Grammar: Word classes: Number words

Specifying quantity

Measure expressions

We use 'measure expressions' to indicate how much of a thing there is. They either group things (lots, many, few) or they compare things (fewer, more). Measure expressions always express the Quantifier in a noun group, giving further information about the Thing:

Dotty has        lots of           dolls.                   measure expression    noun                           Quantifier               Thing

Some measure expressions indicate a specific quantity (a pint of, a litre of, a kilo of, five tonnes of); other measure expressions refer to the container (a box of, a bottle of, a bag of, a sack of). 

Many common measure expressions express an inexact quantity, such as few, little, a bit of, fewer, less, more. 

Miss Lee has        more            students than last year.                      measure expression       noun                                    Quantifier                 Thing

These have the potential to cause problems for the learner:

Note the difference in meaning between a few and few. Note also that some measure expressions are preceded by the indefinite article a, and some are followed by of. These patterns need to be learned together with the measure expression. 

Note that the terms Quantifier and Thing are written with an initial capital to remind us that they are functional terms.