Writing Book 5 · Lesson 6

Key quantifying expressions — bring the words back

You have met these and used them; now you choose between them.

The words

a great deal of
a lot of
a wide range of
many different
the majority of
most
a number of
several
in excess of
more than
a small proportion of
a few of
to some extent
partly

Watch how it is built

1a great deal of means about the same as a lot of.
A great deal of rain fell.
2a wide range of means about the same as many different.
A wide range of animals live here.
3the majority of means about the same as most.
The majority of students finished.

Two ways to say it

✗ A great deal of rain fell. — this is not wrong, but it is everyday talk.

✓ A great deal of rain fell. — this is how a writer says it.

Ask yourself: “Which of these is closer to what I mean?”

Remember

How much, and how many — precisely.

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