Quantifiers and approximation
Few vs a few, less vs fewer, almost half, just over — talk about amounts precisely.
Why it matters
Task 1 rewards approximation ('just under a third') because it summarises data clearly. Quantifier errors (less people, much students) are also frequent accuracy slips in both tasks.
The rules
Countable: many, few, a few, fewer, a number of.
Fewer people own cars.
Uncountable: much, little, a little, less, an amount of.
Less energy was consumed.
Few / little = not many/much (negative). A few / a little = some (positive).
Few students passed (bad). A few students passed (some did).
Approximations: just over, just under, nearly, roughly, approximately, around.
Just under a third of homes (32%).
Model sentences
- Roughly three quarters of respondents said they read the news online.
- Only a small minority of students (6%) walked to school.
- Fewer than one in ten households owned a computer in 1990.
Common mistakes
Incorrect: less cars
Correct: fewer cars
Countable noun → fewer.
Incorrect: much people
Correct: many people / a lot of people
'Much' is for uncountable nouns.
Incorrect: the majority of people thinks
Correct: the majority of people think
Agreement follows the plural noun.
Band tip
Check yourself
Write 48% as an approximation.
just under / almost half
There was ___ (less/fewer) traffic and ___ (less/fewer) accidents.
less … fewer
'___ (Few/A few) people attended, so the event was cancelled.'
Few