determiner + noun phrase (increasing range)

Here’s a student example of a determiner + uncountable noun:

My teacher told me “enjoy the music and you will dance naturally.”

PELIC Taiwanese female level 3 writing class


A2 point 18 in the category of  NOUNS is defined:

form simple noun phrases by pre-modifying nouns with an increasing range of determiners.

A2 point 24 in the category of NOUNS:

form simple noun phrases with a limited range of determiners + uncountable nouns.

The English Grammar Profile examples for point 24 include a combination of:

  • (the|more|some) + (food|music|information|weather)

*Note that these points overlap A2 quantifier + possessive (determiners) + of-phrase.


We have used the English Grammar Profile examples to draw out what ‘increasing range’ might mean.  In the first search we have used ‘so’ and ‘too’ which commonly premodify the determiners as were found in the EGP.

A search in iWeb for:

too|so much|many _NN

1 SO MANY PEOPLE 96105
2 SO MUCH FUN 51051
3 TOO MUCH TIME 39565
4 SO MANY THINGS 39094
5 SO MUCH TIME 32315
6 SO MANY TIMES 29999
7 TOO MANY PEOPLE 29665


8 SO MANY WAYS 27333

There are so many ways to reach happiness and everyone has their own way.

PELIC student: Korean female level 4 writing.


9 SO MANY YEARS 23776
10 TOO MANY TIMES 14542
11 SO MUCH MONEY 13915
12 SO MANY OTHERS 13447
13 TOO MUCH MONEY 12901
14 SO MANY OPTIONS 12040
15 TOO MUCH TROUBLE 10270
16 TOO MUCH WORK 9680
17 TOO MUCH PRESSURE 8394
18 TOO MUCH INFORMATION 8108
19 TOO MUCH WATER 7879
20 SO MANY QUESTIONS 7508
21 TOO MANY THINGS 7464
22 SO MUCH INFORMATION 7132
23 SO MANY REASONS 5722
24 TOO MUCH ATTENTION 5713
25 TOO MUCH POWER 5665
26 SO MUCH PAIN 5629
27 SO MANY LEVELS 5619
28 TOO MUCH WEIGHT 5280
29 TOO MUCH SPACE 5247
30 SO MANY WOMEN 4915
31 SO MANY PLACES 4847
32 SO MUCH WORK 4796
33 TOO MUCH EFFORT 4615
34 TOO MUCH DETAIL 4594
35 SO MUCH ATTENTION 4533
36 SO MUCH TROUBLE 4465
37 TOO MUCH FUN 4404
38 TOO MUCH SUGAR 4347
39 SO MUCH LOVE 4319
40 SO MUCH ENERGY 4285
41 SO MANY COMPLIMENTS 4205
42 SO MANY CHOICES 4110
43 SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES 4025
44 SO MUCH POTENTIAL 3816
45 SO MANY VARIABLES 3718
46 SO MANY PROBLEMS 3610
47 TOO MANY VARIABLES 3587
48 SO MUCH STUFF 3468
49 TOO MUCH EMPHASIS 3447
50 SO MANY FACTORS 3424
51 SO MANY HOURS 3417
52 SO MUCH SENSE 3411
53 SO MUCH EFFORT 3407
54 TOO MUCH STRESS 3395
55 SO MUCH JOY 3214
56 SO MANY POSSIBILITIES 3184
57 TOO MUCH HEAT 3145
58 SO MUCH POWER 3111
59 TOO MANY QUESTIONS 3111
60 TOO MUCH ALCOHOL 3056
61 TOO MUCH STUFF 2986
62 SO MUCH PRESSURE 2951
63 TOO MANY YEARS 2915
64 SO MANY COMPANIES 2911
65 SO MANY IDEAS 2890
66 TOO MUCH DAMAGE 2768
67 SO MANY BENEFITS 2717
68 SO MANY STORIES 2664
69 SO MANY WORDS 2659
70 TOO MANY OPTIONS 2612
71 SO MANY CHILDREN 2610
72 TOO MUCH SALT 2566
73 SO MUCH SPACE 2544
74 SO MANY MEMORIES 2517
75 SO MANY LIVES 2504
76 SO MANY FRIENDS 2503
77 SO MANY STUDENTS 2500
78 TOO MUCH NOISE 2485
79 TOO MUCH FOOD 2450
80 SO MANY PLAYERS 2427
81 TOO MUCH ENERGY 2418
82 TOO MANY PROBLEMS 2401
83 SO MANY GAMES 2334
84 SO MANY MEN 2283
85 SO MANY ASPECTS 2258
86 SO MANY KIDS 2256
87 TOO MUCH CREDIT 2225
88 TOO MUCH ROOM 2223
89 SO MANY ISSUES 2193
90 SO MANY AREAS 2184
91 TOO MUCH OIL 2138
92 TOO MUCH SUN 2080
93 SO MUCH WEIGHT 2073
94 SO MUCH HISTORY 1998
95 SO MANY PRODUCTS 1957
96 SO MUCH ROOM 1919
97 SO MANY USES 1910
98 SO MANY FAMILIES 1895
99 SO MUCH WATER 1871
100 SO MANY FEATURES 1868


a lot of _NN

1 A LOT OF PEOPLE 254737
2 A LOT OF TIME 161559
3 A LOT OF MONEY 96300
4 A LOT OF WORK 72964
5 A LOT OF THINGS 66692
6 A LOT OF FUN 62595
7 A LOT OF TIMES 23708


8 A LOT OF INFORMATION 21466

We can find a lot of information about black holes.

TLC SPEAKING TEST STUDENT: female India B2


9 A LOT OF QUESTIONS 20879
10 A LOT OF SENSE 20546
11 A LOT OF ATTENTION 19863
12 A LOT OF STUFF 19257
13 A LOT OF EFFORT 16560
14 A LOT OF RESEARCH 15570
15 A LOT OF PRESSURE 14070
16 A LOT OF WAYS 14066
17 A LOT OF ENERGY 13368
18 A LOT OF WATER 13284
19 A LOT OF EXPERIENCE 12967
20 A LOT OF TROUBLE 12256
21 A LOT OF SPACE 11790
22 A LOT OF ROOM 11199
23 A LOT OF GUYS 10973
24 A LOT OF PROBLEMS 10473
25 A LOT OF WEIGHT 10150
26 A LOT OF DAMAGE 10079
27 A LOT OF OPTIONS 9431
28 A LOT OF THOUGHT 8771
29 A LOT OF POWER 8760
30 A LOT OF INTEREST 8538
31 A LOT OF TALK 8429
32 A LOT OF PAIN 8413
33 A LOT OF FOLKS 8412
34 A LOT OF DATA 8039
35 A LOT OF STRESS 7607
36 A LOT OF PLAYERS 7528
37 A LOT OF WOMEN 7498
38 A LOT OF POTENTIAL 7280
39 A LOT OF PLACES 7018
40 A LOT OF NOISE 6893
41 A LOT OF COMPANIES 6698
42 A LOT OF SUPPORT 6267
43 A LOT OF REASONS 6250
44 A LOT OF CHANGES 6231
45 A LOT OF FRIENDS 6191
46 A LOT OF GAMES 6170
47 A LOT OF FEATURES 6117
48 A LOT OF VALUE 5987
49 A LOT OF LOVE 5829
50 A LOT OF RESPECT 5688
51 A LOT OF GROUND 5546
52 A LOT OF KIDS 5540
53 A LOT OF CONFIDENCE 5504
54 A LOT OF HELP 5471
55 A LOT OF TRAFFIC 5318
56 A LOT OF CONFUSION 5214
57 A LOT OF ISSUES 5213
58 A LOT OF SUCCESS 5178
59 A LOT OF CASES 4996
60 A LOT OF HEAT 4954
61 A LOT OF FACTORS 4698
62 A LOT OF FOOD 4695
63 A LOT OF CREDIT 4592
64 A LOT OF PRACTICE 4555
65 A LOT OF DISCUSSION 4438
66 A LOT OF FANS 4335
67 A LOT OF PATIENCE 4326
68 A LOT OF USE 4274
69 A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES 4177
70 A LOT OF RESOURCES 3945
71 A LOT OF DETAIL 3929
72 A LOT OF FLEXIBILITY 3848
73 A LOT OF CASH 3768
74 A LOT OF COMPETITION 3601
75 A LOT OF STUDENTS 3599
76 A LOT OF MEN 3501
77 A LOT OF IDEAS 3431
78 A LOT OF BUSINESS 3428
79 A LOT OF CONTENT 3380
80 A LOT OF BOOKS 3334
81 A LOT OF HISTORY 3282
82 A LOT OF BENEFITS 3220
83 A LOT OF MATERIAL 3137
84 A LOT OF TALENT 3129
85 A LOT OF USERS 3030
86 A LOT OF INFO 3016
87 A LOT OF TEAMS 2991
88 A LOT OF PRIDE 2954
89 A LOT OF YEARS 2940
90 A LOT OF PROGRESS 2933
91 A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE 2922
92 A LOT OF DIFFERENCE 2907
93 A LOT OF BLOOD 2842
94 A LOT OF EXCITEMENT 2812
95 A LOT OF MISTAKES 2801
96 A LOT OF HYPE 2771
97 A LOT OF MUSIC 2714
98 A LOT OF CUSTOMERS 2677
99 A LOT OF POINTS 2649
100 A LOT OF LIGHT 2601


All|some|both|half of _AT _NN

1 SOME OF THE THINGS 34111
2 SOME OF THE WORLD 32364
3 ALL OF THE TIME 23993
4 ALL OF THE INFORMATION 18245
5 SOME OF THE WORLDS 14649
6 SOME OF THE PEOPLE 13502
7 HALF OF THE YEAR 11929
8 ALL OF THE THINGS 10158
9 HALF OF THE SEASON 10061
10 SOME OF THE WAYS 9839
11 SOME OF THE FEATURES 9651
12 SOME OF THE ISSUES 9562


13 SOME OF THE REASONS 9068

You can see some of the reasons why I’m optimistic.

Listen to this sentence

*This example is hidden under more complex grammar.


14 ALL OF THE PEOPLE 8820
15 SOME OF THE QUESTIONS 8649
16 SOME OF THE BENEFITS 8438
17 ALL OF THE DATA 7671
18 ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS 7518
19 SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS 7270
20 SOME OF THE TIME 7214
21 SOME OF THE PROBLEMS 6972
22 ALL OF THE FEATURES 6885
23 ALL OF THE DETAILS 6596
24 SOME OF THE INFORMATION 6472
25 SOME OF THE STUFF 6297
26 SOME OF THE OTHERS 6280
27 SOME OF THE CHALLENGES 6278
28 SOME OF THE ITEMS 6170
29 ALL OF THE WORK 6046
30 ALL OF THE ITEMS 5883
31 SOME OF THE COUNTRY 5725
32 SOME OF THE COMMENTS 5475
33 SOME OF THE WORK 5415
34 SOME OF THE CITY 4991
35 ALL OF THE BENEFITS 4812
36 SOME OF THE CHANGES 4622
37 SOME OF THE DETAILS 4439
38 SOME OF THE IDEAS 4379
39 ALL OF THE PRODUCTS 4143
40 ALL OF THE OPTIONS 4042
41 SOME OF THE MONEY 3988
42 SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS 3964
43 ALL OF THE ELEMENTS 3927
44 SOME OF THE FACTORS 3926
45 SOME OF THE AREAS 3876
46 ALL OF THE MONEY 3823
47 SOME OF THE GUYS 3757
48 ALL OF THE FILES 3732
49 ALL OF THE TOOLS 3663
50 SOME OF THE PLAYERS 3651
51 ALL OF THE PIECES 3647
52 SOME OF THE PRODUCTS 3456
53 SOME OF THE OPTIONS 3445
54 SOME OF THE NATION 3425
55 ALL OF THE CONTENT 3408
56 ALL OF THE PARTS 3369
57 ALL OF THE QUESTIONS 3345
58 SOME OF THE CHARACTERS 3289
59 ALL OF THE STUDENTS 3267
60 ALL OF THE REQUIREMENTS 3239
61 ALL OF THE COMPONENTS 3225
62 SOME OF THE TOOLS 3210
63 SOME OF THE STORIES 3183
64 SOME OF THE TOPICS 3109
65 SOME OF THE SONGS 3090
66 HALF OF THE TIME 2994
67 ALL OF THE CHARACTERS 2954
68 SOME OF THE BASICS 2942
69 SOME OF THE DATA 2937
70 HALF OF THE WORLD 2905
71 SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES 2881
72 SOME OF THE PHOTOS 2753
73 SOME OF THE IMAGES 2705
74 SOME OF THE GAMES 2672
75 SOME OF THE PRESSURE 2670
76 SOME OF THE ONES 2665
77 SOME OF THE ADVANTAGES 2639
78 SOME OF THE STUDENTS 2593
79 SOME OF THE MEN 2592
80 SOME OF THE PLACES 2585
81 SOME OF THE NAMES 2570
82 ALL OF THE STEPS 2565
83 ALL OF THE CHILDREN 2550
84 SOME OF THE WOMEN 2540
85 ALL OF THE CHANGES 2534
86 ALL OF THE STAFF 2533
87 SOME OF THE WORDS 2532
88 SOME OF THE RESULTS 2530
89 SOME OF THE WATER 2498
90 ALL OF THE IMAGES 2440
91 SOME OF THE DIFFERENCES 2436
92 ALL OF THE OTHERS 2409
93 HALF OF THE COUNTRY 2395
94 ALL OF THE PROBLEMS 2389
95 HALF OF THE GAME 2378
96 ALL OF THE WORLD 2377
97 SOME OF THE EVENTS 2374
98 SOME OF THE COSTS 2359
99 HALF OF THE POPULATION 2357
100 SOME OF THE PIECES 2323


A2 nouns:

activities, alcohol, areas, blood, cases, cash, companies, competition, costs, customers, detail, details, difference, differences, fans, files, guys, history, ideas, information, levels, memories, mistakes, oil, pain, pieces, points, practice, reasons, songs, space, staff, stories, teams,
traffic, ways