Quantifiers change with the noun they describe, so the first step is to know whether the noun is countable or uncountable. Countable nouns name separate things you can count: one apple, two apples, three books. Uncountable nouns name substances, ideas, or general amounts that do not normally take a plural form: water, rice, advice, furniture. You can say a glass of water or two pieces of advice when you measure them, but the noun itself stays uncountable. Compare three chairs with some furniture and many ideas with much information. The choice of noun decides which quantifier sounds natural. This distinction is also useful in Quantifiers.

Noun types for quantifiers

Idea
Use countable nouns for things you can count one by one.
Use uncountable nouns for things you do not count as separate items.

Many goes with countable nouns and shows a large number: many people, many questions, many days. It is common in questions and negatives, and it also appears in formal or careful statements. Several also goes with countable nouns, but it points to more than two and not a very large number: several emails, several reasons, several years. A few means a small number that is still enough: a few friends, a few minutes, a few pages. It often sounds positive because the amount exists and is usable. In a sentence like We need many volunteers, the number is large. In We need several volunteers, the number is moderate. In We need a few volunteers, the number is small but sufficient. These forms are especially useful before Descriptive Adjectives when you want to describe amount clearly.

Countable quantity words in different amounts

Usage	Explanation
Large quantity	Use many to talk about a large number of countable things.
Moderate number	Use several to mean more than a few but not a very large number.
Small positive number	Use a few to mean a small number in a positive or neutral way.

Much goes with uncountable nouns and shows a large amount: much time, much milk, much effort. It appears most often in questions and negatives: Do you have much time? and I do not have much time. A little means a small amount that is still enough: a little sugar, a little patience, a little water. It usually sounds positive because some amount is available. Little means a small amount, usually not enough: little hope, little money, little interest. The noun stays uncountable, so you say much advice and a little advice, not many advice. For more on describing size and amount with adjectives, see Descriptive Adjectives.

Uncountable quantity words and their tone

Usage	Explanation
Large amount in negatives or questions	Use much with uncountable nouns, especially in questions and negatives.
Small positive amount	Use a little to mean a small amount in a positive or neutral way.
Small amount with negative feeling	Use little to show that the amount is small and often not enough.

Some works with both countable and uncountable nouns in positive statements. Use it when the amount is not exact but is present: some apples, some water, some help, some new ideas. With countable nouns, it usually means an unspecified number greater than one. With uncountable nouns, it means an unspecified amount. In ordinary speech, some often sounds natural and direct in offers, requests, and statements: I need some paper, There are some seats left, She bought some oranges. It usually comes before the noun and after any other quantifier word that belongs with the phrase, such as in some of the students.

Positive uses of some with quantity

Usage	Explanation
Countable nouns	Use some in positive statements when you mean an unspecified number of countable things.
Uncountable nouns	Use some in positive statements when you mean an unspecified amount of an uncountable noun.

Any also works with both countable and uncountable nouns, but it usually appears in questions and negative statements. Ask Do you have any brothers? or Is there any milk? Say I do not have any brothers and There is not any milk. With countable nouns, it means one or more of an indefinite number. With uncountable nouns, it means an indefinite amount. In questions, any asks whether any exists at all. In negatives, it shows the absence of the thing or amount. It is also common after words like if and whether: If you have any questions, ask me. The same pattern helps with other quantity words such as Quantifiers.

Question and negative uses of any

Usage	Explanation
Questions with countable nouns	Use any in questions when you ask about an unspecified number of countable things.
Questions with uncountable nouns	Use any in questions when you ask about an unspecified amount of an uncountable noun.
Negative statements	Use any in negative statements to say there is no amount or number at all.

Few and little can sound negative because they show a small amount that is usually not enough. Use few with countable nouns: few guests, few choices, few chances. Use little with uncountable nouns: little time, little hope, little energy. The form without a often emphasizes scarcity. The forms with a are more positive: a few means some, and a little means some amount. Compare Few students arrived with A few students arrived. The first suggests disappointment or a shortage. The second simply gives a small number. The same difference appears in little money and a little money. In both cases, the noun stays countable or uncountable according to its type.

Negative meanings of few and little

Usage	Explanation
Few with countable nouns	Use few to show that a number is small and often not enough.
Little with uncountable nouns	Use little to show that an amount is small and often not enough.
A few and a little for small positives	Use a few and a little to sound more positive when the small amount is still useful.

A lot of and lots of go with both countable and uncountable nouns. They are flexible and common in everyday English: a lot of books, a lot of work, lots of people, lots of rain. They mean a large amount or a large number without sounding formal. Use them before the noun, and keep the noun in its normal form: plural with countable nouns, singular form with uncountable nouns. Say a lot of children but a lot of information. Say lots of cars but lots of noise. These forms work in positive statements, questions, and negatives, though they are most common in positive speech.

Flexible quantifiers for large amounts

Usage	Explanation
Countable nouns	Use a lot of to mean a large number of countable things in neutral English.
Uncountable nouns	Use lots of to mean a large amount of an uncountable noun in neutral English.
Informal emphasis	Use lots of in informal speech when you want a friendly and lively sound.

Quantitative adjectives usually come before the noun: many books, a few minutes, some water, a lot of time. When another adjective is present, the quantifier still comes first: many old houses, a little cold milk, several new ideas. Some expressions use of and need a specific noun phrase after them. Say a few of the students, many of my friends, some of the water, none of the tickets. In these patterns, of links the quantifier to a defined group. The noun after of often has the, a possessive, or a pronoun. Without of, the quantifier stands directly before an unmodified noun: a few students, many friends, some water. The position stays fixed in normal English, so the quantifier comes before the noun it limits.

Placement patterns for quantifiers

Idea
Put the quantifier before the noun in most noun phrases.
Use of after certain quantifiers when they come before a determiner.
Keep a few and a little directly before the noun.