Quantifiers and their ways of use

Bishkek   Humanities   University

Faculty   of  European  Civilization

English   Language   Department

 

 

 

 

 

          

 

 

           

 

 

 

   Theme: Quantifiers and their ways of use

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                Done by : Beishibekova A. D.

                                                 FEC, LP-08-3

                                                                                      Supervised by : Djanalieva A. N.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                      Quantifiers and their ways of use

 

 

Contents

 

1. Introduction          3

 

2. Chapter 1. General information about Noun and Quantifiers    5

 

2.1. Noun: Countable and uncountable Nouns     8

2.2. Quantifiers used with Countable Nouns     10

2.3. Quantifiers used with Uncountable Nouns     11 

2.4. Quantifiers used with countable and uncountable nouns  12       

 

 

3. Chapter 2. Examples with Quantifiers taken from the works of              13

American and English writers   

 

3.1. Quantifiers in dialogues                   15

3.2. Quantifiers in real life (expressions / phrases)              17

3.3. Comparative Analyses of rendering quantifiers into Russian             20

and English languages

 

4. Conclusion          25

 

5. Bibliography                                                                                                            28

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Introduction

 

           English is an international language and now it is the most widely used language in the world. It is spoken as a first , second and official language by a majority of the inhabitants of  nations, including United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, Australia, Germany, New Zealand and many other countries. And English is also popular in our country. A majority of people try to learn and try to speak in English. Some people learn through conversations and some people prefer to learn through grammar. Of course, learning any foreign language is interesting and fun but it takes a long time and patient. We should consider all their grammatical and speech rules. And my Course Paper deals with one aspect of English Grammar.

 

            The theme of the Course Paper is “Quantifiers and their ways of use”.

 

            The goal of the Course Paper is to explore Quantifiers, their functions and the ways of their rendering into Russian and English languages.

 

            The objectives of the Course Paper are the following:

 

• to investigate the ways of using quantifiers and analyze their types;
• to find out examples with quantifiers from the works of American and English writers;
• to analyze the ways of rendering quantifiers into Russian and English languages;

 

      The Theoretical Value of my Course Paper is that it can be used as an additional source for lessons of Grammar.

 

           The Practical Value of the Course Paper is the examples taken from different sources which can be used as an additional source for tests on Grammar and for lessons on Grammar.

 

           The Actuality of the Course Paper is that English Grammar always seems to be difficult for beginners and this Course Paper has informative examples with rendering into English language and analyses.

 

           The novelty of the Course Paper is that it contains examples taken from different life situations and can be helpful for the students to learn English through Grammar.

           The Course Paper consists of Introduction, Chapter 1, Chapter2, Conclusion and Bibliography and contains 28 pages.

 

          Chapter 1 deals with theoretical information on English Noun and Quantifiers used with countable and uncountable nouns.

 

          Chapter2 contains research on Quantifiers taken from the works of English and American writers, research on Quantifiers which used in the phrases in real life and Comparative analysis on the ways of rendering sentences with quantifiers into Russian and English languages.

 

         I hope that this work will be helpful not only for the students of our Department but also for other students who learn English through Grammar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Chapter 1. General information of a Noun and Quantifiers.

Morphological characteristics of a Noun.

             Its characteristic features are the following: the meaning of noun is thingness. Thus, nouns include not only a chair and an iron, but also beauty, peace, journey and everything else presented as a thing or object.

            The form of a Noun. Nouns have the category of number (singular or a plural), though some individual nouns may lack either a singular or a plural form. They also, in the accepted view, have the category of case (common and genitive).

           The function of noun is combining with words to form phrases. A noun combines with a preceding adjective (large room), or occasionally with following adjective (times immemorial), with a preceding noun in either the common case (iron bar) or the genitive case (father’s room), with a verb following it (children play) or preceding it (play games). Occasionally a noun may combine with a following or preceding adverb (the man there; the then president). It also combines with prepositions (in a house; house of rest). It is typical of a noun to be preceded by the definite or indefinite article (the room, a room).The function of noun in the sentence is a noun may be the subject or the predicative of a sentence, or an object, an attribute, and an adverbial modifier. It can also make part of each of these when preceded by a preposition.

            The Modern English noun certainly has not got the category of grammatical gender, which is to be found, for example, in Russian, French, German and Latin. Not a single noun in Modern English shows any peculiarities in its morphology due to its denoting a male or female being. Thus, the words husband and wife do not show any difference in their forms due to the peculiarities of their lexical meanings

      

 

(B.Ilyish, Leningrad, 1971, p.28, 36)

 

General characteristics of Quantifiers.

             At first let’s consider quantification. Quantification has several distinct senses. In mathematics and empirical science, it is the act of counting and measuring that maps human sense observations and experiences into members of some set of numbers. Quantification in this sense is fundamental to the scientific method.

           In logic, quantification is the binding of a variable ranging over a domain of discourse. The variable thereby becomes bound by an operator called a quantifier. Academic discussion of quantification refers more often to this meaning of the term than the preceding one.

           And the last one, in grammar, a quantifier is a type of determiner that indicates quantity. These items have been argued to correspond to logical quantifiers at the semantic level.

         We use quantifiers when we want to give someone information about the number of something: how much or how many. Grammatically, these quantifiers are determiners: they modify a noun phrase. (Other determiners in English include the, my and those.)

To form a sentence using a quantifier, one generally needs to add two things: a (possibly modified) noun (obtaining five young men) and a verb phrase (obtaining Five young men sang in harmony).In this respect, our natural-language quantifiers are different from the familiar quantifiers of first-order logic, which just require you to add one thing (an open formula) to get a sentence. We can better capture the grammatical form of English sentences using binary quantifiers: quantifiers that take two open sentences and form a sentence: The noun can sometimes be omitted, when it is clear from context, for example, “Most went,” “Few went,” “Many went,” “Two went,” “Some went,” and “All went”. Note, however, that “No went” and “A went” always seem bad.

           Quantifiers are a type of determiner, which denote imprecise quantity. They differ from numbers or numerals which indicate precise quantity.

 

 

 

 

 

There are three types of quantifier;

1. Neutral quantifiers (some, few)

2. Quantifiers of large quantity (too many, a great deal of, a lot of, huge)

3. Quantifiers of small quantity (little, a little, few, a few)

 

            1. Neutral quantifiers :

Some and any, several, a number of, enough

           Some and any are both quantifiers and articles. In many contexts, some is the plural indefinite article, the plural of "a" or "an"; but more often, some implies a limited quantity, and for this reason has the value of a quantifier. Some is used in affirmative statements; it is replaced with any in negative and interrogative contexts.

          Several and a number of  imply "more than one, but less than a lot". They are not usually used in negative or interrogative structures, only in affirmative statements.

          Enough implies a sufficient quantity; it is used in affirmations, negations and questions.

 

           2. Quantifiers of large quantity:

Much, many, lots of, plenty of, numerous, a large number of, etc.

 

           Much and many: much is used with non count nouns (always in the singular); many is used with count nouns in the plural. Much and many are not often used, in modern spoken English, in affirmative statements; but they are very commonly used in interrogative and negative contexts.

Remember this principle: don't use much or many in affirmative statements.

             Lots of, a lot of, plenty of, a large number of, numerous.

These expressions all mean more or less exactly the same. In the list above, they are arranged in order of formality, going from the most informal (lots of) to the most formal (numerous). Informal language is more appropriate in dialogue, formal language in written documents.

 

       

 

 

 

 

 

             3.Quantifiers of small quantity

few, a few, little, a little, not many, not much, a small number of, etc.

These quantifiers are normally only used in affirmative statements, to which they give a negative coloring.

 

            Little, a little, not much are used with non count nouns

(always in the singular)

          

           Few, a few, not many are used with count nouns in the plural.

 

           Quantifiers can be a single word or a phrase and are used with nouns. They can be used with both a countable and an uncountable noun to express amount or quantity.

 

2.1.Noun: Countable and Uncountable Nouns

 

Countable nouns

        

Countable nouns are the names of separate objects, people, ideas etc which can be counted. They have plurals. For example: dog, tree, girl, book, occasion and link

We can use numbers and the article a/an with countable nouns:

    a dog

    two books

    three girls

 

Uncountable nouns

 

Uncountable or mass nouns are the names of materials, liquids, abstract qualities, collections and other things which we do not see as separate objects. Most uncountable nouns are singular with no plurals. For example: wheat, sand, weather, water, wool, milk

We cannot use numbers with uncountable nouns. They are also not normally used with the article a/an.

    accommodation (countable - a place to live)

    advice (a piece of advice)

    bread (a piece of bread; a loaf; a roll)

 

Sometimes it is not easy to see whether a noun is countable or uncountable. For instance, travel is normally uncountable, while journey is countable. It is impossible to give complete details. The following rules, however, should help.

 

Illnesses

 

The names of illnesses are usually uncountable in English. For example: chickenpox, measles, cancer, diabetes, flu etc.

 

    If you have had chickenpox, you can’t get it again.

 

But note that the words for some minor ailments are uncountable. Words such as a cold, a headache

 

    I have a bad headache.

 

Mixed uses

 

Many nouns have both countable and uncountable uses, sometimes with a difference of meaning.

 

Words for materials are usually uncountable. But note that the same word is often used as countable noun to refer to something made of the material.

 

    Have you got some typing paper? (Uncountable)

    I want a paper. (Countable)

    Have you got any coffee?

    Could I have two coffees? (= two cups of coffee)

 

Many abstract nouns are uncountable when used in a general sense. The same noun can be countable in a particular sense.

 

    She hasn’t got enough experience for the job. (Uncountable)

   It was a strange experience. (Countable)

    Take your own time. (Uncountable)

    Have a good time. (Countable)

 

 

Plural uncountable nouns

 

Some uncountable nouns are plural. They have no singular forms with the same meaning, and cannot be used with numbers. Examples are: trousers, jeans, pajamas, pants, scissors, spectacles, glasses, arms, goods, customs, groceries, clothes and thanks

 

    Have you bought the groceries?

    Many thanks for your help.

 

Other plural uncountable nouns include the expressions the British, the Dutch, the English, the French, the Irish, the Spanish and the Welsh.

 

Now we know the difference between countable and uncountable nouns, we are going to look at how to describe how much of something there is, or the quantity of something.

 

Quantifiers must agree with the noun. There are 3 main types of quantifiers. Quantifiers used with countable nouns, quantifiers used with uncountable nouns and quantifiers used with both.

 

2.2. Quantifiers used with countable nouns

Which quantifiers can we use?

Depending on whether a noun is countable, there are many phrases you can use:

 

• For Countable Nouns Only  How many? 

a)"How many newspapers do you read every day?"  

b)"How many Euros have you got?"

 

Quantifiers with countable nouns	For example
many     a few/few/very few                      a number (of)     several     a large number of     a great number of     a majority of	Many buttons A few buttons Few buttons Several buttons A great number of buttons A majority of people

 

1. There aren't many books.
2. There are a few newspapers.
3. A great number of my buttons are red.
4. A majority of people of Kyrgyzstan prefer to learn English.

 

 

Quantifiers with singular countable nouns	Quantifiers with plural countable nouns
one --> student            each --> culture            every --> country	two --> students              both --> men              a couple --> schools

 

A) Every country in the world has its own culture.

b) One my friend goes abroad.

c) Both men are working in the Parliament.

d) A couple of schools are making reconstruction.

 

2.3 Quantifiers used with uncountable nouns

 

• For Uncountable Nouns Only How much?         

a)"How much paper is in the printer?"

b)"How much money have you got?

 

 

Quantifiers with uncountable nouns	For example
much     a little/little/very little     a bit (of)     a great deal of     a large amount of     a large quantity of	not much music a little music little music a bit of music a good deal of music a great deal of music

 

 

 

1. I can't work here. There's too much noise.
2. I need some paper to write on.
3. I have a little work to do.
4. I have a large amount of money.

 

2.4 Quantifiers with both

 

Quantifiers with countable and uncountable nouns	For example
all     enough     more/most     less/least     no/none     not any     some     any     a lot of     lots of     plenty of	all of the buttons/music some buttons/music most of the buttons/music enough buttons/music   a lot of buttons/music lots of buttons/music plenty of buttons/music a lack of buttons/music

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Chapter 2. Examples with Quantifiers taken from the works of American and English writers

 

             Quantifiers are very popular in using in the novels, stories, tests and compositions. It shows that different quantifiers carry different hidden messages under the surface, balancing degree of agreement or commitment. Almost all writers use quantifiers in their works.

 

           For example in Bruno Bettelheim’s work “The art of motion pictures”

we can meet a lot of quantifiers.

 

      1.   “Whether we like or not and many may disagree with my thesis because painting, or music, or some other art is more important to them – the art of the moving image is the only art truly of our time whether it is in the form of the film or television”.(“Mind speaks to Mind”, Dean Curry, Washington,1988, p.1)

 

Here we identify “many” and “some” as quantifiers.

At first, let’s consider “many”-is used in negative and question forms, with plural countable nouns, here “many” refers to people.

 

    2.    “Quite a few moving pictures have conveyed such visions”.

(“Mind speaks to Mind”, Dean Curry, Washington, 1988, p.2)

 

In this sentence “a few” gives a positive idea, it indicates that something exists, is present.

 

            William F. Buckley, JR. “Up from Misery”

 

    3. “Then in the spring of 1972 his gentle devoted wife had a mastectomy, the prognosis optimistic, but with a shade of uncertainty, so, to beef up his morale, he increased the dosage just a little”.

(“Mind speaks to Mind”, Dean Curry, Washington, 1988, p.7)

 

 

“A little”- the same as “a few” gives a positive idea and indicates that something exists, is present.

 

        4.    “His banked up grief for his wife raged now and every moment, every long afternoon and evening without her, and without alcohol, were endless bouts with the haunting question: what is the point in living at all?”

(“Mind speaks to Mind”, Dean Curry, Washington, 1988, p.8)

 

 

In these sentences we meet quantifier with singular expressions of quantity: every, it is used when the speaker means “all”

 

              Andrew Carnegie, “How I served my apprenticeship”.

   

        5.     “The first serious lesson of my life came to me one day when he had taken in the last of his work to the merchant, and returned to our little home greatly distressed because there was no more work for him to do”.

(“Mind speaks to Mind”, Dean Curry, Washington, 1988, p.13)

 

 

“Little”(without a) gives negative idea, it indicates that something is largely absent.

 

Let’s consider the same sentence with “little”

 

     6.       “I have little money”.

 

It means that I don’t have enough money to buy something.

 

             Arthur Conan Doyle, “The lost world. The stories about Sherlock Holmes”

 

      7.      “It was the wet season, Mr. Malone and I couldn’t stay there longer. I explored some low parts of this cliff, but I couldn’t find any way up”.

 

     8.        “To Sherlock Holmes she was always the woman. He never told about her in any other words. Sherlock Holmes didn’t feel any love for Irene Adler”.

(“The lost world. The stories about Sherlock Holmes “Arthur Conan Doyle, Moscow, 2002)

 

Any-we use with negative and question sentence. In all sentences it means there is no, for example, way up, words or love.