Grade 6 Primary English Qantifiers – Phrasal Quantifires Notes

What is a phrasal quantifier?

A phrasal quantifier is a group of words that tells us how much or how many of something there is. Examples: "a lot of", "a few of", "plenty of", "a little bit of".

Countable and uncountable — quick reminder

• Countable nouns are things you can count: one apple, two apples. (e.g., apples, chairs, students)
• Uncountable nouns are things you cannot count with numbers easily: rice, water, sugar. (they need words like "some" or "a little")

Common phrasal quantifiers and how we use them

Phrasal quantifier	Use with	Example
a few / a couple of / several	countable (plural)	a few students, a couple of books
a little / a bit of	uncountable	a little water, a bit of sugar
a lot of / lots of / plenty of	countable or uncountable	a lot of mangoes; lots of rice
some of / most of / all of / none of	use with "of" + determiner (the, my, these, those, us)	some of the pupils; most of my friends
a great deal of / a large amount of	uncountable (formal)	a great deal of information

Important rules (easy)

1. Use "a few" for small, positive amounts with countable nouns: "a few friends" = some friends (not many but some).
2. Use "few" (without "a") to show almost none: "few friends" means hardly any.
3. "A little" (uncountable) is like "a few" but for things you cannot count: "a little milk" (some milk).
4. Some phrasal quantifiers need "of" when they come before a specific group: "some of the students", "most of my classmates".
5. Verb agreement: decide by the noun after the quantifier. Example: "A lot of the rice is left." (rice = uncountable → is) "A lot of the students are ready." (students = plural → are)
6. "A number of" + plural noun → plural verb: "A number of children are absent."

Examples with a Kenyan school context 🇰🇪

• There are a few pupils in the library after class.
• We bought a lot of mangoes from the market.
• There is a little water left in the jerrycan.
• Most of the class enjoyed the school trip.
• A couple of boys are practising football on the field.

Quick tip

If you can count the thing (one, two, three), use countable phrasal quantifiers (a few, several). If not, use uncountable ones (a little, a bit of).

Practice — choose the correct phrasal quantifier

1. _____ of the students are going on the school trip. (A few / A little)
2. There is only _____ sugar left in the tin. (a few / a little)
3. I have _____ books to read this holiday. (a few / a little)
4. _____ of the maize was eaten by the goats. (Most / Most of)
5. We bought _____ oranges from the stall. (a lot of / a little)
6. _____ children were selected for the team. (A number of / The number of)

Answers

1. A few of the students are going on the school trip. (students = countable → a few)
2. There is only a little sugar left in the tin. (sugar = uncountable → a little)
3. I have a few books to read this holiday. (books = countable → a few)
4. Most of the maize was eaten by the goats. (use "of" with "the" = most of)
5. We bought a lot of oranges from the stall. (oranges = countable → a lot of)
6. A number of children were selected for the team. (use plural verb with "a number of")

If you want more practice, tell me and I will give extra exercises with answer checks. Good luck — keep practising! ✅