Quantifiers + Uncountable Nouns
Quantifiers used with uncountable nouns include less , least , and much .
Examples:
- With less talk, we should be able to complete what we are doing by this evening.
- Even the least noise will make the neighbor's dog bark loudly.
- There wasn’t much food left even when we arrived early.
Much
Quantifier much is usually used in questions and negative statements.
Examples:
- How much do you know about what you are doing?
- I always don’t have much money to keep in my big wallet. (Negative)
'Little' and 'a little'
Little and a little are expressions of quantity used before uncountable nouns. Little has a negative meaning implying scarcely any is available or almost none . A little means a small amount.
Examples:
- I got very little sleep last night with those noises upstairs and downstairs.
- I can’t get married as I have very little money.
- There is a little cheese on your upper lip.
-
Why are you frying the big fish in
a little
olive oil?
(Positive - small amount of olive oil but it looks like it's enough for frying.)
Quantity word + of: Uncountable Nouns
The quantity word + of include a bit of , a great deal of , and a large amount of .
Examples:
- I have been watching the UFO until there’s a bit of pain in my eyes.
- A great deal of her work is massaging the back of patients.
- The smuggled drugs were reported to have been sold for a large amount of hard cash.