Countable and Uncountable - Quantity words

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ELT Concourse: learners' index
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Countable and Uncountable - Quantity words (Intermediate)

'table' is 'countable'. In the dictionary, you will see [C] after it.
It can be used in the singular with words like 'a', 'one', 'this', 'my', every'.
It can be used in the plural with words like 'some', 'many', 'a few', 'these', 'several', 'a lot of', 'quite a lot of', 'a large number of'.

'gold' is 'uncountable'. In the dictionary, you will see (U) after it.
It can be used (always in the singular) with words like 'some', 'this', 'my', 'much', 'a little', 'a lot of', 'quite a lot of', 'a large amount of'.

You can make an 'uncountable word' 'countable' by using words like 'a piece of', 'a bar of' etc

  1. The shop decided to close early because there weren't ____ customers.
    1.   lots
    2.   any
    3.   much
    4.   some
  2. How ___ hours of community service was the man ordered to do?
    1.   many
    2.   lots of
    3.   number
    4.   several
  3. You can see quite ____ swans on the lake in Princes Park,
    1.   much
    2.   a large
    3.   a lot of
    4.   a number
  4. This is not an awful ____ questions, is it?
    1.   lot of
    2.   amount
    3.   deal
    4.   number
  5. The teacher gave us ____ pieces of good advice about the examination.
    1.   any
    2.   several
    3.   every
    4.   much
  6. I'm sorry but I really don't have a great ____ time.
    1.   much
    2.   many
    3.   number of
    4.   deal of
  7. There were too ____ people in the disco. It really was overcrowded.
    1.   many
    2.   deal
    3.   full
    4.   much
  8. The mugger was easily identified because he had been seen by ____ witnesses.
    1.   several
    2.   every
    3.   number of
    4.   much
  9. How ____ items of luggage do you have, Sir?
    1.   a lot of
    2.   much
    3.   number
    4.   many
  10. The policeman couldn't give us ____ information about our brother's whereabouts.
    1.   an
    2.   some
    3.   any
    4.   a
  11. He didn't have ____ time but he managed to finish the job.
    1.   amount of
    2.   much
    3.   many
    4.   several
  12. Eastbourne really does have a large ____ sunshine, compared with most other British towns.
    1.   lot of
    2.   ray of
    3.   amount of
    4.   number of
  13. With the money he was given for his birthday, he was able to buy ____ CDs.
    1.   lots
    2.   much
    3.   a large amount of
    4.   a large number of
  14. I phoned the hospital but they couldn't give me ____ news.
    1.   many
    2.   little
    3.   few
    4.   much
  15. At first, I didn't understand ____ of what people said to me.
    1.   little
    2.   much
    3.   several
    4.   lot