Adjectives of Quantity ESL Games, Activities & Worksheets
Bananopia
ESL Adjectives of Quantity Activity - Speaking: Running Dictation - Pair Work - Grammar and Vocabulary Exercises: Binary Choice, Gap-fill, Writing Sentences
In this imaginative adjectives of quantity running dictation activity, students practice quantity adjectives through descriptions of fictitious countries. In pairs...
Quantity Adjective Dominoes
ESL Adjectives of Quantity Game - Vocabulary: Matching, Sentence Completion - Group Work
In this productive adjectives of quantity game, students play dominoes by completing sentences that contain quantity adjectives with suitable nouns. The first player places one of their dominoes at one...
Quantity Adjectives Question Time
ESL Adjectives of Quantity Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Gap-fill, Asking and Answering Questions - Group and pair Work
This useful adjectives of quantity speaking activity helps students practice asking and answering conversation questions that contain quantity adjectives. First, in two groups, students complete...
Adjectives of Quantity Practice
ESL Adjectives of Quantity Worksheet - Grammar and Vocabulary Exercises: Matching, Categorising, Binary Choice, Gap-fill, Sentence Completion
This comprehensive adjectives of quantity worksheet helps students to practice using quantity adjectives. To begin, students match sentence halves together...
Pelmanism Time
ESL Adjectives of Quantity Game - Vocabulary: Pelmanism, Gap-fill - Pair Work
In this free adjectives of quantity game, students match and complete sentences with quantity adjectives. In pairs, students take it in turns to turn over one sentence card and one adjective of quantity card. If the adjective of quantity completes the...
Perfect Combinations
ESL Adjectives of Quantity Activity - Grammar and Vocabulary: Categorizing, Identifying, Matching, Gap-fill - Pair Work
Here is an engaging adjectives of quantity activity for upper-intermediate students. To begin, working alone, students categorise words into adjectives of quantity and nouns. Next, one student reads a...
Stake a Claim
ESL Adjectives of Quantity Board Game - Grammar and Vocabulary: Matching, Gap-fill - Group Work
Here is a fun adjectives of quantity board game for students to play in class. In the game, students try to claim as many squares as they can by completing sentences with suitable adjectives of quantity...
Understanding Adjectives of Quantity
Adjectives of quantity are words that describe how much or how many of something there is, such as 'much,' 'many,' 'a few,' 'a little,' or 'enough.' Students who confuse these words, for example writing 'much books' instead of 'many books,' produce errors that immediately mark their writing as inaccurate and undermine the reader's confidence in them.
This page covers adjectives of quantity from A2 to B2 level, with seven resources including activities, games, a worksheet, and a board game, with one available as a free download.
Adjectives of quantity divide into three groups depending on whether they go with countable nouns, uncountable nouns, or both.
| Adjective of Quantity | Used With | Example |
|---|---|---|
| many | countable nouns (plural) | 'There are many students in the class.' |
| much | uncountable nouns | 'There isn't much time left.' |
| a few | countable nouns (plural), small positive amount | 'She has a few friends she can call.' |
| few | countable nouns (plural), small negative amount | 'Few students passed the test.' |
| a little | uncountable nouns, small positive amount | 'Can I have a little help?' |
| little | uncountable nouns, small negative amount | 'There is little chance of success.' |
| a lot of | countable and uncountable nouns | 'There are a lot of options.' |
| enough | countable and uncountable nouns | 'We don't have enough time.' |
| several | countable nouns (plural) | 'I made several mistakes.' |
| no | countable and uncountable nouns | 'There is no water left.' |
When to Use Adjectives of Quantity
Hedging a claim to sound appropriately cautious: Writers and speakers choose 'a few' or 'a little' rather than 'many' or 'much' when they want to indicate a limited but positive quantity without overstating, keeping their claim honest and measured, as in 'We have a little time before the deadline, so let's use it wisely.'
Signalling scarcity or concern: 'Few' and 'little' without the article carry a warning tone that 'a few' and 'a little' do not, making them the right choice when a speaker wants to highlight that something is insufficient or worryingly low, as in 'Few employees understood the new policy.'
Quantifying precisely in professional or academic writing: In reports, proposals, and academic writing, a specific quantity adjective makes a statement more credible and easier to act on than a vague general claim, as in 'Several studies have found a link between sleep and academic performance.'
3-Step Framework for Teaching Adjectives of Quantity
1. Introduce Quantity Adjectives in Extended Context: Open with a running dictation that embeds quantity adjectives inside connected, meaningful text rather than isolated sentences. After completing the dictation, pairs invent their own fictional country and write sentences about the country's size, location, features, climate and people using adjectives of quantity, so the vocabulary immediately serves a real descriptive purpose. The creative country-building task gives students a genuine reason to reach for a range of quantity adjectives rather than defaulting to one or two familiar forms.
2. Sharpen Matching Accuracy Through Memory: Consolidate with a memory card game where students must pair sentence cards with the adjective of quantity that genuinely completes the gap. When a match is found, the student reads the sentence aloud, replacing the missing word with the adjective of quantity on the card, and keeps both cards and takes another turn. When cards do not match, the student turns them back over, keeping every player alert across every round and rewarding careful reading over quick guessing.
3. Build Speed Under Competitive Scoring Rules: Push upper-intermediate students with a board game where a dice roll determines which sentences a team can attempt: an odd roll restricts them to odd-numbered sentences, an even roll to even-numbered sentences, and the team wins a square only when the other team agrees the chosen adjective of quantity is correct. The odd/even restriction forces students to scan the remaining options strategically and think hard about which quantity adjective fits before committing.
Common Mistakes with Adjectives of Quantity
Confusing 'a few' and 'few': Students often use 'a few' and 'few' interchangeably, not realizing that 'a few' signals a small but positive quantity while 'few' signals an amount so small it is almost none. Wrong: 'Few people came to the party, so it was great fun.' Correct: 'A few people came to the party, so it was great fun.'
Overusing 'many' in affirmative sentences: Students often use 'many' in positive statements in informal English when 'a lot of' sounds more natural, because they have learned 'many' as the standard countable plural quantifier. Wrong: 'I have many friends who like football.' Correct: 'I have a lot of friends who like football.'
Common Questions About Teaching Adjectives of Quantity
What is a fun game for practicing adjectives of quantity?
In the game Quantity Adjective Dominoes, students complete sentences containing adjectives of quantity with a suitable noun and read the completed sentence aloud. If the other players agree the sentence is correct and makes sense, the domino stays in place. If not, the player takes it back. The first to lose all their dominoes wins.
What is a useful worksheet for teaching adjectives of quantity?
In the worksheet Adjectives of Quantity Practice, students work through the full range of quantity adjectives, including ones that are very similar and often confused. Exercises include matching sentence halves, categorizing adjectives, underlining the correct choice in context, completing a gap-fill story, and writing true sentences using adjectives of quantity.
What is an engaging speaking activity for adjectives of quantity?
The activity Quantity Adjectives Question Time gives students a genuine reason to use a range of quantity adjectives in conversation. Students complete conversation questions with adjectives of quantity from a box, then pair up to ask and answer them, responding with the appropriate adjective each time before sharing their findings with the class.
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