Quantifiers, Intensifiers, Determiners

Quantifiers Quantifiers – are words that precede and modify nouns, telling us how many or how much. They denote imprecise quantity/quantities, unlike numerals or numbers which indicate precise quantity/quantities. They answer the following questions: 1.How much? 2.How many?

Quantifiers 1.How much? These are used only with nouns that cannot be counted. E.g. You should put a little more pepper to make it spicy. There is still a bit of grime on the carpet. I don’t have much time to spare. A great deal of my work is making phone calls. The paintings were sold for a large amount of cash.

Quantifiers 2. How many? These are used with nouns that can be counted. E.g. A person was left in the room. An odd-looking old man yelled at me. One puppy is missing from the crate. Each package has been inspected. Every student was given a task. Both shows have been cancelled last month. I made a couple of phone calls to my mom yesterday.

Quantifiers 2. How many? These are used with nouns that can be counted. E.g. I donated a few clothes to the fire victims. There are several wedding gowns to choose from. There are too many projects to work on. A number of kids were startled by the thunder. A large number of trees were cut by the loggers. He has spoken at a great number of conferences.

Quantifiers There are also quantifiers that can be used with both count and non-count nouns. E.g. All of the pain resurfaced. I felt some sadness during the eulogy. Most of the sentiments were irrational. There’s not enough room in here. A lot of talk has been going around. We’ll have lots of fun at the beach. We don’t have plenty of time. There is a lack of trust within our family.

Intensifiers Intensifiers - used to enhance adjectives and adverbs. E.g. The movie was very scary. “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” –Oscar Wilde That girl is extremely talented. I dreamt of an amazingly beautiful woman talking to me. You performed exceptionally well at the recital. There are several incredibly talented students in your school. She performed remarkably well in the Spelling contest. I am not particularly proficient in singing. You aren’t old enough to drive a car. [NOTE: Enough comes after the adjective, not before.]

Intensifiers Intensifiers - used to enhance adjectives and adverbs. E.g. There are so many problems caused by pollution. Your dress is quite alluring. We came dangerously close to the lions at the safari. This artwork is far better than what you submitted yesterday. I am seriously tired after that game. She is a highly respected actress. He’s much older than his sister. I’m a far better dancer than my partner. Texas is a lot bigger than New York. It’s quite a lot colder in the basement than out here.

Intensifiers Intensifiers - used to enhance adjectives and adverbs. E.g. It’s a great deal noisier in the cafeteria than in the library. Houses are a good deal cheaper these days. I’m a good bit calmer now than I was this morning. It’s a fair bit warmer in my bedroom than in the attic. Our workload is easily lighter now that our records are computerized. I am by far stronger now after weeks of training.

Predeterminers Predeterminers – occur prior to other determiners. They include multipliers (double, twice, four times, etc.), fractional expressions (one-third, three-quarters, etc.); the words half, both, and all; and intensifiers such as such, rather, and quite.

Predeterminers E.g. Once, twice, double... My husband makes double my salary. One-third, three-quarters... Three-quarters of the respondents thought that all the subjects were just acting.

Predeterminers E.g. Both, half, all... Both of my children are athletic. Half of the dogs in this kennel are male. All of the supervisors were laid off. Quite, rather, such... It was quite a relaxing place.