PL CN]	USUALLY SINGULAR VERB
ANY OF	Any of the computers Do any of the computers / *Does any Not any of the computers	needs updating. (free choice) need updating? (exception) need updating.
*EVERY OF EVERY ONE OF	Every of the computers Every one of the computers Every one of computers	needs updating.

*Not used

¹ the computers – "the" specifies a subset, a particular group of computers. Each requires a defined, limited group. Every, in contrast, does not. (Each of the computers needs updating. Every computer needs updating.)

² one – can be a determiner (one computer/a computer) or an ordinal number (one, two, three). Here, it is an article/determiner.

³ none – in formal usage, none agrees with the quantifier (singular) None of the books is here.; in informal usage, none agrees with the noun of the phrase ("closest noun"). None of the books are here. Plural agreement commonly occurs.

every one refers to an animate or an inanimate item. Everyone (indefinite pronoun) refers to everybody (all in general). See Any One vs. Anyone.

Also see Either v. Neither | Each Other vs. One Another | Indefinite Pronouns – Quantity Phrase Agreement.

Quantifiers like Both

Plural in Agreement

Pattern 2A: Determiner is Plural

QUANTITY DETERMINER	SUBJECT	PREDICATE + COMPLEMENT
DELIMITED & DEFINED	DET + PL. COUNT NOUN	PLURAL VERB
BOTH	Both computers	need updating. (plural)
DELIMITED, DEFINED IN PART	DET + PL. COUNT NOUN	PLURAL VERB
FEW MANY / SEVERAL	Few computers Several computers	need updating. (plural)
A COUPLE	¹A couple computers	need updating. (plural)

¹ a couple computers – informal to some; the prep phrase is fused with the quantity noun. A couple [of ] computers. A couple [of the] computers.

Also see Most vs. Most of the.

Pattern 2B: Quantity Noun is Plural

QUANTITY NOUN	SUBJECT	PREDICATE + COMPLMENT
DELIMITED & DEFINED	NOUN	PLURAL VERB
BOTH	Both¹	need updating. (plural)
DELIMITED & DEFINED IN PART	NOUN	PLURAL VERB
FEW MANY SEVERAL	Few Many Several	need updating. (plural)
DELIMITED & DEFINED IN PART	NOUN PHRASE	PLURAL VERB
A COUPLE A FEW A LOT A NUMBER	A couple A few A lot A number	need updating. (plural)

¹ The meaning of the subject noun is understood from context.

Pattern 2C: Quantity Phrase is Plural

QUANTITY NOUN PHRASE	SUBJECT	PREDICATE + COMPLMENT
DELIMITED & DEFINED	NP = N + P [THE REQUIRED] PL CN	PLURAL VERB
BOTH OF (two)	Both of the computers	need updating. (plural)
DELIMITED & DEFINED IN PART	NP = N + P [THE-REQUIRED] PL CN	PLURAL VERB
FEW OF MANY OF SEVERAL OF	Few of the computers Many of the computers Several of the computers	need updating. (plural)
DELIMITED & DEFINED IN PART	NP = N + P [THE-OPTIONAL] PL CN	PLURAL VERB
A COUPLE OF A FEW OF A NUMBER OF	A couple of (the) computers A few of (the) computers A number of (the) computers	need updating. (plural)

(Huddleston 5 7.3)

Also see A number of vs. The number of | A few vs. Few

Quantifiers like Most

Plural / Singular or Plural

Pattern 3A: Verb Agrees with "Closest Noun" not the Determiner

QUANTITY DETERMINER	SUBJECT	PREDICATE + COMPLMENT
DELIMITED & ESTIMATED	NOUN PHRASE = DET + PL. CN / NCN	SNG / PL VERB
MOST	Most equipment Most computers Most *computer	needs frequent updating. need frequent updating.
SOME	Some equipment Some computers Some *computer	requires repairing. require repairing.
UNLIMITED, UNIVERSAL	NP = DET + CN / NCN	PLURAL VERB
ALL	All equipment All computers All *computer	need frequent updating. need frequent updating.

* Not used.

closest noun – the noun directly before the verb, often the object of the preposition

Pattern 3B: Verb Agrees with Understood Noun Not the Quantity Noun

QUANTITY NOUN	SUBJECT	PREDICATE + COMPLMENT
DELIMITED, ESTIMATED	NOUN	PLURAL VERB
MOST	Most¹ (equipment) Most (computers)	needs frequent updating. need frequent updating.
SOME	Some (equipment) Some (computers)	requires repairing. require repairing.
UNLIMITED, UNIVERSAL	NOUN	PLURAL VERB
ALL	All (equipment) All (computers)	needs frequent updating. need frequent updating.

¹ The meaning of the subject noun is understood from context.

Pattern 3C: Verb Agrees with "Closest Noun" not the Noun at the Head of the Quantity Phrase

QUANTITY NOUN PHRASE	SUBJECT	PREDICATE + COMPLEMENT
DELIMITED & ESTIMATED	NP = N + [P + THE CN / NCN]	SNG / PL VERB
MOST OF *MOST OF (not used without the) the remainder of, the rest of	Most of the equipment (noncount) Most of the computers (count) *Most of computers	needs updating. need updating.
MUCH OF / MANY OF	Much of the equipment Many of the computers	needs updating. (sng.) need updating. (pl.)
SOME OF	Some of the equipment Some of the computers	needs updating. (sng.) need updating. (pl.)
HALF OF	Half of the equipment Half of the computers	needs updating. (sng.) need updating. (pl.)
TEN PERCENT OF	Ten percent of the equipment Ten percent of the computers	needs updating. (sng.) need updating. (pl.)
NONE OF NOT ANY OF	None of the equipment None of the computers None of the computers	needs updating. (sng.) needs updating. (pl.) need updating. (less formal: pl.)
DELIMITED, ESTIMATED	NP = N + [P + THE-OPTIONAL CN / NCN]	SNG / PL VERB
A LOT OF¹ "several" LOTS OF plenty, lots, bags heaps, loads, oodles, stacks	A lot of equipment Lots of computers	needs updating. (sng.) need updating. (pl.)
DELIMITED, ESTIMATED	NP = N + [P + THE-OPTIONAL CN]	SNG / PL VERB
DOZENS OF scores, tens, hundreds, thousands, millions	Dozens of computers Dozens of the computers	need updating. (pl.)
DELIMITED, ESTIMATED	NP = N + [P + THE-OPTIONAL NCN]	SNG / PL VERB
A GREAT DEAL OF a good deal of, a large amount of	A great deal of equipment A *great deal of computers	needs updating. (sng.)
UNLIMITED	NP = N + [P + THE CN / NCN]	SINGULAR & PLURAL VERB
ALL OF	All of the equipment All of the computers	needs updating. (sng.) needs updating. (pl.)

*not used

¹ A lot is an expression meaning "several".

A lot is a quantifier for [1] a set of items, a group of things or people (e.g., a lot of dyed yarn, a strange lot of friends), [2] land (e.g., a parking lot, a vacant lot, a film lot), [3] things to be sold (e.g., a lot of furnitiure in an auction) [4] a choice, an item drawn out of a hat or bowl to determine a winner or loser (lottery).

References

"a large amount of" Garner 43

"[a] lot, lots, plenty, a great deal, a large amount, a large number, the majority" Swan 333

"Determiners." Biber 4.4

"Collocations of Quantifying Collectives." Biber 4.3.4.1

"Non-count quantificational nouns" Huddleston 5 §3.3 [57]

"Non-count quantificational nouns selecting a singular oblique" Huddleston §3.3 [59]

"Non-count quantificational nouns" Huddleston 5 §3.3

"Partitive– some of the" "non-partitive – some" Huddleston 5 §9.1

"Predeterminer Modifiers" Huddleston 5 §12

"Pronouns and Determiners." (quantifying nouns) Murphy Units 87–91

"Quantifying Nouns." Biber 4.3.6

"Subject-Verb Agreement Using Quantity Expressions" Azar 6-3

See Works Cited in Grammar section, below, for full bibliographical information.

Fractional Quantities

Half

A Half / Half a

A HALF
An article (determiner) is used before a fraction: a half, a third, a fourth. A prepositional phrase is used after the quantity: of a kilo, of a dollar, of an apple. The expression a half + of a noun is often reduced to a half noun (less common with third, quarter, etc.)
The Capitol is a half mile ahead. (common) ~ The Capitol is a quarter mile ahead. * The Capitol is a third mile ahead.
A half hour is a long time to wait. ~ A quarter hour is a long time to wait. * A third hour is a long time to wait.
We bought a half pound of peanuts. We bought one and a half pounds of peanuts. One and a half pounds are enough. (pl.)

A HALF

An article (determiner) is used before a fraction: a half, a third, a fourth. A prepositional phrase is used after the quantity: of a kilo, of a dollar, of an apple. The expression a half + of a noun is often reduced to a half noun (less common with third, quarter, etc.)

The Capitol is a half mile ahead. (common)

~ The Capitol is a quarter mile ahead.

* The Capitol is a third mile ahead.

A half hour is a long time to wait.

~ A quarter hour is a long time to wait.

* A third hour is a long time to wait.

We bought a half pound of peanuts.

We bought one and a half pounds of peanuts.

One and a half pounds are enough. (pl.)

HALF A
The expression a half + of a noun can be reduced to half + a noun before an expression of quantity or measurement (mile, pound, hour, degree, etc.) I'd like (a) half (of) a pound.
The Capitol is half a mile ahead. ~The Capitol is half of a mile ahead. * The Capitol is quarter a mile ahead.
Half an hour is a long time to wait. ~Half of an hour is a long time to wait. * Quarter an hour is a long time to wait.
We bought half a pound of peanuts. Half a pound of peanuts is enough. * We bought one and half a pound of peanuts.

HALF A

The expression a half + of a noun can be reduced to half + a noun before an expression of quantity or measurement (mile, pound, hour, degree, etc.) I'd like (a) half (of) a pound.

The Capitol is half a mile ahead.

~The Capitol is half of a mile ahead.

* The Capitol is quarter a mile ahead.

Half an hour is a long time to wait.

~Half of an hour is a long time to wait.

* Quarter an hour is a long time to wait.

We bought half a pound of peanuts.

Half a pound of peanuts is enough.

* We bought one and half a pound of peanuts.

~ Less commonly used; used by some speakers; more often of is left out.

* Not used.

Also note: We ordered a "half grapefruit". (a menu item) vs. We ate half a grapefruit. (a quantity); We ate "raw oysters on the half shell." (a menu item) vs. We ate oysters on half a shell. (a quantity-fraction of a shell/plate)

Half of / Half

HALF OF
A prepositional phrase with of is commonly used after a fraction: a half + of a noun, also with third, fourth, fifth, tenth, etc.
Half of the tour was about history. (before a noun)
We spent half of our time visiting museums.
We saw half of them. (before a pronoun)
The two halves of Congress will meet. (with a larger number)

HALF
Often, we shorten the prepositional phrase and omit of after half (but not thirds, fourths etc.) with measurements such as inch, kilo, pound, hour.
Half the tour was about history. (before a noun)
We spent half our time visiting museums.
*We saw half them. (Use half of before a pronoun.)
*The two halves Congress will meet. (Use of.)

*not used

We tend to say, "half an inch, half a kilo, half an hour" and "I'd like half a pound of something." However, with other fractions we say "a third of a kilo" or "two-thirds of a kilo".

(Swan 333)

Quantity of

Negatives

Quantity vs. A Unit

QUANTITY
Use a negative word before a quantity expression to indicate little or none.
There's not much of the toilet paper left. / Little of the toilet paper is left. (some)
Not any of the toilet paper is left. (no amount)
None of the toilet paper is left.

A UNIT
Use not a before a unit amount to indicate few or none. Optionally, use the before the noun.
There's not a lot of toilet paper left. (some)
Not a sheet of toilet paper is left. (0 pieces)
Not a one/ a bit/ a piece is left. one (pronoun) – refers to sheet

Solution - lightbulb Pop-Q "Not a…one"

Compare

Each / Every

Each / Every

EACH
Each focuses on an individual or unit and includes "all". The individual is special or important. Each is singular in agreement.
FOCUS ON THE INDIVIDUAL
Each child gets a cookie today. You are special. (attention to the individual)
Each child is receiving special attention at our school. (good for the individual)

EVERY
Every focuses on the inclusion of all individuals or units in a group. Including every one (item) is important. Every is singular in agreement.
FOCUS ON INCLUSION
Every child gets a cookie today. (attention to not forgetting anyone) All children get a cookie / cookies¹ today. (pl – in general, no group)
Every child is receiving special attention at our school. (good for the group)

¹ Agreement is more difficult with plural all. Unclear: do all children get one cookie (shared) or do all children get one or more (per child)?
inclusion (N) – having all elements as a whole group

A number of / The number of

Express several or an amount

A number of / The number of

A NUMBER OF
A number of, "several" (an indefinite number) modifies a plural noun. Together they are plural in agreement with the verb. [modifier + noun]
A number of hula hoops are pink.
We saw a number of hula hoops. (several)
A number of hula hoops have disappeared. (are missing)

THE NUMBER OF
The number of states a quantity, an exact or inexact amount. The noun is singular in agreement with the verb. [noun + prep phrase]
The number of hula hoops is fifteen.
We saw the number of hula hoops. (Use a BE verb.) We saw that the number of hula hoops was rather small. /We noticed the number of hula hoops. (the overall amount)
The number of hula hoops has increased.

Also see A number of / The number of (articles).

Common Mistakes

Errors and Solutions

Error and Solution

ERROR
*One of the girls who is learning English was born in India. (a misidentified subject)
*Of the girls who is learning English, one was born in India. (You can more easily see the error if you reword the sentence.)
She is one of the only girls who fully understands the problem.
There's a lot of cases of Coronavirus right now in India. (There's includes a verb. It should not be used as a "frozen phrase".)

ERROR

*One of the girls who is learning English was born in India.

(a misidentified subject)

*Of the girls who is learning English, one was born in India.

(You can more easily see the error if you reword the sentence.)

She is one of the only girls who fully understands the problem.

There's a lot of cases of Coronavirus right now in India.

(There's includes a verb. It should not be used as a "frozen phrase".)

SOLUTION
One of the [girls who are learning English] was born in India. (girls is the noun that is modified by "who are learning English".
Of the girls (who) are learning English, one was born in India. The subject is who which refers to girls.
She is one of the few girls who fully understand the problem. ("One of "is followed by a quantity, but "only" limits the quantity to one.
There are a lot of cases of Coronavirus right now in India. There're a lot of cases of Corona virus… (informal contraction)

SOLUTION

One of the [girls who are learning English] was born in India.

(girls is the noun that is modified by "who are learning English".

Of the girls (who) are learning English, one was born in India.

The subject is who which refers to girls.

She is one of the few girls who fully understand the problem.

("One of "is followed by a quantity, but "only" limits the quantity to one.

There are a lot of cases of Coronavirus right now in India.

There're a lot of cases of Corona virus… (informal contraction)

*Yellow highlighted words are examples of incorrect usage.

▼ Hide Grammar Notes

Grammar Notes (Advanced)

Two Analyses of Most

Quantifier vs. Noun as Head of the Phrase (Verbal Agreement)

QUANTIFIER IS "HEAD" OF THE PHRASE
Most is usually analyzed as the quantifier at the head of the quantity phrase with a prepositional phrase as its modifier. This analysis regards most as the head of the quantity phrase, the primary word of "importance". The problem, with this analysis is that the verb does not agree with most; it agrees with the noun in the prepositional phrase (computers).

NOUN IS "HEAD" OF THE PHRASE
An alternative analysis is with most of as a predeterminer, a two-word modifying expression to the noun in the quantity phrase.. This analysis regards the noun (computers) as the head of the quantity phrase. There are some good arguments for this analysis, because the verb agrees with the noun computers, not most. This analysis also applies well to a lot of, a great deal of, a number of, some of, and all of.

NOUN IS "HEAD" OF THE PHRASE

An alternative analysis is with most of as a predeterminer, a two-word modifying expression to the noun in the quantity phrase.. This analysis regards the noun (computers) as the head of the quantity phrase. There are some good arguments for this analysis, because the verb agrees with the noun computers, not most. This analysis also applies well to a lot of, a great deal of, a number of, some of, and all of.

A quantity phrase includes a quantity noun (e.g., most) and a prepositional phrase (e.g., of the computers). There are two analyses: [1] the phrase modifies the quantity noun; or [2] the quantity phrase (most of) modifies the noun phrase that follows (the computers). For a detailed explanation, see Huddleston 5 §3.3 [58] (C).

head – in grammar, it is the primary word of the phrase. It is called a head because of (1) its initial (beginning) position in the phrase or (2) its role (meaning) in the phrase. (In the case of a double preposition, it is the first preposition that is the head.)

Also see Pop-Q – A lot of.

Works Cited

Azar, Betty Schrampfer, and Stacy A. Hagen. "Subject-Verb Agreement Using Quantity Expressions." Understanding and Using English Grammar. 4th ed., Pearson Education, 2009.
Biber, Douglas, and Stig Johansson, et al. "Determiners." Longman Grammar Of Spoken And Written English. Pearson Education, 1999.
———. "Collocations of Quantifying Collectives."
———. "Quantifying Nouns."
Garner, Bryan A. "A Large Amount of." Garner's Modern American Usage. 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2009.
Huddleston, Rodney D., and Geoffrey K. Pullum. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge UP, 2002.
———. "Non-count quantificational nouns" 5 §3.3 [57]
———. "Non-count quantificational nouns selecting a singular oblique" 5 §3.3 [59]
———. "Non-count quantificational nouns" 5 §3.3
———. "Partitive– some of the" 5 §9.1
———. "Predeterminer Modifiers"
Merriam-Webster. "half." 2016, merriam-webster.com.
Murphy, Raymond. "Pronouns and Determiners." English Grammar in Use. 5th ed., Cambridge UP. 2019.
Swan, Michael. "Half." Practical English Usage, 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2005.
———. "[a] lot, lots, plenty, a great deal, a large amount, a large number, the majority"

Practice 1

Spending Vacation Time

Quantity Phrase Agreement

Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check" or "check 1-10" button.

Every day a busy day for me.

Feedback 1

Some of my weekends free.

Feedback 2

Each of my Sundays a day of rest.

Feedback 3

Everyone time relaxing.

Feedback 4

The number of days until my next vacation ten.

Feedback 5

A quarter of my vacation time spent sleeping.

Feedback 6

None of my vacation hours spent thinking about work.

Feedback 7

All of my activities enjoyable.

Feedback 8

All of my time unscheduled. (I have no particular plans.)

Feedback 9

10.

Three-quarters of my vacation much too quickly.

Feedback 10

Practice 3

Vitamin Water

Read the Paragraph (without quantifiers)

Vitamin water sold in colorful bottles has little nutritional value. The nutrients vary from one brand to the next. A possible benefit is hydration —drinking enough water. People don't drink enough water, so these flavored waters may help them want to consume more water. However, these vitamin-water drinks contain a lot of sugar. Brand drinks contain artificial sweeteners.

[The water] has flavoring. [The bottle] contains more than one serving. This means [% bottle] is the serving for the calories on the label. [A bottle] of this vitamin water is expensive. Instead, nutritionists advise eating a healthy diet with nutrient rich vegetables and fruit. You can get your nutrition from eating a healthy diet.

artificial (Adj) – man-made, not natural

benefit (N) – advantage, improvement, help

consume (V) – eat or drink

hydration (N) – drinking and keeping enough water in the body

nutrients (N) – calories and vitamins that give the body what it needs to grow

nutritional (Adj) – relating to the substances in food that help you to stay healthy

nutritionist (N) – a person who studies and advises people about what is healthy to eat

sweetener (N) – sugar or syrup that makes food sweet

value (N) the importance or usefulness of something

vary (V) – differ

vitamin (N) – a chemical substance in food that is necessary for good health, such as Vitamins A, C, or D.

Add Quantifiers

Select the option that best completes the sentence.
Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "Check 21-30" button.

21-30

vitamin water sold in colorful bottles has little nutritional value. The nutrients vary from one brand to the next. possible benefits is hydration—drinking enough water. people don't drink enough water, so these flavored waters may help them want to consume more water. However, these vitamin-water drinks contain a lot of sugar. brand drinks contain artificial sweeteners. has flavoring. the bottles contain more than one serving. This means is the serving for the calories on the label. of this vitamin water is expensive. Instead, nutritionists advise eating a healthy diet with nutrient rich vegetables and fruit. You can get your nutrition from eating a healthy diet.

vitamin water sold in colorful bottles has little nutritional value. The nutrients vary from one brand to the next. possible benefits is hydration—drinking enough water. don't drink enough water, so these flavored waters may help them want to consume more water. However, these vitamin-water drinks contain a lot of sugar. brand drinks contain artificial sweeteners. has flavoring. the bottles contain more than one serving. This means is the serving for the calories on the label. of this vitamin water is expensive. Instead, nutritionists advise eating a healthy diet with nutrient rich vegetables and fruit. You can get your nutrition from eating a healthy diet.

Indicate a particular amount

Each v. Both v. Most

Glossary

Singular in Agreement

Pattern 1B: Quantity Noun is Singular

Pattern 1C: Quantity Phrase is Singular

Plural in Agreement

Plural / Singular or Plural

References

Half

A Half / Half a

Negatives

Quantity vs. A Unit

Each / Every

Each / Every

Express several or an amount

A number of / The number of

Errors and Solutions

Error and Solution

Grammar Notes (Advanced)

Quantifier vs. Noun as Head of the Phrase (Verbal Agreement)

Spending Vacation Time

Quantity Phrase Agreement

Martha's Show

Read for Errors

Determine if the sentence is correct or incorrect.

Vitamin Water

Read the Paragraph (without quantifiers)

Add Quantifiers