CÁC TỪ (CỤM TỪ) DIỄN TẢ SỐ LƯỢNG (EXPRESSIONS OF QUANTITY)
* PHẦN I: LÝ THUYẾT
I. Some/Any
Cả some và any đều được dùng để chỉ một số lượng không xác định khi không thể hay không cần phải nêu rõ số lượng chính xác
1. Some: một ít, một vài
* “Some” thường được đặt trong câu khẳng định, trước danh từ đếm được (số nhiều) hoặc danh từ không đếm được.
EX: I want some milk. -
I need some eggs.
* Đôi khi “some” được dùng trong câu hỏi (khi chúng t among chờ câu trả lời là YES. Hoặc được dùng trong câu yêu cầu, lời mời hoặc lời đề nghị.
EX: Did you buy some oranges?
Would you like some more coffee? May I go out for some drink?
2. Any: một ít, một vài
* “Any” thường đặt trước danh từ đếm được (số nhiều) hoặc danh từ không đếm được trong câu phủ định hoặc nghi vấn.
EX: Do you want any sugar? She didn’t see any boys in her class.
* “Any” được dùng trong mệnh đề khẳng định, trước danh từ số ít (đếm được hoặc không đếm được) hoặc sau các từ có nghĩa phủ định (never, hardly, scarely, without….)
EX: I’m free all day. Come and see me any time you like.
He’s lazy. He never does any work
If there are any letters for me, can you send them on to this address?
If you need any more money, please let me know.
Notes:
- Khi danh từ đã được xác định, chúng ta có thể dùng some và any không có danh từ theo sau
EX: Tim wanted some milk, but he couldn’t find any.
or If you have no stamps, I will give you some.
-Các đại từ (something, anything, someone, anyone, somebody, anybody, somewhere, anywhere…) được dùng tương tự như cách dùng some, any
EX: I don’t see anything on the table.
Or Is there anybody in your house now?
Or I want to do something to help you.
II. Much, many, a great deal of, a large number of, a lot of, lots of…
With countable nouns
- many
- a large number of - a great number of
- plenty of - a lot of - lots of |
With uncountable nouns
- much
- a large amount of - a great deal of - plenty of - a lot of - lots of |
EX: I don’t have much time for night clubs.
There are so many people here that I feel tired.
She has got a great deal of homework today.
Did you spend much money for the beautiful cars?
There’s plenty of milk in the fridge.
There are plenty of eggs in the fridge.
A large number of students in this school are good.
I saw lots of flowers in the garden yesterday.
A large amount of air pollution comes from industry.
- Theo nguyên tắc chung, chúng ta dùng many, much trong câu phủ định và câu nghi vấn và dùng a lot of, lots of trong câu khẳng định.
EX: Do you know many people here?
Or We didn’t spend much money for Christmas presents. But we spent a lot of money for the party
Tuy nhiên trong lối văn trang trọng, đôi khi chúng ta có thể dùng many và much trong câu xác định. Và trong lối nói thân mật, a lot of cũng có thể dùng được trong câu phủ định và nghi vấn
Ex: Many students have financial problem
There was much bad driving on the road
I don’t have many/ a lot of friends
Do you eat much/ a lot of fruit?
- Notes:
-Khi trong câu xác định có các từ “very, too, so, as.” thì phải dùng “Much, Many”. (Không được dùng a lot of, lots of, plenty of)
EX: There is too much bad news on TV tonight.
There are too many mistakes in your writing.
There are so many people here that I feel tired.
Very much thường được dùng trong câu khẳng định như một trạng từ, chứ không phải là từ hạn định
Ex: I very much enjoy travelling.
Or Thank you very much
Many of, much of + determiner/ pronoun
Ex: I won’t pass the exam; I’ve missed many of my lessons.
You can’t see much of a country in a week.
III.Few, A few, Little, A little:
1. Few/ A few: dùng trước các danh từ đếm được số nhiều.
* FEW: rất ít, hầu như không có (chỉ số lượng rất ít, không nhiều như mong muốn, thường có nghĩa phủ định)
EX: I don’t want to take the trip to Hue because I have few friends there.
They hardly find a job because there are few jobs.
* A few: Một vài, một ít
EX: There are a few empty seats here.
You can see a few houses on the hill.
2. Little/ A little: dùng trước các danh từ không đếm được.
* Little: rất ít, hầu như không có (thường có nghĩa phủ định)
EX: I have very little time for reading.
We had little rain all summer.
* A little: một ít, một chút (thường có nghĩa khẳng định )
EX: I need a little help to move these books.
Would you like a little salt on your vegetables?
NOTES:
- Only a little và only a few có nghĩa phủ định
Ex: We must be quick. We’ve got only a little time (only a little = not much)
Only a few customers have come in (only a few = not many)
- (a) little of/ (a) few of + determiner/ pronoun
Ex: Only a few of the children in this class like math
Could I try a little of your wine?
IV. All, most, some, no, all of, most of, some of, none of:
1.All (tất cả), most (phần lớn, đa số), some (một vài), no (không), được dùng như từ hạn định (determiner):
All/ most/ some/ no (+ adj) + plural noun/ uncountable noun |
Ex: All children are fond of candy. Or Most cheese is made from cow’s milk
There are no rooms available Or All classical music sends me to sleep
2. All of, most of, some of, none of: được dùng trước các từ hạn định (a, an, the, my, his, this, …) và các đại từ
Ex: Some of those people are very friendly. Or Most of her friends live abroad.
NOTES:
- Chúng ta có thể bỏ of sau all hoặc half khi of đứng trước từ hạn định (không được bỏ of khi of đứng trước đại từ
Ex: All (of) my friends live in London. But all of them have been to the meeting
Half (of) this money is mine, and half of it is yours
- Chúng ta thường không dùng of khi không có từ hạn định (mạo từ hoặc từ sở hữu) đứng trước danh từ. Tuy nhiên trong một vài trường hợp most of cũng có thể được dùng mà không có từ hạn định theo sau, ví dụ như trước các tên riêng và địa danh.
Ex: The Romans conquered most of England
- Các cụm danh từ đứng sau all of, most of, some of,… thường xác định (phải có the, these, those,… hoặc các tính từ sở hữu)
Ex: Most of the boys in my class want to choose well-paid job
- Chúng ta có thể bỏ danh từ sau all, most, some, none nếu nghĩa đã rõ ràng
Ex: I wanted some cake, but there was none left.
Or The band sang a few songs. Most were old ones, but some were new.
V. Every, each
Thường được dùng trước danh từ đếm được ở số ít
Ex: The police questioned every/ each person in the building.
Or Every/ each room has a number
Trong nhiều trường hợp, every và each có thể được dùng với nghĩa tương tự nhau
Ex: You look more beautiful each/ every time I see you
Tuy nhiên every và each vẫn có sự khác biệt nhau về nghĩa
- Every (mỗi, mọi)
Chúng ta dùng every khi chúng ta nghĩ về người hoặc vật như một tổng thể hoặc một nhóm (cùng nghĩa với all)
Ex: Every guest watched as the President came in.
Or I go for a walk every day
Every có thể được dùng để nói về ba hoặc nhiều hơn ba người hoặc vật, thường là một số lượng lớn
Ex: There were cars parked along every street in town
- Each (mỗi)
Chúng ta dùng each khi chúng ta nghĩ về người hoặc vật một cách riêng rẽ, từng người hoặc từng vật trong một nhóm
Ex: Each day seemed to pass very slowly
Each có thể được dùng để nói về hai hoặc nhiều hơn hai, thường là một nhóm nhỏ người hoặc vật
Ex: There are four books on the table. Each book was a different colour
Each có thể được dùng một mình hoặc dùng với of (each of + determiner/ pronoun)
Ex: There are six flats. Each has its own entrance.
Or Each of the house has a backyard
VI.Subject-verb agreement
With fractions, percentages and indefinite quantifiers (e.g., all, few, many, much,some), the verb agrees with the preceding noun or clause:
With a singular or non-count noun or clause, use a singular verb:
One-third of this article is taken up with statistical analysis.
Much of the book seems relevant to this study.
Half of what he writes is undocumented.
Fifty percent of the job is routine.
All the information is current
With a plural noun, use a plural verb:
One-third of the students have graduate degrees.
Many researchers depend on grants from industry.
Half of his articles are peer-reviewed.
Fifty percent of the computers have CD-ROM drives.
All the studies are current.
With a collective noun, use either a singular or a plural verb, depending on whether you want to emphasize the single group or its individual members:
Half of my family lives/live in Canada.
All of the class is/are here.
Ten percent of the population is/are bilingual.
The words majority and minority are used in a variety of ways:
When majority/minority mean an unspecified number more or less than 50%, use a singular verb:
The majority holds no strong views.
A small minority indicates it supports the proposal.
When majority/minority mean a specific percentage, you may use either a singular or a plural verb:
A 75% majority have/has voted against the measure.
A 10% minority are/is opposed to the measure.
When majority/minority refers to a specified set of persons, use a plural verb:
A majority of Canadians have voted for change.
A minority of the students are willing to pay more.
Expressions of time, money and distance usually take a singular verb:
Ten dollars is a great deal of money to a child.
Ten kilometres is too far to walk.
Six weeks is not long enough.
Expressions using the phrase number of depend on the meaning of the phrase:
They take a singular verb when referring to a single quantity:
The number of students registered in the class is 20.
They take plural verbs when they are used as indefinite quantifiers
A number of students were late
* PHẦN II: BÀI TẬP VẬN DỤNG
I.Choose the best option.
1. The snow was getting quite deep. I had __________ hope of getting home that night.
A. much B. little C. a great deal of D. a little
2. I don’t think Jill would be a good teacher. She’s got_____ patience.
A. some B. few C. little D. all
3. Would you like milk in your coffee? “ Yes, please________”
A. little B. a little C. a few D. some
4. Have you seen _______ good films recently?
- No, I haven’t been to the cinema for ages.
A. any B. some C. a few D. most of
5. Can I have _______ coffee for my breakfast?
A. any B. few C. little D. some
6. ______ the Vietnamese people make their living by farming.
A. Most B. Most of C. Some of D. Many of
7. Don’t drink ________wine . It’s bad for your health.
A. many B. a few C. so much D. little
8. He had spent________ time writing an essay about his childhood.
A. a large number of B. a great deal of C. a few D. many
9. In spite of the heavy storm, some villagers were planning to rescue the injured climbers,
but ________ refused to do so.
A. many of them B. most of people C. few of farmers D. many of a number
10. The government is________ worried about the increase of the youth unemployment rates.
A. very B. much C. agreat deal of D. no
11. You talk too________ and you often do too________ tricks in class.
A. much / many B. little / much C. little / much D. many / much
12. _________the countries in that area of the world, perhaps Nigeria has the most potential.
A. Of all B. All of C. Most D. A great deal of
13. After doing the shopping, she had got_________.
A. a few money left B. little money left C. some left of money D. several of money left
14. The examination was not very difficult, but it was _________ long.
A. so much B. too much C. very much D. much too
15. Increasing _________ of fruit in the diet may help to reduce the rick of heart disease.
A. the amount B. an amount C. the number D. a number
16. While Southern California is densely populated,_________ live in the northern part of the state.
A. a number of B. many people C. few people D. a few of people
17. Nowadays, due to the increasing unemployment rate, young graduates have _____ opportunities
to find jobs.
A. little B. a little C. few D. a few
18. ________ of Asian students reject the American view that marriage is a partnership of equals.
A. The majority B. The many C. The number D. A great deal
19. In ______ people, the areas of the brain that control speed are located in the left hemisphere.
A. mostly of B. most C. almost of D. the most of
20. The__________ boy is very interested in football, but it is actually not good at playing it.
A. most of B. little C. some D. few
21.They knew _________ about him but they said they didn’t.
A. many B. a lot of C. much D. little
22. Although the government has taken certain measures to protect elephants, numerous threats remain for them.
A. too much B. a lot of C. some D. a few
23. The room is almost empty. There are very ________ people there.
A. few B. a few C. some D. several
24. The teacher gave us ________ difficult exercises. We could do only _____ of them and _____
of them couldn’t be done.
A. many / a few / most C. some / one / many
B. a lot of/ a little / some D. a great number of/ one / some
25. We have to delay this course because there are __________ students.
A. a large number of B. few C. some D. many
II. Choose the correct sentence A, B , C or D which is CLOSEST in meaning to each of the following questions.
26. Hardly anybody applied for the job.
A. Nobody applied for the job because it was hard.
B. Anybody found it hard to apply for the job.
C. There were very few applicants for the job
D. Anybody applied hardly for the job.
27. The majority of the students in this college are from overseas.
A. Everyone in this college is from overseas.
B. No one in this college is from overseas.
C. Few students in this college are from overseas.
D. Most of the students in this college are from overseas.
28. The tourists were unharmed after the train crash.
A. All the tourists were injured in the train crash.
B. None of the tourists were injured in the train crash.
C. The train crash was not harmful for the tourists.
D. The tourists were very afraid after the train crash.
29. Had the announcement been made earlier, more people would have attended the lecture.
A. Not many people came to hear the lecture because it was held so late.
B. Since the announcement was not made earlier, fewer people came to hear the lecture.
C. The lecture was held earlier so that more people would attend.
D. Fewer people attended the lecture because of the early announcement.
30. Most of the students ignored what the teacher was saying.
A. The teacher was ignored what she was saying by most of students.
B. The majority of the students ignored the teacher’s saying.
C. Most of the students didn’t listen to the teacher.
D. Few students paid attention to what the teacher was saying.
31. The Prime Minister is unlikely to call an early general election.
A. It’s likely that the Prime Minister will call an early general election.
B. The likelihood is that the Prime Minister will call an early general election
C. There is little likelihood of the Prime Minister calling an early general election
D. The likelihood is great that the Prime Minister will cal an early general election
32. Had he known more about the internet, he would have invested in some computer companies
A. Knowing about the internet would help him invest in some computer companies.
B. He didn’t know much about the internet and he didn’t invest in any computer companies
C. Knowing about the internet , he would have invested in some computer companies
D. He would have invested in some computer companies without his knowledge of the internet
33. Some children give a great deal of thought to their future work.
A. Some children think a great deal of their given work.
B. Some children’s future work is given to them.
C. Some children think a great deal of their future work.
D. Some children thought a lot of their future work.
34. They have no knowledge of what to expect when they start their work.
A. They know little about what to expect when they start their work.
B. They don’t have little knowledge of what to expect when they start their work.
C. When they start their work, they think about their knowledge that they expect.
D. They hardly know of what to expect when they start their work.
35. He gave us and his classmates a lot of help in the study.
A. He gave many help to us and his classmates in the study.
B. He helped us and his classmates a lot in the study.
C. He offered much help in the study to us and his classmates.
D. They were given a lot of help in the study by him.
III. Find one word or phrase(A, B, C or D) that must be changed in order for the sentence to be correct.
36. It was disappoiting that almost of the guests left the wedding too early.
A B C D
37. He has a great deal of books most of which are on science and technology.
A B C D
38. John had made several spelling mistake in his assignment so he didn’t get good marks.
A B C D
39. In the early days of the devolopment, cars used a large number of fuel, and now cars are more economical. A B C D
40. A number of the participants in the survey was 250 students for Oxford University.
A B C D
41. He had smoked so a lot of cigarettes that he died of cancer.
A B C D
42. There is only a few food for dinner. I think you should buy some more to eat.
A B C D
43. Although Mary has been inViet nam for 10 months, she knows a little Vietnamese.
A B C D
44. There is too many bad news on TV tonight.
A B C D
45. My friends can’t buy these jackets because they cost too many.
A B C D
46. If either of you take a vacation now, we will not be able to finish the work.
A B C D
47. Because they had spent too many time considering the new contract, the students lost the
A B
opportunities to lease the apartment.
C D
48. Some the plants in this store require very little care, but this one needs much more
A B C D
sunlight than the others.
49. The company has so a little money that it can hardly operate any more.
A B C D
50. Athough the weather was not perfect a bunch of people turned out for the annual parade.
A B C