Talking About Quantity
We use quantity to tell us how much or how many. There are many different ways to talk about quantity.
Numbers
The simplest way to talk about quantity is to use numbers.
Units of Measurement
You can use units of measurement to talk about the quantity of countable and uncountable nouns. Units of measurement are often used for food and drinks.
Grams (g) and Kilograms (kg)
We use grams and kilograms to talk about solid items. You will see grams and kilograms used on food packaging.
One kilogram of sugar.
Half a kilo of apples.
500 grams of sugar.
Millilitres (mL) and Litres (L)
We use millilitres and litres to talk about liquids. You will see millilitres and litres used on drink packaging.
One litre of water.
Half a litre of milk.
250ml of juice.
1000mL = 1L
If you are talking about 1000 millilitres or more, use litres instead.
Other Words to Talk About Quantity
There are a lot of other words we can use to talk about quantity. There are some common examples below.
Quantity | Example Sentence |
---|---|
glass | A glass of water. |
bottle | A bottle of wine. |
cup | A cup of coffee. |
jug | A jug of milk. |
carton | A carton of juice. |
packet | A packet of biscuits. |
box | A box of cereal. |
can | A can of beans. |
piece | A piece of cake. |
slice | A slice of pizza. |
tub | A tub of ice-cream. |
jar | A jar of honey. |
Examples of Common Quantity Words
Talking About Quantities that are Not Specific
We use numbers and units of measurement to talk about quantity when we know exactly how much of something there is.
If you don’t know the exact quantity, you can use words like ‘some’, ‘a few’, and ‘a lot’. These words are called quantifiers.
Some apples.
A few apples.
A lot of apples.