Grammar
How to say how many without saying it wrongly. With an error correction exercise.
Quantifiers in IELTS sit at the point where grammar and Task 1 vocabulary meet. Choosing between much and many is a countability decision, and choosing between a few and few changes the meaning of the sentence rather than its accuracy.
In Academic Task 1 they do a second job as well: the majority of, a minority of and just under half let you describe proportions without listing every figure on the chart.
The rules
Six distinctions, two of which change meaning rather than correctness.
Much goes with uncountable nouns and many with countable plurals: much information, many students. In positive statements, a great deal of and a large number of read better than either.
Few with countable plurals, little with uncountables: few opportunities, little evidence.
A few students complained means some did. Few students complained means hardly any did. The article reverses the meaning, and the same applies to a little and little.
Amount is for uncountable nouns and number for countable ones: the amount of water, the number of people. And the number of takes a singular verb while a number of takes a plural one.
Most people means people in general. Most of the people surveyed means most within a defined group. The most is a superlative and belongs to comparison, not quantity.
The majority of, a significant minority, roughly a quarter, just under half, a tenth. These summarise a chart instead of reciting it, which is what Task Achievement asks for.
Method
Six ways this earns marks under Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
Every quantifier choice follows from it, and the uncountable nouns that cause trouble are a short list worth knowing by heart.
Much sounds unnatural in a positive statement in modern English, so a great deal of research reads better than much research.
It is not a small difference. Dropping a turns a positive statement into a negative one, which is a Task Response problem as well as a grammar one.
Describing three quarters of a chart in one phrase is better writing than listing eight figures, and it is what the task rewards.
Singular after the number of, plural after a number of. This one causes agreement errors as well as quantifier errors.
Most of people is wrong. Write most people for people in general or most of the people for a defined group.
Practice
Each sentence contains one error. Choose the correction.
Read the whole sentence before you choose. Every option below is a real form of English, so the question is not which word exists but which one this sentence needs.
This is how examiners see your writing: not as rules broken, but as sentences that do or do not work.
1Correct the error: There is not much evidences to support this claim.
Much evidence. Evidence is uncountable, so it takes much and has no plural form. The same applies to research, information and advice.
2Correct the error: Most of people believe that education should be free.
Both A and C are correct. Most of requires the and a defined group. For people in general, drop the of altogether and write most people.
3Correct the error: The amount of students enrolling in science degrees has fallen.
Number. Amount belongs with uncountable nouns and number with countable ones. Students can be counted, so the number of students is required.
4Which sentence means that hardly anyone objected?
Few residents objected. Without the article, few is negative and means almost none. A few and quite a few both mean that some did.
5Correct the error: A number of studies has shown a link between the two.
Have shown. A number of means several and takes a plural verb. The number of is the singular one, which is the opposite of what most candidates expect.
6Correct the error: Little people are aware of how the scheme operates.
Few people. Little goes with uncountable nouns. People is a countable plural, so it takes few.
That is normal, and it is the whole problem with grammar study. Recognising an error in a sentence someone has told you contains one is far easier than finding it in your own essay, where every sentence looks correct because you wrote it.
The complete IELTS course on IELTStestONLINE has video lessons on every question type, many more exercises like this one, and your own support tutor you can ask when an answer does not make sense. Take a look at the complete course
Choosing the right option from four is not the same as producing the structure accurately under time in an essay.
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Much with uncountable nouns and many with countable plurals. In positive statements, a great deal of and a large number of usually read more naturally.
A few means some, and is positive. Few means hardly any, and is negative. The article changes the meaning of the sentence.
Number of people. Amount belongs with uncountable nouns such as water, money and information.
Because most of needs a defined group with the. Write most people in general, or most of the people surveyed for a specific set.
The majority of, a minority of, roughly a quarter and just under half. They summarise the chart rather than listing every figure on it.
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