Describe a group
I can say exactly how many people or things in a group do something.
Declared core time. Two of the core blocks carry no figure at all, so the real lesson is longer than this sum.
Grammar
15 minIn A2 #13 you said how much or how many there is: a lot of work, a few days, not much time. Now the question is different — what part of a group. "Most of my colleagues", "nobody in our group", "the two brothers together", "not one of the two options", "half of the tickets". In English each of these words of quantity can be used in two ways, and the choice between them is the main rule of this lesson.
Words of quantity. From "everyone" to "nobody":
| word | part of the group | example |
|---|---|---|
| all | every one, everything | All of my friends came to the party. |
| most | more than half | Most of the guests left before midnight. |
| half | one of two equal parts | Half of the tickets have already gone. |
| many | a large number | Many of my colleagues live outside London. |
| some | a part, not all | Some of them work at weekends. |
| a few | a small number | A few of us stayed to help. |
| none | not one, nobody, nothing | None of the shops were open. |
About two people or things there is a separate set of three:
| word | part of the group | example |
|---|---|---|
| both | the two together | Both of my parents are teachers. |
| either | one or the other, it doesn't matter which | Either of these days is fine for me. |
| neither | not one and not the other | Neither of the answers is right. |
When you need of. You can put the word of quantity straight before the noun: most people, some students, all children. This is how you speak about people and things in general — most people in the world, all children as children. But if you mean a particular group that is already known — the students, my friends, these books, us, them — of goes between the word of quantity and the group:
| in general — no of | a particular group — with of |
|---|---|
| Most people like holidays. | Most of the people in my street have a car. |
| Some students work at night. | Some of my students work at night. |
| All children need sleep. | All of us were tired. |
| No shops are open on Christmas Day. | None of the shops were open. |
Why: of here means "from among". "Most from among the students we are talking about" is most of the students. If there is no particular group, there is nothing to take "from among", and you don't put of. So here is a check: after of there must be the, my, these, those or a pronoun. Without them you don't need of.
With a pronoun you always need of: all of us, both of them, none of it, most of you.
all, both and half have a freedom: before the and my you can leave out of. all the students = all of the students, both my parents = both of my parents, half the class. The other words can't do this: only most of the students, some of my friends.
all and both after the subject. These two words can also stand in the middle of the sentence — where adverbs of frequency go (A1 #11): before the main verb, but after be and after an auxiliary verb. We all agreed. — every one of us agreed. My parents are both teachers. — my mother and my father are teachers. The guests have all gone home.
none and no. no goes straight before a noun: No students came. none goes before of or stands alone, in an answer: None of the students came. — How many tickets are left? — None. Both words are already negative, so the verb after them is positive: None of them came. In many languages two negative words are normal here — French aucun d'eux n'est venu, Polish żaden z nich nie przyszedł. In English the negative is heard only once. It is the same rule as with neither … nor (B1 #6) and nobody (A2 #14).
Two, or more than two. both, either, neither speak only about two. If there are three or more people or things, you need all, any, none: None of my three brothers lives here, not neither. After either and neither without of the noun is singular: either day, neither answer. With of it is plural: neither of the answers.
not … either means the same as neither and sounds more natural in conversation: I don't like either of them = I like neither of them — I don't like this one, and I don't like that one.
You have already met neither in two other roles: neither … nor (B1 #6) and Neither do I (B1 #20). Here is the third role — "not one of the two".
a few and few, a little and little. The article turns the judgement round. a few (with countable nouns) and a little (with uncountable nouns) mean "some", "a small amount", and that is enough. Without a the same words mean "not many", "almost none", and that is bad.
| I've got a few friends in Leeds, so I'm never lonely. | some — and that's good |
| I've got few friends in Leeds, so I'm often lonely. | not many — a complaint |
| We've got a little time — let's have a coffee. | not much, but there is some |
| We've got little time — hurry up. | almost none |
In conversation few and little without the article sound bookish. Instead people usually say not many, not much or only a few: I haven't got many friends here. And quite a few means the opposite — "a fairly large number": Quite a few of my colleagues cycle to work.
The verb. After most of, some of, all of, half of the verb looks at the noun after of: Most of the students are here, but Most of the money was spent. If after of there is a group word — class, team, family — in British English both numbers are correct: Half of the class has been to Spain (the class as one whole) and Half of the class have been to Spain (the people in it). After none of, neither of and either of both are correct too: None of us is perfect and None of us are perfect, Neither of them knows and Neither of them know. The singular sounds stricter, and in an official letter people choose it; the plural is usual in conversation. Neither of them is a mistake.
More examples:
| Most of my colleagues come to work by train. | More than half of the people I work with travel by train. |
| Some of the questions were really difficult. | Not all the questions, but a part of them, were hard. |
| Half of the class have been to Spain. | 50% of the group have visited Spain. |
| None of us knew the answer. | Not one person in our group knew the answer. |
| Both of my sisters live abroad. | I have two sisters, and the two of them live in other countries. |
| Monday or Tuesday? Either day is fine. | Monday is fine, and Tuesday is fine too. |
Don't say this. ✗ all us, ✗ both they → ✓ all of us, both of them. ✗ most the students → ✓ most of the students.
Check yourself. More than half of your friends live in London — your own friends, not people in general. How do you say it? How is I have a few friends here different from I have few friends here? There are two answers: the first one is wrong, and the second one is wrong too. How do you say it in one sentence?
show the answers
Common learner errors
written for your languagethe before most and half
✗ The most of people prefer tea → ✓ Most people prefer tea. ✗ the half of the tickets → ✓ half of the tickets, half the tickets. French la plupart, la moitié, Spanish la mayoría, la mitad, Italian la maggior parte, German die meisten, die Hälfte have an article, and it comes into English. But the most is the superlative (A2 #8): the most expensive. most and half take no article.
of with nothing after it
✗ Most of students work
✓ Most students work
(students in general) or Most of the students in my group work (particular ones). After "most" many languages always have "of" or a case that means "of" — French la plupart des, Spanish la mayoría de, Polish większość with the genitive. In English of needs the, my or a pronoun after it.
nobody of
✗ Nobody of us knew the answer
✓ None of us knew the answer
In many languages one word means both "nobody" and "none" — Italian nessuno, German keiner. In English nobody always stands alone; before of you need none.
A double negative
✗ None of them didn't come → ✓ None of them came. ✗ I didn't see none of them → ✓ I didn't see any of them. In Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Polish and many other languages two negative words in one sentence are normal. In English one is enough: none with a positive verb, or not with any.
One word for two and for more
✗ None of my parents drives → ✓ Neither of my parents drives. ✗ Neither of my three brothers drives → ✓ None of my three brothers drives. Spanish ninguno, French aucun, German keiner work for two and for ten. English makes a difference: about two — neither, about more — none.
few instead of a few
I have few friends here in the meaning "I've got some friends here" is a correct sentence, but it says something else: "I have almost no friends" — a complaint. The difference is carried by one short article, and it is easy to lose when you speak fast.
Pronunciation
4 minof in these phrases is unstressed — /əv/, and before a consonant often just /ə/. The stress falls on the word of quantity and on the noun: MOST of the STUdents /ˈməʊst əv ðə ˈstjuːdnts/, SOME of them /ˈsʌm əv ðəm/. all of us joins into one word: /ˈɔːl əv əs/.
Don't swallow the a in a few. /ə ˈfjuː/ against /fjuː/: one weak sound separates "some" from "almost none". The same with a little /ə ˈlɪtl/.
none rhymes with one and sun: /nʌn/, not /nɒn/ as the spelling suggests. both is /bəʊθ/, with /θ/ at the end, as in think. either and neither have two pronunciations (B1 #6): /ˈaɪðə/ or /ˈiːðə/, /ˈnaɪðə/ or /ˈniːðə/.
In half the letter l is silent: /hɑːf/, as in calm and walk.
Text
5 minThere are twelve of us in our Tuesday evening Spanish class, and last week our teacher gave us a short survey about our lives. Here are the results.
Most of us work full-time, and a few work part-time. None of us are students any more — the youngest person in the group is twenty-nine. Half of the class have been to Spain at least once, but only two people have lived there: Paul and Ruth. Both of them spent a year in Madrid, and neither of them wants to go back to an office job.
All of us have busy evenings, so homework is a problem. Some people do it on the train in the morning, and some hardly do it at all. Few of us practise speaking outside the class, and that's the biggest weakness of the group. We have a little time before the exam in June, so our teacher has a plan: every week, two of us are going to meet for a coffee and speak only Spanish. We'll meet on Mondays or Wednesdays — either day is fine for most people.
I asked my partner, Jenny, if she was nervous about the exam. "Not really," she said. "Most exams are easier than people think. And all of my friends who took it last year passed."
Exercises
30 min1. Gap fill.
- Most people in my street have a car
- Most the people I work with live outside London
- All us were tired after the trip
- Some children are afraid of the dark
- None my friends could come to the party
- Both them speak French
- Many students work part-time
- Some my colleagues work from home on Fridays
Show the answers
2. Put in
- I've got friends in this town, so I'm never lonely
- Hurry up — we have very time
- Could I have milk in my tea, please?
- It's a difficult book, and people finish it
- The last train has gone, so there's hope of getting home tonight
- We stayed in Rome for days and then went to Florence
Show the answers
3. Rewrite
- All the students passed the exam. (none)
- My two sisters live abroad. (both)
- My two sisters don't drive. (neither)
- I don't have any friends who speak German. (none)
- Nearly all my colleagues come to work by train. (most)
- We were all late. (all of)
Show the answers
4. Error correction.
- Most of students in my group work.
- The most of people prefer tea.
- None of them didn't come to the meeting.
- All us have to hand in the project on Friday.
- Neither of my three brothers lives here.
- I have few friends here, so I'm never lonely.
- None students passed the exam.
Show the answers
5. Say it in English.
Each line describes a situation in simple words. Say it with the forms of this lesson. 1) Think of your colleagues: more than half of them live outside the city. 2) Someone asked your group a question. Not one person in the group knew the answer. Talk about the group as "us". 3) Your mother is a teacher, and your father is a teacher too. Say it in one sentence. 4) On your trip you stayed in two hotels. You didn't like the first one, and you didn't like the second one. Say it in one sentence. 5) Your train leaves in forty minutes. That's not much time, but it's enough. Suggest a coffee to your friend. 6) There are 1,000 tickets for the concert, and 500 of them have already been sold.
Show the answers
6. Answer in full sentences
— about your colleagues, classmates or neighbours. The answers below are an example. 1) How many of your colleagues or classmates work from home? 2) Do any of your friends live abroad? 3) How many of your neighbours do you know by name?
Show the answers
Summary
Covered: words of quantity from all to none, the rule for of (in general — a particular group), all of us and we all, none and no, the set of three for two — both, either, neither, a few against few, a little against little, agreement of the verb. Next — lesson 26: describe a thing and write a review.
End of the core
The lesson counts as done once the exercises are done. Everything after this is optional.
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Vocabulary for your deck
16 words- most /məʊst/ more than half; the largest part
- half /hɑːf/ one of two equal parts
- none /nʌn/ not one; nobody; nothing
- both /bəʊθ/ the two together; this one and that one
- either of /ˈaɪðər əv/ one of the two, it doesn't matter which
- neither of /ˈnaɪðər əv/ not one and not the other of two
- a few /ə ˈfjuː/ a small number of; some
- few /fjuː/ not many; almost none
- quite a few /ˌkwaɪt ə ˈfjuː/ a fairly large number
- survey /ˈsɜːveɪ/ a set of questions that you ask many people
- result /rɪˈzʌlt/ what you get or find out at the end
- full-time /ˌfʊl ˈtaɪm/ for all the usual working hours of the week
- part-time /ˌpɑːt ˈtaɪm/ for only some of the usual working hours
- weakness /ˈwiːknəs/ a weak point; something you are not good at
- at least /ət ˈliːst/ not less than; if nothing more
- lonely /ˈləʊnli/ sad because you are alone or have no friends
Writing
Six sentences about a group of people you know well: colleagues, classmates, your family. At least five different words of quantity, one of them about two people.
Example
There are fifteen people in my team at work. Most of us live in the city, but a few of my colleagues come in from the countryside. Half of the team have children. None of us are older than fifty. Both of our managers speak French, and neither of them drives to work. Few of us take a proper lunch break — we're always too busy.
Checklist
Practise this lesson in the other sections
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