A lot of, many, much, (a) few, (a) little

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 1

A LOT OF, MANY, MUCH, (A) FEW, (A) LITTLE

QUANTIFIERS

We gebruiken quantifiers (hoeveelheidswoorden) om aan te geven hoeveel er ergens van is. We maken hierbij onderscheid tussen telbare en ontelbare zelfstandige naamwoorden.

Voorbeelden van telbare en ontelbare zelfstandige naamwoorden:

Telbaar: coins, houses, slices of bread, glasses of water (meestal in het meervoud)

Ontelbaar: money, milk, rice, advice, luggage, furniture, information (meestal in het enkelvoud)

A LOT OF

We gebruiken a lot of (veel) voor zowel telbare als ontelbare zelfstandige naamwoorden.

• I have baked a lot of cakes in my life.
  
• I’ve earned a lot of money since last year.
  
• He has got a lot of coins in his piggy bank.

MUCH & MANY

We gebruiken many voor telbare zelfstandige naamwoorden, en much voor ontelbare zelfstandige naamwoorden. We gebruiken much en many vooral in vraagzinnen en ontkenningszinnen.

• How much money do you have left?
  
• How much sugar do you want?
  
• I don't have much time.
  
• How many people work here?
  
• How many pets do you have?
  
• There aren't many people who can do what you do.

MUCH & MANY

In bevestigende zinnen worden much en many niet vaak gebruikt. We gebruiken ze wel bij zinnen waar so, as en too in staan.

• He has got so many friends.
• We need as much time as you can give us.
• This is way too much.

(A) FEW & (A) LITTLE

Er is een verschil in betekenis tussen a few en few. Hetzelfde geldt voor a little en little.

• A few = een paar
  
• Few = weinig
  
• A little = een beetje
  
• Little = weinig

(A) FEW & (A) LITTLE

We gebruiken (a) few voor telbare zelfstandige naamwoorden, en (a) little voor ontelbare zelfstandige naamwoorden.

• I work out for a few hours a day.
  
• There are few people who can run as fast as Usain Bolt.
  
• I need a little more time to prepare.
  
• I have little interest in going any further.

IN SUMMARY

Bevestigende zinnen (telbaar): a lot of, many, few, a few

Bevestigende zinnen (ontelbaar): a lot of, much, little, a little

Ontkennende zinnen (telbaar): many

Ontkennende zinnen (ontelbaar): much

Vraagzinnen (telbaar): many, few, a few

Vraagzinnen (ontelbaar): much, little, a little

IN SUMMARY

Which quantifiers fit best? Choose between much, many, a lot of, (a) few, (a) little.

1. They have had ___ homework in mathematics recently.
   
2. How ___ time do you need to finish the work?
   
3. There are too ___ students in the library.
   
4. Have you visited ___ foreign countries?
   
5. Could I borrow ___ money from you? I need to buy something to eat.
   
6. There are ___ people who can run as fast as Usain Bolt.
   
7. They say too ___ knowledge is a dangerous thing.
   
8. He’s having ___ of trouble passing his driving test.
   
9. I spend too ___ of my time reading novels, I should do it more.

IN SUMMARY

1. They have had a lot of homework in mathematics recently.
2. How much time do you need to finish the work?
3. There are too many students in the library.
4. Have you visited many / a lot of foreign countries?
5. Could I borrow a little money from you? I need to buy something to eat.
6. There are few people who can run as fast as Usain Bolt.
7. They say that having too much knowledge is a dangerous thing.
8. He’s having a lot of of trouble passing his driving test.
9. I spend too little of my time reading novels, I should do it more.