To talk about quantity (how much/many) we use general determiners . We use general determiners before a noun when we want to talk in a general way about things or people - when we don't want to talk about exact numbers or quantities.

1. Some and any

Zahra tells Alex to put herbs on the dish but she does not say exactly how many herbs. She says, "put some herbs …"
We can use some before uncountable nouns or plural countable nouns .

We use some in positive statements . We also use some when we offer or request things.

Examples

Alex asks Zahra about oil, "Do I need any oil ?" He doesn't know the answer.
We use any before uncountable and plural countable nouns to talk about a quantity of things or people that might or might not exist (e.g. there might be oil in the recipe, or there might not be).
We use any in negative statements and questions .

Examples

2. Much, many and a lot of

Alex wants to know what quantity of salt to use. Salt is an uncountable noun . He asks, "How much salt do I use?"
We use much in questions and negative statements about uncountable nouns .

Examples

Alex talks about the quantity of recipes he knows. Recipes is a countable noun . He says, "I don't know many recipes ."
We use many in questions and negative statements about plural countable nouns . We also use many in positive statements .

Examples

Zahra talks about the quantity of spices needed for her recipe. Spices is a countable noun . She says " A lot of spices !"
We use a lot (of) in positive and negative statements with plural countable nouns . We can also use a lot (of) with uncountable nouns . "Lots" is a less formal way to say a lot.

Examples

3. A few, a little

Zahra tells Alex how long to fry the spices for, "... fry for a few more minutes ." Minutes is a countable noun .
We use a few with countable nouns when we talk about a small quantity .
When we want to talk about a small quantity of an uncountable noun we use a little .

Examples

We use little and few without a , to express negative ideas. They mean the same as not much and not many .

I have little patience with children. I don't think I would be a good parent.
It's a very quiet place because few people go there.

We often use adverbs of degree with general determiners to modify or change their strength.

Alex does not feel confident about his cooking skills. He says, "I don't know very many recipes." He uses very to add emphasis to many . Very is an adverb of degree which strengthens the meaning of many . Some other adverbs we can use this way are: too, more, quite, rather, so.
We don't use adverbs of degree with some or any .

Examples

Examples