Expressions of quantity

 much
 many
 a few
 a little
 a lot of / lots of

Much or many? Few or little?

Much with uncountable nouns

Use much with singular nouns.

How much homework do we get?

How much money do I need?
How much milk do you want?
Is there much sugar in my tea?

Many with countable nouns

Use many with plurals.

How many sisters does he have?

How many pupils are in this class?
How many books do you buy?
How many cows live on this farm?

Much and many are used in questions and negatives. In affirmative sentences prefer a
lot of/ lots of.

(a) few or (a) little - expressions of quantity

a few ...
(A) few is used with plurals: a few pounds, a few trees a few boys, a few girls, a few
stones, a few cars.

Examples: a few

There are just a few examples.

I meet a few friends.
I see a few hundred pupils.
I've got few brothers.

a little...
(A) little is used with singular nouns (uncountable) nouns: a little water, a little milk, a
little sand, a little air.

Examples: a little

There is little tea left.

Not a lot, only a little, please.
I've got little money.

Little and few are negative. They mean not much / not many. A little and a few are more
positive.

a lot of / lots of
Use a lot of or lots of for nouns, you cannot count and for plurals. These adverbs of
quantity refer to frequency, quantity and degree.

For countable and uncountable nouns use exact quantities in your answer or use a lot
of / lots of. Examples: I've got 10 pens. I've got a lot of pens.

Examples - a lot of, lots of

There are 10 pupils.

There are a lot of cookies.
They have got a lot of CDs.