Questions tagged [quantifiers]
For questions about quantifiers, words indicating an amount or quantity. Some examples of quantifiers are: all, many, some, several and no.
139
questions
2
votes
2
answers
228
views
An annoyingly technical question about right nonce-constituent coordination in Huddleston & Pullum (2002)
I'm currently reading Huddleston & Pullum (2002), aka CGEL, specifically the chapter on "right nonce-constituent coordination"; the relevant pages are pp. 1342-1343. My question is about ...
- 13.8k
3
votes
2
answers
333
views
How to quantify "hash browns"
Does "hash browns" refer to a countable thing? Or a substance? Have I had too many or too much "hash browns"?
The word "browns" seems to imply a quantity. But, is there ...
- 225
0
votes
1
answer
111
views
How are the negative quantifiers "not many/not a lot of" interpreted?
I have edited the question for those nitpicking. It is a simple question.
The premise: "Many/a lot of" are multal degree quantifiers. "Not many/not a lot of" are their negatives....
user473438
0
votes
3
answers
58
views
"For every variable x and y" or "For every variables x and y"? [closed]
Which one of these two sentences is grammatical?
(1) For every variable x and y, so and so...
(2) For every variables x and y, so and so...
Grammarly seems to prefer (1), but it sounds strange to my ...
- 101
1
vote
7
answers
3k
views
Why a "100% chance" of rain? [closed]
A 100% chance means it is certain, so it is not really 'chance' in that case. Someone I know said that rain is always uncertain, so why not say a 99% chance then?
1
vote
2
answers
416
views
Some people or Many people!
In an English training book published by Oxford University, there's a conversation containing the line below:
Look, there's a building with many/some people outside. Turn left before you get there.
...
- 11
1
vote
1
answer
439
views
A little/A few in negative sentences and questions?
So, I was scrolling through the Cambridge Dictionary definition for a little and a few and I noticed that all the examples are all positive sentences. (link here)
It got me thinking, would it be safe ...
- 676
1
vote
0
answers
59
views
Is 'at least' really a positive polarity item? [duplicate]
My question (also copied below) was closed because "This question already has answers here". The linked answer says that negative polarity items only appear in negative contexts and positive ...
- 1,165
0
votes
2
answers
62
views
What are adjectives for "a group that grows fast", and "a group that is comparatively static"?
The context is: I have an app where there are entries, sorted in tables. Think "Employees" and "Sales":
The "Employees" table is mostly static. It might go up or down a ...
- 287
0
votes
0
answers
47
views
What does "they both can't be selected" mean? [duplicate]
The sentence "They both can't be selected", does that mean (1) None of them can be selected or (2) They both can't make it at the same time, only one of them can ?
If I, for example, want to ...
- 29
1
vote
1
answer
107
views
"All green apples but 1" or "All but 1 green apples"
I would like to use phrase "all but one" in the sentence like "Except for the one green apple, all the other green apples are bad."
Which expression is not ambiguous? "All but ...
- 21
1
vote
1
answer
74
views
quantifiers in comparatives adjectives [closed]
Good morning. I'd like to ask you something. I was confused about these words. They said " a bit, a little, slightly, a lot, and much" are all intensifiers in comparative sentences. But ...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
181
views
Is "distance" an "amount" or a "quantity"?
Distance can be measured so it would make sense for it to be a quantity. But this is where I arrive at an issue.
I think it's better if you say
a small amount of distance
than
a small quantity of ...
- 253
6
votes
1
answer
652
views
Does "much of a (countable noun)" mean the same as "much (countable noun)?"
(a): The countries did not have much of a choice when it came to
vaccines.
(b): The countries did not have much choice when it came to vaccines.
Are the sentences above semantically identical? Are ...
- 265
0
votes
1
answer
137
views
Quantifiers realised by a noun?
Let's consider the following sentence:
He drank [a glass of hot milk].
Here the brackated element is a Noun Phrase (NP). The head noun is glass. My question is can it be classified as a quantifier?
- 596
1
vote
2
answers
178
views
Enumeration with "all"
Consider this sentence:
Your self-confidence, resilience and adaptability , all will help you integrate in this new competitive environment.
My question is about the comma before all. I tried to ...
- 32k
2
votes
1
answer
58
views
The multiple meanings of "any" in different circumstances
I am confused about the different usages of the word (any* depending on the particular circumstance, and would appreciate some clarification. For instance, if I make the statement
I have more ...
- 138
0
votes
0
answers
24
views
Is there ambiguity in "by each" in this context?
The sentence:
"Find all malls that have been visited by each student attending Wolf
Secondary School"
I've recently encountered a question like this on a Computer Science test and ...
0
votes
1
answer
80
views
Is there an Infix phrase for "any of x are y" in the english language?
For a collection of objects x and predicate y, you can say "all of x are y". For example, "It is probably summer if all of the Tree's leaves are green". But you can also say "...
- 109
0
votes
1
answer
76
views
'All my life could be described as a chain of failures'. Is this sentence grammatically correct? [closed]
I'm a non-native speaker of English. Perhaps my question would seem a little bit silly.
All my life could be described as a chain of failures.
It seems to me that all my life is a disaster.
All my ...
0
votes
1
answer
53
views
Meaning of Anyone [closed]
Could anyone help me?
If I say : Will you stay with me if I speak to anyone?
Anyone means : whatever who (sorry I can say otherwise) I mean "anyone" like : Anyone can work here, it will go!
Thanks :...
- 43
0
votes
1
answer
280
views
Other or Another
I have a question about Quantitative words that I don't understand. Here it is:
Q: Istanbul is the biggest city in Turkey and one of the world's major
cities, with around 6.7 million people in the ...
- 13
0
votes
0
answers
34
views
Do you find "only belongings of somebody" a little bit wierd?
In the sentence below, do you think it is weird to say "only belongings" for "belongings" is a collective noun.
The angry mob destroyed the man's only belongings.
- 147
1
vote
0
answers
49
views
Using adjective as noun with "a lot of" quantifier
Why we should say “a lot of homeless people” and can’t say just “a lot of homeless” ?
- 11
0
votes
0
answers
49
views
Quantifiers like few, a few, etc
I came across a question in my book of whose answer I did not find satisfactory. Please help me
Q) Improve the bracketed part of the sentence.
The guest stood quietly for (few moments).
The answer ...
0
votes
1
answer
33
views
Some food/dishes
Is it correct to understand "some of the side dishes" as "some of a specific amount of food in the side dishes", or literally "a dish in the side dishes"?
- 157
1
vote
0
answers
462
views
“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few”
Think of Star Trek's quote:
“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” (or “the one”)
In the context of Star Trek, does the many/few refer to a specific group of many/few beings or many/...
- 1,420
0
votes
0
answers
61
views
Is it correct from a function's perspective to say "a piece of diamond"?
I'm designing a test for EFL students, basic level, and one item that refers to uncountable nouns was the following: "When I travel, I only take a piece of _______ for my security." My distractor was "...
0
votes
1
answer
110
views
as many as as much as
Which sentence is correct:
As many as 6% of US consumers say they are vegan, compared to just 1% in 2014. source
As much as 6% of US consumers say they are vegan, compared to just 1% in 2014.
...
- 1
1
vote
1
answer
364
views
"any of my X" vs "any X of mine"?
What's the difference between "any of my X" and "any X of mine"? My impression, as a non-native speaker of English, is that the latter sounds more formal.
I searched COCA Corpus, and I found:
any of ...
- 257
0
votes
1
answer
36k
views
"I hope you all/both are doing well" vs "I hope you are all/both doing well"?
Do both convey the same message, or not?
I hope you all are doing well.
I hope you are all doing well.
It occurs to me that the same thing happens with both when I'm only addressing two people ...
0
votes
1
answer
236
views
Why is it "less than 9" and not "fewer than 9" when we're talking about exam marks and scores?
This might sound like too elementary of a question but it suddenly popped into my head and started eating me. Why "I don't wanna be less than 90." and not "I don't wanna be fewer than 90."? Aren't ...
user323595
0
votes
1
answer
304
views
Quantifier + comparative - so much drunk or so much drunker
I'd like to know what´s wrong in the sentence:
I didn't drink any more than the guys did, but I got so much drunker.
I believe it's the quantifier + the comparative that is wrong, but I'm not ...
1
vote
1
answer
156
views
Use of ... all are?
Is the all in "John, Bob, and Sue all are hungry" redundant? Does it mean anything beyond "John, Bob, and Sue are hungry"?
- 29
2
votes
2
answers
213
views
Do native speakers actually "feel" the difference between the following sentences?
[A] Haven’t they sold many tickets?
[B] Haven’t they sold a lot of tickets?
According to the Cambridge dictionary, there's a difference in meaning here.
When we use much and many in negative ...
- 21
1
vote
4
answers
700
views
Single-word quantifiers for "zero or more"-like cardinalities
I'm on a trip to map different cardinalities to single-word quantifiers. In that context, I'm wondering if there is a word to say "zero or more", e.g. the same as what once is to "one and only one".
...
user355917
4
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is “the most amount of {countable things}” ever an acceptable replacement for “the greatest amount of {countable things}”?
A recent BBC article reads in part,
Yellowstone officials say bison can run up to 30mph (50km/h) and are the animal responsible for the most amount of injuries within the park.
The phrase “the ...
- 159
1
vote
2
answers
314
views
What is the quantifying determiner for durian/jackfruit?
What is the quantifying determiner for the tropical fruit 'durian'/'jackfruit'?
For instance:
I ate one durian
It is unclear if the person is eating the entire durian by themselves or just one ...
- 1,975
2
votes
1
answer
569
views
Romeo and Juliet "Which then most sought where most might not be found" [closed]
In the following excerpt from Romeo and Juliet, what do the words "which" and "most" refer to? Does the relative clause have a main verb at all?
“I, measuring his affections by my own, which then ...
- 1,881
0
votes
1
answer
67
views
What is the scope of the quantifier "some"?
I am writing a term paper in English and am not sure which of the two sentences below is correct:
some apples and pears
some apples and some pears
What I mean to say is that there are some apples ...
- 191
0
votes
1
answer
5k
views
After "some", plural or singular verb? [duplicate]
In these sentences:
"Some (composes/compose) delightful music"
"Some of them (write/writes) wonderful books"
Which form of the verb should I use?
1
vote
1
answer
3k
views
{This/that vs. these/those} + many + plural noun
From pag 419 of Mastering English An Advanced Grammar for Non-native and Native Speakers:
Elsewhere, demonstratives normally serve as determiners (as in that exact moment, this way, etc.). BUT in ...
- 2,403
1
vote
4
answers
178
views
How can I remove the redundancy in quantifying in "there is a whole number of apples, and a whole number of oranges"?
I am trying to write a word problem, and am having trouble with the wording of one part. Let's say for the sake of example that there are 10 apples and 20 oranges. Call them both items. I am trying to ...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
70
views
A comparison in two sets of quantifiers and adjectives
I learn almost every word on my own, in my productive if a bit peculiar way. I inevitably get perplexed by the ambiguity and the interchangeabilty between the words that I discover with more details.
...
- 39
0
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Why is it grammatically incorrect to say 'I watch much television' although it is an uncountable noun (in this context)?
In the grammatically correct sentence, 'I watch a lot of television', the noun 'television' is an uncountable noun. However, it is grammatically incorrect to say 'I watch much television' with the ...
- 11
5
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Is or Are? --> Every year, about 800,000 tonnes of food waste are generated
I need some help with the following sentence:
Every year, about 800,000 tonnes of food waste are generated.
Should it be "are" or "is"? (as bolded above)
- 51
0
votes
0
answers
325
views
How is quite used here? [duplicate]
"it was ... interesting to see these (1) quite deprived areas (1) erm (.)"
Is quite here being used as an quantifier and is the noun "areas" countable in this context? It sounds to me like 'quite' ...
- 1,079
0
votes
1
answer
12k
views
Should you use “it” or “they” when referencing a group of people? [duplicate]
Should you use it or they when referencing a group of people?
Here is the example sentence:
A group of students was walking on the road when a truck hit them/it and it/they was/were immediately ...
- 103
0
votes
1
answer
2k
views
"There is" or "There are": which is appropriate before "a whole slew of academic articles"? [duplicate]
There are a whole slew of academic articles.
To me, it seems that this sentence should say "There is a whole slew of academic articles," because the agreement should be with "slew." But I'm having a ...
- 270
2
votes
0
answers
877
views
There "is" or "are" a wealth of opportunities? [duplicate]
Which is correct: "there ARE a wealth of opportunities" or "there IS a wealth of opportunities?"
- 29