Articles and quantifiers: use, omission, few/little, comparatives and superlatives

🔊 المعلّمة تقرأ لك

« Today few countries in the region can boast of as many World Heritage Sites as our country. » A text about Algeria's heritage says it in one sentence — and it compares quantities twice: few countries, as many sites as Algeria. Tipaza, Djemila, the Tassili n'Ajjer, Timgad, the M'Zab Valley, the Qalaa of the Banu Hammad and the Casbah of Algiers: seven sites, and very few rivals. You already know articles and quantifiers; this lesson makes sure you can use them to describe civilizations and to compare them. So which words say how much or how many — and how do you compare quantities?

🎓في نهاية هذا الدرس ستكون قادرا على:

اختيار أداة التنكير ⁦a, an⁩ أو أداة التعريف ⁦the⁩ أو حذف الأداة، ولا سيّما مع الاسم المجرّد المأخوذ على العموم
التمييز بين الاسم المعدود وغير المعدود، والسؤال عن الكمّية بـ ⁦How many⁩ و ⁦How much⁩
التمييز بين ⁦few, little⁩ ذوَي المعنى السلبيّ و ⁦a few, a little⁩ ذوَي المعنى الإيجابيّ
مقارنة الكمّيات بصيغ التفوّق والتساوي والنقص، وتفضيل إحداها بـ ⁦the most, the fewest, the least⁩

🔑يفترض هذا الدرس أنّك تتقن:

الاسم المفرد وجمعه
الاسم المحسوس والاسم المجرّد
صيغ المقارنة والتفضيل في الصفات، مثل ⁦taller, the most beautiful⁩
صيغة السؤال وصيغة النفي في الجملة الإنجليزية

1. A, the or no article?

في الإنجليزية أداتان: أداة التنكير ⁦a, an⁩ وأداة التعريف ⁦the⁩، وقد يأتي الاسم بلا أداة، ولا سيّما الاسم المجرّد في حكم عامّ.

There are two articles in English: the indefinite article a — written an before a vowel sound — and the definite article the. Sometimes a noun needs no article at all: this is the zero article, written ø. To choose, ask whether the noun is taken in general or whether it is a particular one. An abstract noun — the name of an idea or a quality, like peace, honesty or courage — takes no article when it is used in general.

When do we use a, the or no article?

Article	When?	Example
a, an	a singular countable noun we know nothing about	My father works in a factory.
a, an	a noun that means all things of the same kind	A friend in need is a friend indeed.
the	the context shows which particular thing we mean	I'll meet you in front of the post office.
the	a noun we have mentioned before	He had a villa and a yacht, but he sold the villa a month ago.
the	the only one that exists	the sun, the pyramids, the human race
ø	an uncountable noun in a general statement	Money is the root of all evil.
ø	an abstract noun	All nations should work for peace, honesty, generosity and courage.
ø	a plural noun that is not particular	We're expecting visitors.

ø = zero article: no article at all.

Transition — complete with a, an, the or ø

For me …(1) civilization is synonymous with …(2) refinement, …(3) refinement in …(4) architecture, in …(5) law, and in …(6) life styles. …(7) culture and …(8) literature of …(9) society also contribute to …(10) flourishing of its civilization.

Task 1 — the answers, and the reason for each

في كلّ فراغ اسأل: هل الاسم مأخوذ على العموم، أم محدَّد بما يليه؟

1, 2, 3. ø civilization, ø refinement, ø refinement — abstract nouns taken in general: no article.
4, 5. ø architecture, ø law — also taken in general: no article.
6. ø life styles — a plural noun that is not particular: no article.
7, 8. The culture and the literature — particular ones: those of a society.
9. a society — a singular countable noun that means any society, all societies of the same kind.
10. the flourishing — a particular one: the flourishing of its civilization.

The question to ask each time: is the noun taken in general, or is it made particular by what follows it — of a society, of its civilization?

2. How many? How much? Few or a few, little or a little

مع الاسم المعدود نسأل بـ ⁦How many⁩، ومع غير المعدود بـ ⁦How much⁩. و ⁦few, little⁩ بلا أداة معناهما سلبيّ، أمّا ⁦a few, a little⁩ فمعناهما إيجابيّ.

A quantifier is a word that tells how much or how many: many, much, few, little, some, a lot of… Its choice depends on the noun. Countable nouns can be counted — a glass, an apple, a pound, people — and we ask How many…? Uncountable nouns cannot — water, milk, money — and we ask How much…? We use many and much in questions about quantity, and we often use much in negative sentences, not in positive ones: « I haven't got much money in my pocket. » In positive sentences, spoken English usually says a lot of or lots of; written English often uses many with countable nouns. Few and little — without a — are negative: they mean not much, not enough; the speaker is not happy about it. A few and a little are positive: they mean some, quite enough; the speaker is happy about it.

From a lot to nothing — the scale of quantifiers

With countable nouns	With uncountable nouns
a lot of, lots of	a lot of, a great deal of
many	much
some, a few	some, a little
few	little
not many	not much
not any, no	not any, no

From the largest quantity to none. A lot of, some, not any and no go with both kinds of nouns.

Task 2 — « Today few countries in the region can boast of as many World Heritage Sites as our country. » Would « a few countries » mean the same?

هل تؤدّي ⁦a few countries⁩ المعنى نفسه الذي تؤدّيه ⁦few countries⁩؟

No. Few, without a, is negative: not many — Algeria has almost no rival in the region, and this is what the sentence stresses. A few countries would be positive: some countries. The same text says « There is little knowledge about its earliest times »: little means not much, not enough.

3. Comparing quantities: more, as many as, fewer, the least

للمقارنة بين الكمّيات ثلاث صيغ: التفوّق ⁦more … than⁩، والتساوي ⁦as many … as⁩، والنقص ⁦fewer … than, less … than⁩؛ وللتفضيل ⁦the most, the fewest, the least⁩.

Quantifiers have comparative and superlative forms. More and the most are the comparative and the superlative of many with countable nouns — and also of much with uncountable nouns. Fewer and the fewest come from few (countable nouns); less and the least come from little (uncountable nouns). The comparative of little is less, not littler. A comparison shows superiority (more … than), equality (as many … as, as much … as, as few … as, as little … as) or inferiority (fewer … than, less … than). A superlative singles one out: the most for superiority, the fewest or the least for inferiority.

Comparative and superlative forms of quantifiers

Quantifier	Comparative forms	Superlative form
many	more · as many as	the most
much	more · as much as	the most
little	less · as little as	the least
few	fewer · as few as	the fewest

Instead of less, we can also say a smaller quantity of; instead of the least, the smallest amount of: « Kader has the smallest amount of money in his pocket. »

Algeria at the Crossroads of Civilizations

No country in North Africa has as much access to the Mediterranean and the Sahara as Algeria. Its privileged geographic position has made it open to many of the ancient civilizations that flourished in the Mediterranean Basin and to those that prospered in Africa south of the Sahara. Today few countries in the region can boast of as many World Heritage Sites as our country. Tipaza, Djemila, Tassili n'Ajjer, Timgad, the M'Zab Valley, the Qalaa of the Banu Hammad, and the Casbah of Algiers are standing witnesses both to its civilizational genius and to its enriching contacts with other civilizations. Of all the sites of Southern Algeria, the Tassili n'Ajjer has the most prestige. It has more rock paintings and engravings than any other prehistoric Saharan site, and it contains the most beautiful remains of the prehistoric civilizations of the Sahara. These rock paintings, engravings and remains have yielded as much information as we need in order for us to have a clear picture of what life used to be like in the Sahara in prehistoric times. […] The Tassili n'Ajjer seems to have had as few exchanges with the Phoenician and Roman civilizations as the other Saharan sites of our country. Archaeologists are still undecided about which of these Saharan sites contains the fewest traces of these ancient civilizations. […] In the northern part of Algeria, the Casbah of Algiers undoubtedly holds the most important position among the historic sites. […] There is little knowledge about its earliest times when it was founded by the Phoenicians as one of their trading posts. […] Five centuries later, Emir Bulughin rebuilt the town into an important Mediterranean trading port called al-Jaza'ir. Until then, Algiers had less influence on international commerce than the other Algerian maritime cities because it had fewer natural harbours. Therefore, despite the fact that it was considered a trading post by both the Romans and Phoenicians, only the least amount of merchandise transited through it. Adapted from Africana: The Encyclopedia of African and African American Experience

Task 3 — Pick out the comparatives and superlatives of quantifiers, and put each one in its box.

استخرج من النصّ صيغ المقارنة والتفضيل الخاصّة بمحدِّدات الكمّية، وضع كلّ واحدة في خانتها.

The quantifiers of the text, box by box

Box	In the text
Comparative of superiority	more rock paintings and engravings than any other prehistoric Saharan site
Comparative of equality	as much access to the Mediterranean and the Sahara as Algeria
Comparative of equality	as many World Heritage Sites as our country
Comparative of equality	as much information as we need
Comparative of equality	as few exchanges with the Phoenician and Roman civilizations as the other Saharan sites
Comparative of inferiority	less influence on international commerce than the other Algerian maritime cities
Comparative of inferiority	fewer natural harbours
Superlative of superiority	the most prestige
Superlative of inferiority	the fewest traces of these ancient civilizations
Superlative of inferiority	the least amount of merchandise

How they are formed: more + noun + than; as many (much, few, little) + noun + as; fewer (countable) or less (uncountable) + noun + than; the most, the fewest, the least + noun.

Task 4 — « the most beautiful remains », « the most important position »: are these superlatives of quantifiers?

هل ⁦the most⁩ في ⁦the most beautiful remains⁩ صيغة تفضيل لمحدِّد كمّيّ؟

No. In both, the most is followed by an adjective — beautiful, important: these are superlatives of adjectives. The superlative of a quantifier is followed directly by a noun: the most prestige, the fewest traces, the least amount. So before you put more or the most in a box, look at the word that comes after it.

Fill in the blanks with many, few, much, little, or their comparative and superlative forms.

A. How …(1) merchandise transited through the port of Algiers in the Phoenician period? B. Well, in those days there was very …(2) merchandise that transited through Algerian ports on the whole. But in comparison with the ports of Skikda and Annaba, only the …(3) quantity of merchandise transited through the port of Algiers, I mean, …(4) than through the port of Skikda or that of Annaba, because it was less safe than the latter. A. How …(5) trading posts did the Carthaginians have on the North African coast after their defeat by the Romans in the First and Second Punic Wars? B. Well, actually they didn't have …(6). They used to have …(7), but they lost …(8) of them to the Romans. A. How …(9) influence did the Carthaginian civilization exert on the Numidians? B. Well, at the beginning, it exerted …(10) influence. By this I mean that it had …(11) influence than the Roman one. You know, the Carthaginians had …(12) contacts with the Numidians than the Romans. But when the Romans burnt down Carthage in the third Punic War (149 - 146 BC) …(13) Carthaginian refugees settled in Numidia. It was then that the Carthaginian civilization exerted the …(14) influence on the Numidians.

Task 5 — the answers, and the question to ask each time

في كلّ فراغ اسأل: هل الاسم معدود أم غير معدود؟ وهل الجملة سؤال أم نفي أم مقارنة؟

1. much — merchandise is uncountable, and the sentence asks about quantity.
2. little — uncountable, with a negative meaning: very little merchandise, not much.
3. least — the superlative of little, after only the: only the least quantity (the smallest quantity is also possible).
4. less — the comparative of little, announced by than.
5. many — trading posts are countable: How many…?
6. many — countable, in a negative sentence: they didn't have many.
7. many — countable: they used to have many.
8. most — the superlative of many: they lost most of them.
9. much — influence is uncountable: How much…?
10. little — uncountable, with a negative meaning: not much influence at the beginning.
11. less — the comparative of little, with than.
12. fewer — contacts are countable: the comparative of few, with than.
13. many — refugees are countable.
14. most — the superlative of much: the most influence.

Do this alone, in writing. Compare yourself with a friend, or two pupils of your class, in four sentences. Use one comparative of superiority or inferiority (more, fewer or less … than), one comparative of equality (as many or as much … as) and one superlative (the most, the fewest or the least). Then check each quantifier with the question of this lesson: is the noun countable or uncountable?

اكتب وحدك أربع جمل تقارن فيها نفسك بصديق أو بتلميذين من قسمك، مستعملا صيغ المقارنة والتفضيل.

A model answer

My friend Amine has more books than I, but I have as many dictionaries as he does. He has less money than I: he has no part-time job. And of all the pupils in our class, Sarah has the fewest absences. Notice more, as many and the fewest with countable nouns (books, dictionaries, absences), but less with an uncountable noun: money.

In the exam, articles and quantifiers are tested inside sentences: a blank to fill with a word from a given list, as in the three exchanges of this lesson. Before you choose, ask two questions — is the noun countable or uncountable? and is it a question, a negative sentence or a comparison? Have three things ready: ① many and few with countable nouns, much and little with uncountable nouns; ② the forms: more · as many as · the most — less · as little as · the least — fewer · as few as · the fewest; ③ no article before an abstract noun taken in general. The frequent mistake is less with a countable noun: Algiers had fewer natural harbours, not less.

What I keep — An abstract noun taken in general has no article (civilization, refinement); a or an goes before a singular countable noun that is not particular; the makes a noun particular (the culture of a society). With countable nouns I use many and few, with uncountable nouns much and little; few and little are negative, a few and a little positive. To compare quantities: more … than, as many (much, few, little) … as, fewer … than with countable nouns and less … than with uncountable ones; to single one out: the most, the fewest, the least.

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