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INDEFINITE AMOUNTS: SOME, ANY, MANY, MUCH - Coggle Diagram
INDEFINITE AMOUNTS: SOME, ANY, MANY, MUCH
Quick intro
Much, many, few and little are all “quantifiers”. Quantifiers are used to give information about quantity (the number of something). Both much and many suggest a large quantity of something, whilst little and few mean: not as much, or not as many. However, if you use a little or a few this means: a small amount!
But how do we know when to use each word? Broadly speaking, the rules for using these terms are based on whether the noun we are referring to is countable, uncountable, plural vs. singular OR whether they appear in positive or negative sentences or questions. Be careful because each set of words has its own particular rules and exceptions! Let’s take a closer look
Some, any, much, many, few and little are all words that come before nouns to help explain them. Some and any are both “determiners” – they tell us whether the noun phrase is general or specific. Some and any are both “general determiners”, which means they refer to an indefinite or unknown quantity of something.
Some vs. any
The words some and any are used when the exact number or amount of something is not known, or when it’s not important. Some and any are both used to refer to an indefinite quantity or number.
For example
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Singular or plural nouns
We don’t have any chicken left for dinner. (Chicken is singular)
It’s such nice weather! Let’s invite some friends round for a BBQ. (Friends is plural)
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Exceptions
There are some exceptions to these rules. We can use some in questions when offering something or making requests
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