Study the rules, look at the examples, then do the exercises.
At A2 you used a few basic words to show amount: a lot of, many, some. That works for simple sentences, but real B1 English needs to be more precise. Determiners and quantifiers are the small words that come before a noun to show which one or how much / how many: all, most, some, any, no, both, each, every, (a) few, (a) little.
The most important skill is agreement. Some quantifiers go only with countable nouns (few, both, each, every), some only with uncountable nouns (little, much), and some with both (all, most, some, any, no). Choosing the wrong one is the most common B1 mistake, so we will focus on it carefully.
These words show quantity from 100% down to 0%. They work with both countable (plural) and uncountable nouns. The tricky parts are some vs any and no vs none.
| Word | Meaning / use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| all | 100% of the group | All children need sleep. |
| most | the biggest part | Most people like music. |
| some | a part (in positive sentences & offers) | I bought some apples. |
| any | in questions & negatives | Is there any milk? / We don't have any bread. |
| no + noun | zero (with a positive verb) | There is no time. |
| none | zero (a pronoun; stands alone) | How many are left? None. |
Use a quantifier alone to talk about things in general, but add of the / of my / of these when you mean a specific, known group. Compare: "Most people..." (people in general) and "Most of the people at the party..." (a specific group).
| General (no "of") | Specific (+ of the) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Most students study hard. | Most of the students in my class study hard. | a known group → add "of the". |
| Some cheese is expensive. | Some of the cheese was old. | works the same with uncountable nouns. |
| All children play. | All (of) the children were tired. | after all / both, "of" is optional. |
Use these three only when you talk about two things or people. The verb form is the key: both is plural, but either and neither are singular.
| Word | Meaning | Structure & example |
|---|---|---|
| both | the two together | Both restaurants are good. (both + plural + plural verb) |
| either | one OR the other | Either day is fine. (either + singular + singular verb) |
| neither | not one and not the other | Neither answer is correct. (neither + singular + singular verb) |
Both talk about all the members of a group, but seen one by one. They are followed by a singular noun and a singular verb — this surprises many students.
| Word | Focus | Example |
|---|---|---|
| each | the members one by one (2 or more) | Each player gets a card. |
| every | all members as a group (3 or more) | Every player was tired. |
| each of the + plural | one by one, a specific group | Each of the players was ready. |
These four are easy to mix up, but two questions decide everything: is the noun countable or uncountable, and is there "a" or not?
| Word | Goes with | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| a few | countable plural | some — a small but positive amount |
| few | countable plural | not many — almost none (negative) |
| a little | uncountable | some — a small but positive amount |
| little | uncountable | not much — almost none (negative) |
Almost every B1 mistake with quantifiers comes from wrong agreement (countable / uncountable) or a missing or extra "of".
| Wrong ✗ | Right ✓ | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Every students have a book. | Every student has a book. | every + singular noun + singular verb. |
| I don't have some money. | I don't have any money. | use "any" in negatives, not "some". |
| Most of people like it. | Most people like it. | no "of" without "the"; or "most of the people". |
| There isn't no bread. | There is no bread. | "no" already means zero; don't add a second negative. |
| I have a little friends. | I have a few friends. | friends is countable → use "a few". |
| Both my sister play basketball. | Both my sisters play basketball. | both + plural noun + plural verb. |
Two friends check the kitchen before they cook dinner together. Read it twice and notice how each quantifier fits its noun — singular after each / every, plural after both / a few, and an uncountable noun after a little.
Choose the correct answer. — 10 questions, each one is marked instantly. Questions get harder as you go.
Learn the words, then use them — with quantifiers — to talk about your habits.
Write 8 sentences about how much of different things (food, money, time, water...) you use, waste or share. Use at least 8 of the words above.
Sentence starters (you can begin with these):
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will review your task.)
Read the text, then answer the questions.
Good readers prepare before they start. Before you read, think about these three questions (you do not need to write the answers):
Words to spot (from the Speaking section): quantity · amount · plenty · spare · donate · reduce · waste · share
A few months ago, the students of Green Valley School had a problem. Every day, most students brought too much food and threw a lot of it away, while some of their classmates came to school with no lunch at all. One lunchtime, two friends, Deniz and Ayla, decided that neither of them wanted to watch this waste continue. They shared a simple idea: a shelf where anyone in the school could leave spare snacks and anyone could take them.
At first, few students believed the plan would work. There was very little money for boxes, and none of the teachers wanted to help. Even so, the two friends did not give up. They asked each class to bring a little time or a few snacks. Slowly, both the shelf and the trust between students began to grow.
Once the shelf had a few regular visitors, Deniz and Ayla wanted more of the school to know about it. Neither of them enjoyed speaking in front of a big crowd, so they looked for an easier way to share the news. They designed a small, colourful poster and posted a photo of it in their class group chat online. Within a few days, several older students had shared the same photo with their own friends, and soon most of the school had heard about the plan. A few teachers who had said no at the start slowly began to change their minds, and a little quiet support started to arrive from almost every corner of the building.
Today, the shelf stands next to the library. Every morning, two volunteers check it, and each item is dated to keep the food safe. Most of the fruit comes from students' gardens, and some of the bread arrives from a bakery near the school. If you look at the shelf, you will almost never find it empty; there is always at least a little of something for everyone.
The shelf is now popular with almost everyone in the school. After each football match, players who have spare fruit or an extra bottle of water leave it on the shelf instead of throwing it away. Students from the art club and the music club stop by too, because a quick snack helps them focus during long afternoon practice. On busy days, most of the sandwiches disappear within an hour, but there is nearly always a little fruit or a few biscuits left for anyone who arrives late. Both younger and older students use it, and neither group feels shy about taking what they really need. The school even added a second, smaller shelf near the gym so that no team ever leaves its snacks too far away.
The rules are easy. Take only what you need, and leave some for others. Both giving and taking are welcome, and either action helps the whole school. There is no charge, and no one is ever turned away. Several students now bring any spare food instead of wasting it.
Of course, running a shelf like this is not always easy. On some days, too much food arrives and a little of it goes bad before anyone takes it. On other days there is hardly any, especially just before a long holiday. To solve these problems, the volunteers wrote a few simple extra rules for weekends: no fresh food is left out on Fridays, and every container must show a clear date. A few students even keep a small notebook in which each person can note down which snacks are most needed. Little by little, the whole school has learned that planning ahead saves both food and time.
News of the shelf did not stay inside the school gates. A few neighbours who live near Green Valley heard about it and offered to help. One of them, a baker, now leaves a little extra bread by the door most mornings, and another gives away spare vegetables from her garden every Saturday. At the weekend, some students turn the shelf into a small hobby of their own: they decorate the boxes, draw funny signs, and film short clips for the school social media page. None of this brings in any money, yet each small act makes the shelf feel like it belongs to the whole neighbourhood, not just a few classes.
The project has also changed the way many teenagers see one another. Before the shelf, few students talked to classmates outside their own small group. Now, most of them share a quick smile, a joke or a snack at break time, and a few new friendships have started right next to the library. Some students who were once very shy say they feel braver, because helping others is easier than they expected. Ayla says that giving away spare food feels far better than wasting it, and Deniz adds that even a little kindness can spread across a whole school.
All of the volunteers agree on one thing: none of this would have happened without a few determined students and a lot of patience. The project has reduced the amount of food that Green Valley wastes, and the majority of students say they feel closer than ever before.
Choose the correct answer.
Are these sentences true or false, according to the text?
Complete each sentence with ONE quantifier from the text. Mind the grammar (countable or uncountable noun).
Write your answer in your own words. These questions are not marked automatically.
1. Why did Deniz and Ayla decide to start the snack share shelf?
2. How did the students help the project in the beginning?
3. What are the main rules of the shelf, and why do they matter?
Find these quantifiers in the text — each one appears at least once: all, most, some, any, no / none, both, either, neither, each, every, a few / few, a little / little. (You will use these same quantifiers in the Writing section.) Note them down, then check.
Sarah and Todd talk about all the computers and phones they own.
You will hear two friends, Sarah and Todd, talking about the many computers and phones they own and why they keep so many. You will listen TWICE. First listen: answer questions 1-5. Second listen: answer questions 6-10. (Kaydı İKİ kez dinleyeceksin: ilk dinlemede 1-5, ikinci dinlemede 6-10.)
Write and submit your paragraph; your teacher will review it.
Weak B1 writing repeats the same vague words (a lot of, many) or lists short, separate sentences. What makes writing mature is precise, correct quantity. This unit gives you a full set of quantifiers for general amounts, two things, individuals and small amounts. Use them — and remember the golden rule: match the quantifier to its noun.
| Quantifier | Use it to... | Example |
|---|---|---|
| all / most / some | show a general amount | Most of my friends recycle. |
| no / none | show zero | None of us wastes water on purpose. |
| both / either / neither | talk about two things | Both my parents grow vegetables. |
| each / every | talk about individuals | Every family can help a little. |
| (a) few / (a) little | show a small amount | I waste a little food and only a few things. |
| ... of the | point to a specific group | Some of the food in my fridge is old. |
See the difference — the same facts, written two ways:
| Vague & separate ✗ | Precise, fluent writing ✓ |
|---|---|
| I have food. I do not eat it all. I throw food away. My family is the same. | Every week my family buys a lot of food, but we do not eat all of it. Most of it is fine, yet a little is wasted, and none of us likes throwing it away. |
A "quantity" paragraph has three parts. The skeleton stays the same every time — you change the content, not the structure:
| Part | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Opening | Name your topic in one general sentence | Every week my family uses a large amount of food and water. |
| 2. Body | How much you use, waste and share. Use general amounts (all / most / some / none), two things (both / either / neither) and small amounts (a few / a little). | Most of the vegetables come from our garden, but a little food is still wasted. Both of my parents try to reduce it. |
| 3. Closing | What you have learned or want to change | Now none of us wastes as much, and we share any spare food. |
Write about how much of different things (food, money, time, water...) you and your family use, waste and share. Show general amounts, individuals and small amounts with quantifiers.
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will evaluate your writing.)
Mixed questions from the whole unit, then check what you can do.
14 questions: grammar + vocabulary + reading + listening. Each question is marked instantly.
Tick what you can do now. Honest answers help your teacher.
İşaretlemediğin madde varsa ilgili bölüme dönüp tekrar çalış — soldaki menüden her bölüme geri dönebilirsin.
Oturum kontrol ediliyor...