Lesson 42: Unit 183 - Expressing Quantity
This lesson looks at quantifiers in English – words such as few/a few, little/a little, many, much and others – and the rules for using them with countable and uncountable nouns.
About this lesson
In this lesson you will learn how to express quantity in English, using different constructions such as "much", "many", "a lot of", "few", "little" and many others. You will master the rules for using these words with countable and uncountable nouns. You will understand the important nuance between "few/little" (negative meaning – not enough) and "a few/a little" (positive meaning – a small amount, but enough). Through an authentic text about British attitudes to housing and practical exercises, you will be able to talk accurately and naturally about quantities in everyday life.
40 minutes
What you'll learn
- Recognise and use quantifiers in English.
- Distinguish the use of few/little (negative) from a few/a little (positive).
- Use quantifiers correctly with countable and uncountable nouns.
- Read and understand an authentic text about British attitudes to housing.
- Answer questions orally about preferences related to housing.
Lesson vocabulary
- detached house A large number of British people dream of living in a detached house.
- privacy A large detached house not only ensures privacy.
- status symbol A large detached house is also a status symbol.
- stately home At the extreme end of this scale there is the aristocratic stately home set in acres of garden.
- cottage A few Britons would be happy to live in a cottage.
- reminiscent of A thatched cottage reminiscent of a pre-industrial age.
- block of flats Most people try to avoid living in blocks of flats.
- high-rise Many of them were given smart new high-rise blocks of flats to live in.
- deteriorate A lot of high-rise blocks quickly deteriorated.
- graffiti There was graffiti all over the walls.
- quantifier Words like 'some', 'many' and 'few' are quantifiers.
- countable noun 'Friends' is a countable noun: I have a few friends.
- uncountable noun 'Money' is an uncountable noun: I have a little money.
- a great deal of A great deal of money was spent on the new flats.
- hardly any Hardly any of them liked their new homes.
In other languages: Български