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Outline unit 13

(13)

THE EXPRESSION OF QUANTITY

1. INTRODUCTION: NOTION OF QUANTITY
The notion of quantity refers to the number or the amount ofitems.
This can be expressed by means of different word classes:
o
o
o
o

NOUNS
PRONOUNS
DETERMINERS
PARTITIVE EXPRESSIONS

2. EXPRESSION OF QUANTITY: NUMBER

-

Number can be expressed by means of NOUNS, NUMERALS and

PRONOUNS.

NOUNS. Singular vs. Plural (& dual):

o PLURAL: variable vs. invariable

INVARIABLE

VARIABLE
Regular
plurals Plurals in s or es
(boy-boys; fly-flies)

Singular

Plural

-Non-count
nouns:
concrete (furniture)
-Non-count
nouns:
abstract (music)
-Proper nouns (The
Alps)
-Some nouns ending
in s (news)
-Abstract
adjectival
heads (the bad)

-Summation
(trousers)
-Pluralia tantum in s
(outskirts)
-Plural proper nouns (the
Netherlands)
-Unmarked plural nouns
(sheep)
-Personal
adjectival
heads (the rich)

Count vs. Non-count nouns:

Count nouns: it takes the plural nouns (house).
PLURAL: triggers a count interpretation, the same
as numerals, quantifiers (many, few, several,
much, little), and definite or indefinite articles.
Common countable nouns can be preceded
bynumerals, quantifiers (except for much, little),
and
definite/indefinite
articles,
whereas
commonnoncount nouns can only be followed by
the quantifiers much and little and the.
SINGULAR: the determiners one, a, another, each,
every, either, neither force a count interpretation,
whereas enough, much, most, little and
unstressed some or any induce a noncount
interpretation. A singular common noun without
determiner will take a noncount interpretation (He
drinks whisky). Also, nouns can be used with

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NUMERALS:
o
o
o
o

either kind of interpretation when using partitive

constructions (a piece of, an item of,a bottle of, a
loaf of).
Uncount nouns: substances (bread, beer), abstract terms
(advice)and count in other language (baggage,
furniture). Not used with indefinite articles, but preceded
by quantifiers (I dont want any advice).

Cardinal: zero (nought, nil), one, two, three, telephone

numbers,
Ordinal: first, second, third
Fractions & decimals: (three quarters); 0.54 (nought point
five four).
NB. Note also the use of Roman numbers (Henry VIII, XX c.);
books and chapters (The Third Book / Book Four)

PRONOUNS. There are different types of pronouns, but we shall

centre around:
o

Universal Pronouns:

UNIVERSAL PRONOUNS

COUNT
Personal

Singular

Pronoun

Plural

Pronoun

Non-personal

Everyone
Everything
Everybody
Everywhere
Each
Each
All / both

- Every (more than two and have collective reference: adj.) / Each (refers
to two or more: adj & pronoun): They take a singular verb (Every man
knows / Each (man) knows )
- Both (only applied to two people. It takes plural verb: Both door were
open) / All (it has plural reference. It can be paraphrased by everybody and
everything. It refers to a number of people or things considered as a group,
while every considers them individually: all the town was in danger; all of it;
all ofthem were broken; we are all waiting).
- Everything / everybody/ everyone + singular verb preferred:
Everyoneisready.

o Partitive Pronouns:
NUMBER

FUNCTION

Assertive
Singular

Pronoun
Determiner

COUNT
PERSONAL
NONPERSONAL
Someone
something
Somebody
A / an

NON-COUNT

some

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Plural

Pronoun &
Determiner

Non-assertive
Singular

Pronoun

Some
Anyone
Anything
Anybody

Determiner
Plural

Negative
Singular

Pronoun &
Determiner
Pronoun
Determiner

Plural

Pronoun &
Determiner

any
Either
Any

Any
Nobody
Nothing
No one
None / neither

Any
No
None

None

Assertive pronouns Somebody for personal count nouns in singular,

and something for non-personal count nouns. For plural count and
non-count, some is used.
Non-assertive pronouns (?/-), we have anybody and anyone.
Nobody and no one for personal count nouns in singular (Nobody
has arrived). None and neither are used for singular count nouns
(neither nor + affirmative verb / either or + negative verbit was
neither large nor bright) and none for plural count and non-count
nouns.No and none + affirmative verbs (No work was done).

o Quantifying Pronouns (Quantifiers): cardinal numbers, much,

many, few, little, fewer, lesser, less and phrasal quantifiers
(plenty of, a good/great deal of, a large number of).I spent a
great / good deal of money.

3. DETERMINERS
Determiner
FUNCTION

Pre-determiner

Central determiner

REALIZATION

All
both
double
half
twice
many (a)
such (a)
what (a)

definite article
indefinite article
demonstrative pronouns
possessive pronouns
relative pronouns
genitive
another,
any,
each,
either, enough, every,
much,
neither,
no,
some,
what,
which,
whose

Pre-determiner: Two subsets can be distinguished: (1) all, both, half, and
(2) the multipliers. (1) can occur before the articles, the demonstratives, and
the possessives (all/both/half the/these/our students). However, they also
have the negative characteristic of not occurring before determiners that
themselves entail quantification: every, each, (n)either, some, any, no,

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enough. (2) include the items once, twice, three times, expressions of
emphasis and costing.
Central determiner:they can occur with singular and plural count nouns
and with non-count.

Post-determiner: Postdeterminers fall into two classes: ordinals (first,

fourth, last, other) and quantifiers (cardinal numbers, many, few, plenty of, a
lot of).

4. PARTITIVE CONSTRUCTIONS
-

They denote part of the whole. We may distinguish three types

of quantitative partitive constructions:

+ Non-count
A pint of beer, a
spoonful of medicine, a
pound of butter, aslice
of cake/bread/meat, a
roast of meat, a few
loaves of bread, a bowl
of soup, a bottle of
wine, acup of coffee, a
packet of sugar, a
blade of grass, some
specks of dust

+ Plural count nouns

a
flock
of
sheep/pigeons,
two
flocks of sheep; an
army
of
ants;
a
company
of
actors;
acrowd of people; a
series of concerts, two
series of concerts; a
pair of scissors

Singular count nouns

a piece of a leather
belt, a page of a book,
two pieces of a broken
cup, two acts of a play.