How many? How much? A few, a little, a lot of
Countable nouns are things we can count: one egg, two lemons, three jars. We say How many lemons? and a few lemons. Uncountable nouns are things we cannot count one by one: water, honey, rice, sugar. We say How much water? and a little sugar. For both kinds we can say a lot of and some: a lot of lemons, a lot of water. In questions and negatives we use any: Do we have any rice? We don’t have any eggs. Imperatives with quantities help us in a recipe: Squeeze four lemons. Add a litre of water. Stir in a little sugar.
| Countable (how many?) | Uncountable (how much?) |
|---|---|
| eggs | water |
| lemons | sugar |
| jars | honey |
| beans | rice |
| a few ... | a little ... |
How many lemons do we need?
We need four lemons.
How much water do we need?
A litre of water. And a little sugar, please.
Do we have any ice?
Yes, we have a lot of ice. A grown-up cuts the lemons, so I will help.
Lemonade for four. Four lemons, one litre of water, three spoons of sugar. Squeeze the lemons. Add the water. Stir in a little sugar. Pour the lemonade into glasses.
Kitchen quiz. Look in the kitchen with a grown-up. The child asks: How many plates are there? How much rice is there? The grown-up answers with a few, a little, a lot of or a number. Then the child writes four questions and four answers.