Expressions of quantity

1. “Some” and “Any”

1.1 “Some”

We use some with:

- countable plural nouns: some balloons, some guests  

- uncountable nouns: some music, some juice  

Use “some” in:

- affirmative (positive) sentences

- offers and requests

Examples (celebrations):

- We have some balloons for the party.  

- There is some cake on the table.  

- Would you like some juice?  

- Can I have some music for my birthday video?

1.2 “Any”

We use any with:

- countable plural nouns: any gifts, any chairs  

- uncountable nouns: any water, any money  

Use “any” in:

- negative sentences

- questions

Examples (celebrations):

- We don’t have any candles for the cake.  

- There isn’t any music at the party.  

- Are there any snacks on the table?  

- Is there any juice left?

1.3 Quick check

Choose some or any:

1. There are not ___ balloons in the room.  

2. We have ___ ice cream for the guests.  

3. Are there ___ flowers for the wedding?  

4. Can I have ___ more cake, please?

2. “Much” and “Many”

2.1 “Many” – for countable plural nouns

Use many with things you can count:  

guests, gifts, balloons, chairs, photos, songs

Often in:

- questions

- negative sentences

Examples:

- Are there many guests at the party?  

- We don’t have many chairs for everyone.  

- There aren’t many balloons in the room.  

We usually don’t say “There are many guests” in positive sentences. We prefer:  

- There are a lot of guests.

2.2 “Much” – for uncountable nouns

Use much with things you cannot count:  

money, time, food (in general), music, juice, cake (as a mass), noise

Often in:

- questions

- negative sentences

Examples:

- Is there much food at the party?  

- There isn’t much juice left.  

- We don’t have much time to decorate.

Again, in positive sentences we usually prefer a lot (of), not “much”:  

- There is a lot of food at the party. (NOT “There is much food.”)

2.3 Quick check

Choose much or many:

1. Are there ___ presents under the tree?  

2. We don’t have ___ money for the party.  

3. There aren’t ___ chairs in the room.  

4. Is there ___ noise at the festival?

3. “A lot (of)”

We use a lot of with:

- countable plural nouns: a lot of guests, a lot of balloons  

- uncountable nouns: a lot of food, a lot of music  

Use it mostly in positive sentences.

It means: many / much.

Examples:

- There are a lot of guests at the party.  

- We have a lot of snacks and drinks.  

- There is a lot of music and dancing.  

You can also say “We danced a lot” (no noun after “a lot”).  

- We laughed a lot at the party.  

3.1 Quick check

Complete with a lot of or a lot:

1. There are ___ balloons in the garden.  

2. We sang and danced ___ at the wedding.  

3. There is ___ food on the table.  

4. “A few” and “A little”

4.1 “A few” – small number (countable)

Use a few with countable plural nouns:  

guests, gifts, candles, photos, games

It means some but not many (a small number).

Examples:

- There are a few guests in the garden.  

- We have a few party games for the children.  

- I took a few photos of the birthday cake.  

4.2 “A little” – small amount (uncountable)

Use a little with uncountable nouns:  

juice, money, time, music, food, cake (mass)

It means some but not much (a small amount).

Examples:

- There is a little juice in the bottle.  

- We have a little time before the guests arrive.  

- Can you play a little music at the party?  

4.3 “Few” and “Little” (without “a”) – more negative

- Few guests = almost no guests  

- A few guests = some guests (it’s OK)  

- Little food = almost no food  

- A little food = some food (it’s OK)

Compare:

- We have a few snacks. (Some snacks; it’s enough.)  

- We have few snacks. (Not enough snacks.)  

- There is a little juice. (Some; OK.)  

- There is little juice. (Almost none; problem.)

4.4 Quick check

Choose a few or a little:

1. There are ___ candles on the birthday cake.  

2. We have ___ time before the party starts.  

3. I invited ___ friends to my celebration.  

4. There is ___ cake left. Do you want it?

5. Summary Table

| Type of noun | Positive | Questions / Negatives (common) |

| Countable plural | some, a few, a lot of | any, many |

| Uncountable | some, a little, a lot of | any, much |

6. Practice – Party Sentences

Choose the correct word:

1. There are (much / many / a lot of) balloons at the birthday party.  

2. We don’t have (much / many / a lot of) juice. Can you buy more?  

3. Are there (some / any) games for the children?  

4. There is (a few / a little) music, but it’s very quiet.  

5. I invited (a few / a little) classmates to my party.  

6. There are (some / any) flowers on the wedding tables.  

7. We took (much / many / a lot of) photos at the festival.  

8. There isn’t (some / any) cake left.