1- Express approximate amount
A large amount of / A large number of / A small amount of / A small number of.
| We use a large amount of paper in the office every day. |
| I found a large number of old photos in the basement. |
| There is a small amount of snow in the mountains. |
| There are a small number of passengers on the bus. |
Look at the following chart
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A large amount of It means there is a lot of something. It is used only with uncountable nouns. |
A large number of It means there is a lot of something. It is used only with countable nouns. |
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A small amount of It means there is NOT a lot of something. It is used only with uncountable nouns. |
A small number of It means there is NOT a lot of something. It is used only with countable nouns. |
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There are some other words we can use to replace “large” or “small”. To replace the word “large” we can use:
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For example:
We drink a big amount of coffee at the office.
There were a great number of people at my party.
We save a considerable amount of money buying this car.
To replace the word “small” we can use:
A few number / amount of…
A little number / amount of…
For example:
A few number of companies would accept the new offer.
My cousin said he would share a little amount of his gold.
Look at the following examples
Directives use a great number of different argument types.
He spent a large amount of time to finish the report.
This year, we have only a little number of honeybees.
This new soda contains a small amount of sugar.
Near the rainforest lies a big amount of gold, said the old man.
A considerable number of houses have been occupied.
This movement requires a great amount of oil.
A large number of students volunteer each year for environmental projects.
I have small number of things I want to talk to you about.
