Quantifiers — all, most, both, either, neither, any, no, none
general vs specific
of-phrase with articles & pronouns
mid-position with auxiliaries
agreement rules
What these quantifiers do
These words describe how many/how much people or things we mean. We often choose between a general form (all students, most people) and a specific form with of + the/my/these… or of + object pronoun (most of the students, both of them).
Countable vs uncountable: All, most, any, no, none work with both; both / either / neither refer to two only.
ALL
| Pattern | Meaning / Example |
|---|---|
| all + plural/uncount noun | general All plants need water. |
| all (of) the/my/these + noun | specific All of the plants in the garden died. |
| all of + object pronoun | All of them were at the event. |
| mid position “all” | We all went. / They were all happy. / We have all been invited. |
| all + time expression | We worked all day / all night. No article or preposition. |
- Subject forms: use everything/everybody, not bare all as the subject: ✔ Everybody was there. ✘ All were there.
MOST
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| most + noun (general) | Most people trust science. |
| most of the/my/etc. + noun (specific) | Most of the people at the club were underage. |
| most of + object pronoun | Most of us come from small towns. |
Not most the. Use most + noun (general) or most of the + noun (specific).
the most = superlative (the most expensive).
BOTH (two items, plural verb)
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| both A and B | Both Jane and Margaret passed. |
| both (of the) + plural noun | Both (of the) students passed. |
| both of + object pronoun | Both of them were happy. |
| mid position | We both went. / They were both tired. / They have both finished. |
- Negative forms: Prefer Neither (of) or Not both: ✔ Neither of them agreed. ✔ Not both of them agreed. ✘ Both of them didn’t agree.
EITHER (one of two)
| Pattern | Example & agreement |
|---|---|
| either A or B | Either Monday or Tuesday suits me. With two subjects, the verb often agrees with the nearest one: Either the manager or the assistants are… |
| either + singular noun | Either candidate is a good option. |
| either of + plural noun/pronoun | Either of the candidates is / are acceptable. Singular is standard; plural is common in informal English. |
| either (pronoun) | Tea or coffee? — Either is fine. |
either also means “also not” in negatives: I don’t like it either.
NEITHER (not one and not the other)
| Pattern | Example & agreement |
|---|---|
| neither A nor B | Neither Jack nor his friends are ready. Agreement often follows the nearest subject. |
| neither + singular noun | Neither candidate is ideal. |
| neither of + plural noun/pronoun | Neither of the options is / are cheap. |
| neither (pronoun) | Tea or coffee? — Neither. |
Use a positive verb with neither: ✔ Neither of them was there. ✘ Neither of them wasn’t there.
ANY, NO, NONE
| Word | Typical use | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| any | negatives & questions; also “it doesn’t matter which/what” in affirmatives | I don’t have any friends. / Do you have any milk? / Come any weekend. |
| no + noun | affirmative form with negative meaning (≈ not any) | I have no time. (= I don’t have any time.) |
| none | pronoun (not followed by a noun) | How many tickets? — None. |
| none of + noun/pronoun | specific group; singular or plural verb | None of the students is / are from France. / None of them has/have arrived. |
- No double negatives: ✔ I don’t have any money. ✘ I don’t have no money.
Quick reference
| Quantifier | General | Specific (with of) | With pronoun | Agreement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| all | all students | all (of) the students | all of them | plural (or uncountable singular) |
| most | most people | most of the people | most of us | plural/uncount |
| both | both students | both (of the) students | both of them | plural |
| either | either candidate | either of the candidates | either of them | usually singular |
| neither | neither candidate | neither of the candidates | neither of them | usually singular |
| any | any day | any of the days | any of them | varies |
| no | no students | — | — | plural/uncount |
| none | — | none of the students | none of them | singular or plural |
Exercises:
Quantifiers: all, most, both, either, neither, any, no, none
Choose the correct quantifiers to complete the sentences below.
1
my classmates were there; not a single one missed it.
2
We can take
bus — they both go downtown.
3
tickets are sold out; the box office is closed.
4
I looked for my keys, but I found
.
5
of them knows the answer, so we should ask someone else.
6
Take
the two umbrellas; it’s going to rain.
7
There were
seats left, so we had to stand.
8
my parents are teachers.
9
Is there
milk left in the fridge?
10
the reports were submitted on time — only two were late.
Quantifiers: all, most, both, either, neither, any, no, none
Choose the correct quantifiers for each gap below.
1
_____ of the students passed the exam this year.
A.
B.
C.
2
We can meet on _____ Tuesday or Wednesday — I’m free both days.
A.
B.
C.
3
Only one seat is left, so _____ you can sit here.
A.
B.
C.
4
The shop had _____ fresh bread this morning — it had all sold out.
A.
B.
C.
5
_____ my brothers live abroad; one is in Canada and the other in Spain.
A.
B.
C.
6
Are there _____ tickets left for tonight’s concert?
A.
B.
C.
7
_____ applicants must bring ID to the test.
A.
B.
C.
8
I tried three passwords and _____ of them worked.
A.
B.
C.
9
We invited two colleagues, but _____ of them could attend.
A.
B.
C.
10
_____ students find this app helpful; the rest prefer notes.
A.
B.
C.
Quantifiers: all, most, both, either, neither, any, no, none
Fill in the gaps in the dialogues with words from the list.
allmostbotheither
neitheranynonone
1
A: We have two rooms available: 301 and 302.
B: Great — are quiet and close to the lift.
2
A: Do you want the window seat or the aisle seat?
B: is fine for me.
3
A: Do you prefer the red sneakers or the black ones?
B: suits my style, to be honest.
4
A: Which of these desks can I use this afternoon?
B: of them is available after three.
5
A: How many tickets are left for tonight?
B: Unfortunately, are left — they sold out fast.