Out loud, before anything else — don't worry about mistakes, just talk.
Think about your own friends, family, or colleagues. Say one thing that's true of all of them, and one thing that's true of only one or two of them.
Sam: How was the barbecue?
Alex: Good, but there was hardly any food left by the time I got there — everyone was starving. Most of the neighbours came, actually.
Sam: Did everyone bring something?
Alex: Each person brought a dish, so there was loads of variety. Neither of the vegetarian options went down that well, though.
Look at what Alex says. Four small quantifier words are doing a lot of work in that short exchange. Can you spot all four? Say them before you check.
The words that describe a group — and the tiny rule that decides whether "of" belongs.
Two of these talk about people in general; one talks about a specific, known group. Which is which, and what changes in the grammar? Say it, then check.
1. You and seven friends run a book club. Six of the eight finished this month's book. Talk about that specific group with most + of + them:
finished before the meeting.
2. Now make a general comment, true of people everywhere — not one particular group:
enjoy a lie-in at the weekend if they can get one.
3. You personally know all six candidates who applied for a job. Not one of them got an interview. Say this with none:
got an interview, which surprised everyone.
Out loud: say three true things about people in general, starting with "most people..." Then say three things about a specific group you actually know — your family, your colleagues, your class — starting with "most of them...", "all of them...", or "none of them...".
Matching the right amount-word to countable things you can number, and uncountable things you can't.
One of these amount-words works for almost anything. The other two are pickier. Which noun in each sentence is countable (you could count them one by one), and which is uncountable? Say it, then check.
1. Your fridge is nearly empty — just a couple of drops left. Use hardly any:
There's milk left — we need to shop today.
2. Everyone on the team stayed late all week to get the office ready for a move. "Effort" is uncountable — use a great deal of:
went into getting the office ready in time.
3. After a flight was delayed six hours, the airline's phones didn't stop ringing. "Complaints" is countable — use a large number of:
The airline received that day.
Out loud, tell me: something there's plenty of in your life right now, something there's hardly any of, and one thing that took a great deal of effort recently.
Talking about a whole group at once, one member at a time, or exactly two things.
One of these treats the group as a single whole. One focuses on individuals, one by one. One is about exactly two people. Which is which? Say it, then check.
1. You're stating a rule that's true of a whole hotel, no exceptions — speaking about the group as a whole. Use every + room:
in this hotel has sea views, without exception.
2. A tutor wants to speak to students one at a time, not as a group, giving individual feedback. Use each:
student gets five minutes alone with the tutor after the test.
3. You asked two university friends to lend you a printer. Both said they didn't have one. Use neither + of + them:
had a printer to spare.
Out loud: say one rule that's true for every day of your week, describe a task where you dealt with people each one at a time, and tell me — of your two closest friends, does either of them, neither of them, or do both of them live near you?
Everything together, out loud. This is the whole point of the lesson.
Describe the people you live with, work with, or your family.
Talk for a full minute. Cover all three:
Now interview me about my own household or colleagues. Build your questions out loud with today's grammar:
Write 3–5 sentences describing the people you live with, work with, or your family — general truths, an amount, and a comparison between two people. The checker will tell you which tools it finds.
Real conversation never tells you which quantifier to reach for. Here everything's shuffled.
1. Complete: "___ people are nervous about public speaking, at least a little."
2. Complete: "The charity received ___ donations after the appeal went out on TV."
3. Complete: "I asked both of my flatmates about the broken window, and ___ knew what happened."
Each one has a single quantifier slip. Say the correct version out loud first, then type the whole sentence.
4. "Most of people in my street are friendly."
5. "A great deal of friends came to the party."
6. "There's hardly no money left in the account."
7. "Every of them agreed with the plan."
1. Fill the gap with some or any: "Is there milk left in the fridge?"
2. Fill the gap with much or many: "How time do we have before the meeting?"
3. You've served hundreds of tourists at the shop this summer, but you don't know them personally — speak generally, no "of":
tourists just want quick directions — they're not looking for a long chat.
4. Your street recycled far more than usual this week. "Bottles" is countable — use a large number of:
We recycled this week — the bin was much heavier than usual.
5. You have two job offers and honestly like them equally well. Use both:
jobs pay well, so the decision isn't really about money.
Close the loop: which felt trickiest today — knowing when "of the" belongs, matching the right amount-word to a countable or uncountable noun, or choosing between every/each/both/either/neither? Say why, out loud.
We said: precise quantifiers so you can talk exactly about groups, amounts, and pairs. Tick what's true: