Determiners come before a noun to tell us which one, whose, or how many/how much.
Quantifiers are determiners that show amount or number.
Determiners: this book, my car, that idea, her job.
Quantifiers: many friends, much money, a few minutes, a lot of water.
1) Core Determiner Types
| Type | Examples | Use |
|---|
| Articles |
a/an, the, Ø (no article) |
a/an = one, non-specific; the = specific; Ø with plural/uncountable general nouns ("I like coffee"). |
| Demonstratives |
this/that, these/those |
Show distance or emphasis: this pen, those people. |
| Possessives |
my, your, his, her, its, our, their |
Show ownership: my keys, their house. |
| Quantifiers |
some, any, much, many, a lot of, few/a few, little/a little, several, all, no, none, enough, each, every |
Show amount or number (see sections below). |
2) Quantifiers by Noun Type
| Noun Type | Common Quantifiers | Examples |
|---|
| Countable (books, chairs) |
many, a few / few, several, each, every, a lot of / lots of |
We have a few questions. / Many people agree. |
| Uncountable (water, time) |
much, a little / little, a lot of / lots of, enough |
We don't have much time. / She needs a little sugar. |
| Both |
some / any, plenty of, all, no, none, enough |
There are some apples. / There is some milk. |
Few/Little vs. A few/A little
few/little = almost none (negative idea). a few/a little = some (positive idea).
👉 We have a few options. vs. We have few options.
3) Quick Rules
- Use much/many mostly in questions and negatives: Do you have many friends? / I don't have much time.
- Use a lot of/lots of in positive sentences: She has a lot of books.
- Some in positive; any in negatives/questions: There aren't any tickets.
- Each (every single one, focus on individuals) vs. Every (all, as a group): Each student has a card. Every student has homework.
- None + singular/plural verb depending on focus: None of the information is… / None of the students are/is…
4) Common Patterns
| Pattern | Example |
|---|
| quantifier + of + determiner/pronoun + noun |
some of the students, many of them, none of the money |
| enough + noun / adjective + enough |
enough time / warm enough |
| too much/too many + noun / too + adjective |
too many emails / too expensive |
| no + noun (more direct than "not any") |
There is no milk. (= There isn't any milk.) |
5) Common Mistakes
- ❌ There are much people here. → ✅ There are many people here. (people is countable)
- ❌ I don't have many time. → ✅ I don't have much time. (time is uncountable)
- ❌ She has a little friends. → ✅ She has a few friends. (friends are countable)
- ❌ Every of the students… → ✅ Each of the students / Every student…
- ❌ None of the information are… → ✅ None of the information is… (information is uncountable)