All/Most/Many/Some/Few: Quantifiers

Today's post will be about quantifiers like all, most, many, some, few, very few, hardly, etc.

We use quantifiers (adverbs of quantity) when we don't know the exact number of something. Below is a simple guide on how to use quantifiers and what they mean.

100%  All                                  
                 Nearly all                  Canadian mothers work outside the home
                 Most
       _   
                Many
                A lot of/lots of          Canadian couples are in common-law marriages
                Some
        _
               Not many
               A few
               Few                           Canadians live in the Yukon.
        _     Very few            
  0%     No  one                    in Canada hates hockey.

Often you'll see quantifiers  like most, many and some paired with the word "of". We use quantifiers when we're speaking about something in general or unspecific. We add "of" when we're talking about a specific group.

For example:

• In Canada, most workers are full-time employees. (in general)
• Most of the people in my office are contract workers. (specific group)
• Few people in Canada drink American beer. (in general)
• Very few of my friends enjoy American beer. (specific group) 

People often are confused about when to use few and a few. It's more about nuance than grammar. If we feel something is negative, we use few (and you don't need to use "a") If it's a little positive or not too bad, we use a few.

A few people came to Bob's party. (a little positive/not too bad)

Few people came to Bob's party. (negative)

Exercise 1

Rewrite the sentences using quantifiers or quantifiers + of. In most cases, there's more than one correct answer.

Example: 95% of Canadians pay too much tax.
                Nearly all Canadians pay too much tax.


1/

80% of Americans aren't happy Donald Trump is their president. (couldn't resist)

2/

95% of the reading materials in my home are comic books.

3/

In India, 15% of men do housework.

4/

Only 2% of my friends use Blackberry smartphones.

5/

Don't be afraid of big guys. 99% of them are very friendly.

Exercise 2

Write a paragraph using quantifiers.You can talk about any topic like family life, technology, food, etc. Read the following example to as a guide.

Family Life In Canada

Family life in Canada has changed over the last 50 years. These days, most couples have one child; some have decided not to have any children at all. Many Canadian couples are in common-law marriages.