We know that adjectives are used to describe nouns or pronouns. In this quiz we learn about one particular type; Adjectives of Quantity.
Words such as 'most, any, many' and 'few,' along with numbers, are adjectives of quantity. They tell us the amount, or the approximate amount, of the noun they describe. Adjectives of quantity are extremely useful when describing things. They give a sense of proportion to the whole communication.
Just imagine if someone were to tell you that Sachin Tendulkar has scored many centuries in test cricket and one-day cricket. This sentence tells you that the batsman has scored a lot of centuries and here the word ‘many’ is an adjective of quantity and also an indefinite adjective.
If now you are told that the batsman has scored fifty one centuries in test cricket and forty nine centuries in one-day cricket, then the sentence carries a more definite meaning and also carries more information. The adjective ‘many’ in the first sentence has been replaced by the numbers fifty-one and forty-nine in the second sentence. These adjectives of quantity are able to provide more information and also more precise information.
There are several words that can be used as adjectives of quantity. In fact, the sentence you just read has one – ‘several!’
Words such as ‘some’, ‘little’, ‘whole’, ‘all’, ‘entire’, ’enough’ and ‘half’ are all adjectives of quantity. Words that use numbers are called adjectives of number and come within the adjectives of quantity category. Test your knowledge by finding out the adjectives of quantity in the quiz that follows.