Grammar: “the”, a/an, quantifiers

And containers
CONTENTS
Grammar – When NOT to Use ‘the’! (definite article) .......................................................................................................................... 3
 1. GRAMMAR – WHEN NOT TO USE ‘THE’!
(DEFINITE ARTICLE)
For many English learners, articles are one of the most difficult things to remember! Even more confusing, it is not
ALWAYS necessary to use an article in English.

Sometimes it is easier to remember when NOT to use something, instead of trying to memorize when
to use something.
Here are some situations in which you do not need to use the.
Pronunciation: consonant sound“ da”,vowel sound and superlative “ di “

Ruler
1. When you talk about
things in general:
*The main rule to
remember is: you don’t
need an article when
you talk about things in
general. ‘The‘ does
NOT = all
Example
1. Use plural count nouns:
Cats make great pets!
*You’re not talking about one specific cat or one specific
pet; you’re just talking about all cats in general.
Women love it when men send them flowers!
Houses are expensive in that neighbourhood.
People think all Canadians speak English and French, but
they’re wrong!
Companies in Canada pay very high taxes.
I love reading books.
B) Use non-count nouns:
I love listening to music.
*Here you are just saying that you enjoy music in general –
not any specific kind of music or song.
She’s afraid of heights, so we couldn’t go to the top of the
Eiffel Tower.
I love chocolate!
Have you eaten lunch yet?
She’s a vegetarian. She doesn’t eat meat.

2. Names – holidays, a) Holidays

geography, companies, I got a beautiful new dress for Christmas.
languages. I got my mom a movie catalogue for Mother’s Day.
On St. Patrick’s Day everybody wears green.
[*these are all proper What are you doing on Valentine’s Day?
nouns]
b) Geography
*Articles are not used before countries, states, cities, towns,
continents, single lakes, single mountains.
I live in Canada.
I’m going to Europe next month on vacation.
Lake Ontario and Lake Huron are 2 of the Great
Lakes.
Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan.
Mt. Rosa is part of the Alps mountain range.
*Mt. Rosa is one mountain; The Alps describe a group of
mountains.
*Of course, there is an exception to every rule in English:
the United States
the Czech Republic
the Philippines

c) Companies
Bill Gates founded Microsoft.
Wal-Mart is the largest employer in the U.S.
McDonald’s has restaurants in 119 countries.
I use Twitter and Facebook every day.

d) Universities
Her son graduated from Harvard.
She goes to Oxford.
He applied to Cambridge, Yale, and Stanford.
*However, if the name of the university begins with
‘University,’ then you must use ‘the’:

He has a master’s degree from the University of Toronto.

e) Languages
I am studying Russian.
I speak French.
In Brazil people speak Portuguese.
I teach people how to speak English.
 4. Sports I love to go skiing in the winter.
I play football every day after school.
*Sports and other He loves watching hockey on TV.
physical activities do
She tries to do yoga at least 3 times a week.
not need an article:
My daughter really enjoys dancing.

5. Noun + number He’s staying at the Hilton hotel in room 221.

[NOT the room 221]
The train to Paris leaves from platform 2.
My English class is in room 6 on the first floor.
*’First’ is an adjective in this sentence, used to describe ‘the
floor.
Picture number 6 matches with ‘window’
[This is something learners say when doing a matching
activity in an English class]

6. Acronyms An acronym is an abbreviation (a short form) of a name. It

uses the first letter of each word to form a new word.

a) If the acronym is pronounced as a word (not individual

letters), don’t use ‘the.’

NATO ambassadors met to discuss the situation.

(NATO is the acronym used for the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization. UNESCO is pronounced as one word,
/’neɪtoʊ/.)

UNESCO was formed in 1946.

(UNESCO is the acronym used for the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. UNESCO is
pronounced as one word, /ju’nɛskoʊ/.)
2. The is not used before university acronyms:
John Smith got his MBA at UCLA.
She has a Ph.D. from MI

EXCEPTION:
You need to use ‘the’ before acronyms of organizations &
countries when the letters are pronounced individually, not as
a word.
 The UN was created after the Second World War.
(UN is used to represent the United Nations. UN is pronounced
you-N /ju’ɛn/. It is not pronounced ‘un’ /ʌn/, like in the word
under.)

Other acronyms that need ‘the’:

the EU
the US
the CIA
the FBI

 Mars
Planets
 Jupiter
 Saturn

Meals  breakfast
 lunch
 dinner
 supper

The isn’t used in the following cases

11. The is omitted before certain "places" used for their routine purpose

He’s at work.
He left college two years ago.
12. The is not used with personal names

13. The is omitted before means of transport (with by)

Come/go by (bus / car / train / plane)

Note. A particular train, flight, plane is used with the.

14. The is not used before the names of meals, unless a particular meal is referred

have breakfast
at tea
before lunch
stay for dinner
 2. GRAMMAR – WHEN USE ‘THE’! (DEFINITE
ARTICLE)

Ruler Example
1. A singular or plural noun when it is  There is a lamp in my bedroom. (we
clear/obvious which person or thing mention the lamp for the first time)
we are talking about.  The lamp is next to the desk.

2. Anything which we identify  We watched the new Brad Pitt movie

immediately last night.

3. Musical instruments (the violin, the  She plays the piano.

guitar, the drums, the flute, the
piccolo).

4. Something that is unique or there is  the sun

only one.  the moon
 the internet.

5. Names of rivers, seas, oceans,  The Mississippi River

mountain ranges and deserts (always  The Black Sea
in capitals).  The Andes
 The Sahara Desert

6. Directions (cardinal points).  the west

 the south-east
 the north-west
We use the to refer to organisations such as the police
the army
the fire brigade
the civil service
the Inland Revenue
We use the to refer to unique institutions The World Bank
The United Nations
The White House
The Stock Exchange
The Kremlin
Abbreviation that have to be pronounced as
single letters take the (e.g. the BBC, the CIA).
If the abbreviation can be said as a word the is
omitted (GATT, ARAMCO, EFTA, TASS,
UNIDO, etc.)

Countries and Nationalities. The is used to the Dutch

refer to people belonging to nation the Irish
the Portuguese
the Bulgarians
the Russians
the Poles
the Ukrainians

Plural names of countries, geographical the Caribbean

areas or island groups the Netherlands
the Far East
the Pacific
the United Arab Emirates
the Seychelles
As do the countries that include "kingdom" or
"states"
the United Kingdom
the United States
3. THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE – A / AN

We use A/AN with:

1. Singular nouns and the first time we refer to a person, animal or thing.

 a child
 an elephant
 a television

2. We don't use A/AN with possessive pronouns, demonstratives or cardinal

numbers.

 My shirt is dirty.
 This car is expensive.
 One person is in the reception.

3. We use ONE (or more) instead of A/AN when the number is important.

 There is only one exit from the airport.

What is the difference between A and AN?

A is used when the next word begins with a consonant sound (b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k
etc).

 a book
 a table
 a clock
 a university (because the beginning of university sounds like YOU-niversity)

AN is used when the next word begins with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u).

 an apple
 an elephant
 an umbrella
 an hour (because the H is silent)
 4. USING COUNTABLE & UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

When using countable or uncountable nouns, pay attention to

articles and adjectives! Some articles and adjectives can be used
with both countable and uncountable nouns. However, others can
be used with only countable or only uncountable nouns.

Used with Countable Nouns Only

a a doctor, a pen, a meal, a class, a
college
many many cups, many books, many libraries,
many flights
few few questions, few tables, few apples,
few holidays, few countries
a few a few questions, a few problems, a few
issues, a few issues
SEVERAL
A LARGE NUMBER OF
A GREAT NUMBER OF
A MAJORITY

WITH COUNTABLE NOUNS

 many
 a few/few/very few **
 a number (of)
 several
 a large number of
 a great number of
 a majority of
 Used with Uncountable Nouns Only
much much money, much time, much food, much
water, much energy
little little trouble, little equipment, little meat, little
patience
a little bit of a little bit of confidence, a little bit of sleep, a
little bit of snow

WITH UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

 much
 a little/little/very little *
 a bit (of)
 a great deal of
 a large amount of
 a large quantity of

Used with Countable & Uncountable Nouns

the countable the monkeys, the schools,
the teachers, the boats, the
bananas
uncountable the cheese, the machinery,
the luggage, the grass, the
knowledge
some countable some tables, some stores,
some grapes, some cities,
some nurses
uncountable some time, some news,
some bread, some salt,
some mail
any countable any forks, any socks, any
bathrooms, any waiters, any
beliefs
uncountable any advice, any soap, any
transportation, any gold, any
homework
no countable no magazines, no
chocolates, no pilots, no
rings, no markers
uncountable no trouble, no grass, no
scenery, no money, no
furniture
 a lot of countable a lot of animals, a lot of
coins, a lot of immigrants, a
lot of babies
uncountable a lot of help, a lot of
aggravation, a lot of
happiness, a lot of fun
lots of countable lots of computers, lots of
buses, lots of parties, lots of
colleges
uncountable lots of cake, lots of ice
cream, lots of energy, lots of
laughter
enough countable enough plates, enough
onions, enough restaurants,
enough worries
uncountable enough courage, enough
wisdom, enough spaghetti,
enough time
plenty of countable plenty of houses, plenty of
concerts, plenty of guitars,
plenty of
uncountable plenty of oil, plenty of sugar,
plenty of cheese, plenty of
space

WITH BOTH
 all
 enough
 more/most
 less/least
 no/none
 not any
 some
 any
 a lot of
 lots of
 plenty of
A GUIDE TO USING QUANTIFIERS IN ENGLISH - PART 1 .

Definition

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

The most common examples:

The most common quantifiers used in English are:

some / any , much, many, a lot, a few, several, enough.

There are three types of quantifier;

1. quantifiers of large quantity

2. quantifiers of small quantity
3. neutral quantifiers - some, any etc ,

1. LARGE QUANTITY QUANTIFIERS:

MUCH, MANY, LOTS OF, PLENTY OF, NUMEROUS, A LARGE NUMBER OF, ETC.

► MUCH AND MANY :

Muchis used with non-count nouns (always in the singular); many is used with count nouns in the plural. (Click here
for the difference between count nouns and non-count nouns).

IMPORTANT NOTE: in modern spoken English, Much, and to a lesser extent manyare not often used as
quantifiers in affirmative statements; but they are very commonly used in interrogative and negative contexts.

Examples:
I have many reasons for thinking that this man is innocent is acceptable, but rather formal; most English speakers
would more naturally say:
I have plenty of / a lot of / ample / reasons for thinking .....
Much whisky is of very good quality. This sentence is technically acceptable, but not probable in modern spoken
English. Most people would say (and write):
A lot of whisky / A good proportion of whisky / Plenty of whisky ......

Remember : don't use much or many in affirmative statements, if you can avoid it. Though their use may be
possible, it often sounds very formal, old-fashioned or strange in modern English. On the other hand, much of /
many of are sometimes used in affirmative contexts; and so much / so many and too much / too many are quite
acceptable.

Examples:
He has much money is not normal English. Speakers would more naturally say:
He has a lot of money / He has loads of money.
Much of what you have written is very good. The expression "much of" is acceptable in the affirmative; but except in
a formal context, most English-speakers would say (and write) something like :
A lot of what you have written...... A good deal of what you have written.....
With so and too
There is so much poverty in the world - There are too many people in here
► LOTS OF, A LOT OF, PLENTY OF, A LARGE NUMBER OF, NUMEROUS
These expressions are all more or less synonyms. 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.
For more on style, see styles of English .

► MUCH / MANY OR MUCH OF / MANY OF ?

As quantifiers, much and many are not followed by of when they quantify a noun directly. However they must be
followed by of if they come before a determiner such as an article, a possessive or a demonstrative. The same
principle applies to few / few of (see below),some / some of, etc..

Examples:
I can't see many people. but I can't see many of my friends
Many houses were destroyed in the war.
but Many of the houses were destroyed in the war.
They didn't drink much beer
but They didn't drink much of that beer we gave them.

► SEVERAL AND A NUMBER OF

These imply "more than one, but less than a lot". They are not usually used in negative or interrogative structures,
only in affirmative statements. For example

There are several books / a number of books by J.K.Rowling in our library.

Several people / A number of people said that they'd seen the missing child.

1.2. QUANTIFIERS OF RELATIVE QUANTITY

There are a couple of common quantifiers that express relative or proportional quantity.

► MOST / MOST OF
These imply more than half of, a majority of, or almost all . They do not mean the same asmany / many of.

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

Most students will pass their exam.

The man lost most of his money at the casino.
We can get tickets for the concert, I've got enough money now.
Have you got enough money for the tickets?
No, I haven't got enough.

NOTE: do not confuse enough as a quantifier preceding a noun, with enough as an intensifier following an adjective,
as in:

That's good enough for me.

2. SMALL QUANTITY QUANT IFIERS:

► 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 colouring.

► 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.

Examples:
Few people can speak more than three languages
A few (of the) paintings in this gallery are really good.
There's little point in trying to mend it. You'll never succeed!
I've got a little money left; let's go and have a drink.

3. NEUTRAL QUANTIFIERS:

SOME AND ANY: SEVERAL, A NUMBER OF, ETC.

THESE ARE TREATED IN PART 2: SEE ► : SOME AND ANY AND NEUTRAL QUANTIFIERS
4. RECAPITULATION: TABLE OF USAGE FOR COMMON ENGLISH QUANTIFIERS

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

Neutral some, several, a number of, enough any, enough any, enough

Large numerous, plenty of, a lot of, lots of, much, many, too much, many, too
quantity too many many many

Small
few / a few, Little / a little
quantity

4.1. QUANTIFIERS WITH OF... TAKE CARE:

Much of, many of, few of, a little of, plenty of, lots of, some of, a number of, none of, several of, etc.

When followed by of, some of these quantifiers MUST be followed by an article or other determiner; for others there
is a choice (article or no article)
 The rule.... ... applies to

MUST be followed by an article or other all of, some of, many of, much of, (a) few of, (a) little of, none
determiner of, several of, enough of,

MAY or MAY NOT be followed by an article or

plenty of, a lot of, lots of, a number of, a couple of,
other determiner

Here are a few examples; most are right, some (in grey and barred out) are wrong.

Examples:
OK Some of the people are right some of the time, but all of the people cannot be right all of the time.
Not OK Some of people are right some of time, but all of people cannot be right all of time.
OK Plenty of supporters came to the match
OK Plenty of the supporters came to the match.
OK Several of the players were sent off.
OK Several players were sent off.
Not OK Several of players were sent off.
OK A couple of players were sent off
OK A couple of the players were sent off.
OK I'd like a few of these apples, please.
OK I'd like a few of your apples, please
Not OK I'd like a few of apples, please.

5. FEW OR A FEW , LITTLE OR A LITTLE ?

The difference between the two expressions in each phrase is purely one of meaning, not of usage.
Without the article, few and little (used respectively with count nouns and non-count nouns) have the meaning of
"not much/ not many, and possibly less than one might hope for or expect". These expressions have a negative
value to them.
With the article, a few and a little have the meaning of "at least some, perhaps more than one might expect" .
These expressions have a positive value.

Examples:
Few of my friends were there, so I was disappointed.
A few of my friends were there, so I was quite happy.
Hurry up; there's little time left !
We have a little time to spare, so let's stop and have a cup of coffee.
5. LIST OF UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS (THESE ARE SAMPLE UNCOUNTABLE
NOUNS ONLY! THERE ARE MANY MORE.)

General Food Subjects/Fields

homework food mathematics

equipment flour economics
luggage meat physics
clothing rice ethics
furniture cake civics
machinery bread art
gold ice cream architecture
music
silver cheese
photography
cotton toast
grammar
glass pasta chemistry
jewelery spaghetti history
perfume butter commerce
soap oil engineering
paper honey politics
wood soup sociology
petrol fish psychology
gasoline fruit vocabulary
baggage salt archaeology
hair tea poetry
traffic coffee
Abstract weather Sports

thunder golf
advice lightning tennis
help snow baseball
fun rain basketball
soccer
recreation sleet
football
enjoyment ice
cricket
information heat hockey
knowledge humidity rugby
news hail chess
patience wind poker
happiness light bridge
progress darkness
confidence
courage
education
intelligence
space
energy
laughter
peace
pride
Languages Activities
English swimming
Portuguese walking
Hindi driving
Arabic jogging
Japanese reading
Korean writing
Spanish listening
French speaking
Russian cooking
Italian sleeping
Hebrew studying
Chinese working

CONTAINERS
OSTLY LIQUID CONTAINERS
 a spoonful of

 honey

 medicine

 ice cream

 sugar

a glass of, a bottle of

 milk

 water

 beer

 wine

 cola

a cup of, a mug of, a pot of

 coffee

 tea

 cocoa

 hot water

a mug of , a glass of, a stein of, a barrel of

 beer
 cola

 lemonade

 soda

a pitcher of

 water

 lemonade

 juice

a barrel of

 wine

 vinegar

 olive oil

 whiskey

a gallon of, a liter of

 milk

 wine

 oil

 orange juice

 water
 a peck of (~2 gallons)

 apples

 peaches

 pears

 pickled peppers

MOSTLY DRY CONTAINERS

a bag of (paper or plastic)

 flour

 sugar

 oats

 beans

a sack of

 flour

 rice

 corn

 wheat

a box, a tin, a carton

 pasta

 cookies
 rice

 crackers

a carton of (liquid or dry)

 eggs

 milk

 yogurt

 soup

a plate of

 cookies

 food

 candy

a bowl of

 cereal

 fruit

 soup

a pound of, a kilo of

 meat

 apples
  onions

 potatoes

 coffee

a bushel of (4 pecks, 8 gallons)

 apples

 barley

 wheat

 maize

 oats

Also see Quantity Phrases – negative, Determiners "Basic Markers", Some / Any, Little / Few
bushel – (Wikipedia) / peck – (Wikipedia)

SHAPE QUANTIFIERS
SPECIFY A QUANTITY BY SHAPE

SHAPE QUANTIFIERS FO R FOOD

NONCOUNT FOOD NOUN

NO SHAPE
 a lump / hunk / chunk of

 sugar

 cheese

 chocolate

 butter

LONG

a stalk of

 of celery (a rib of celery)

 rhubarb

 broccoli

a spear of

 asparagus

 broccoli

 lemongrass

a stick of

 gum

 cinnamon

 butter
ROUND

a head of

 lettuce

 cabbage /cauliflower

 garlic

 broccoli "a crown"

an ear of (ear botany)

 corn

 wheat

a wheel of

 cheese (Swiss)

 Gruyère

 cheddar

a slice of

 salami

 bread (squarish)

 ham

 cheese

PART
 a pod of (pods)

 peas

 beans

 vanilla

 cocoa

a clove of

 garlic (a section)

 shallots

a bunch / a cluster of

 grapes / dates / figs "cluster"

 tomatoes

 bananas

 onions (bunch)

 carrots (bunch)

a sprig of

 parsley / cilantro

 dill / fennel

 mint / spearmint

 thyme / oregano / rosemary

NONCOUNT FOOD NOUN
NO SHAPE

a pile of

 flour

 sugar

 rice

 cocoa

FLAT

a stack of

 pancakes with a pat of butter

 tortillas

 toast

a leaf of

 lettuce

 kale

 cabbage

 basil

a sheet of

 dough

 filo
  pastry

 pasta (lasagna)

RECTANGLE

a bar of, a square of

 chocolate

 ice-cream (bar)

a cube of (small)

 butter (stick)

 sugar

 bouillon (meat flavor)

 ice

a block of (large)

 ice

 feta (Greek soft cheese)

 chocolate

a loaf of

 bread

 banana bread
  meat loaf (ground meat mix)

HAND MEASURE

a dash

 salt

 pepper

 cumin

 cinnamon

pinch of

 salt

 pepper

 cinnamon

 sugar

a handful of

 olives

 cherry tomatoes

 nuts

 raisins

 beans

an armful of, an armload of

  radishes

 onions

 carrots

 corn

MEAT QUANTIFIERS
SPECIFY A QUANTITY BY CUT

W ORDS FOR LIVE ANIMALS AND THEIR MEAT

ANIMATE

An article is used before an animal name such as a dog, a cat, a turkey. (The noun is unspecific, any.) The word cattle is an exception.

cattle (no singular form exists)

a calf (a young milk fed animal)
Cattle is the collective noun for cows, bulls, steers and heifers.
A steer is a young castrated male.
A heifer is a young female.
 a turkey
a chicken
a duck
a goose

a fish
INANIMATE

Food substances are not usually countable unless they have quantifiers. They are either too small to count, or they are are liquids.

beef, veal (young or milk fed)

 a roast of beef (roast beef)

 a leg / a shoulder

 a rib / a chop

 a flank

 a steak / a slice

 a patty (hamburger–ground meat)

turkey, chicken, duck

 a roast

 a leg

 a wing

 a breast

 a boned turkey

 a patty (turkey burger)

 fish

 a whole halibut

 a tail

 a fillet

 a steak

 a patty