Quantifiers

Definitions of Quantifiers:

Quantifiers are the part of Determiner and they are used as adjectives. They are used before the countable or uncountable or both noun to express the amount or quantity of something or somebody. 'Some', 'many', 'a lot of' and 'a few' are examples of quantifiers. 

• There are some books on the desk
• He's got only a few dollars.
• How much money have you got?
• There is a lot of fish in this river.
• He's got more friends than his sister.

Quantifiers can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns. They give approximate or specific answers to the questions "How much?" and "How many?"

In short, the quantifiers report quantity. They can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns. They are separated into countable and uncountable. Countable nouns are used as singular or plural. Uncountable nouns do not have a plural form and they are being used with a singular verb.

Use of quantifiers:

Many, Much, Any, Some, A lot of, Lots of :

The word 'many' is used only with plural and 'much' is used with uncountable nouns. Any, some, a lot of / lots of are used with both countable plural and uncountable nouns. 

Generally, the word 'any' is used in questions and negative sentences.

Example:

• Are there any wild animals in this forest?
• No, there aren’t any.

The word 'some' is used with countable plural or uncountable nouns. When it is used with countable nouns, it means 'a few', and when it is used with uncountable nouns, it gives 'a little' meaning. 

A lot of / lots of is used with countable plural or uncountable nouns. It means 'a lot' in a sentence.

Example:

• Is there any people at the wedding?
• Yes, there are many people at the wedding.

How many, how much questions are used when asking quantity.

• How many people were there at the party?
• There were a lot.

• How much money do we have?
• We don’t have much.

Few / a few, little / a little

Few / a few is used with countable plural nouns. The other point is, little / a little is used with uncountable nouns.