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顾名思义，量词是表示数量的词。它不是一种词类，它包含许多不同词类的词，甚至某些短语。
量词大体上可包含下面这些词：
a. 许多与数量有关的代词和限定词，如some, many, much, few等。
b. 各种数词，如two, half, a third, 90%等。
c. 名词与of构成的表示数量的短语，如a lot of, plenty of, a number of, an amount of等。
d. 某些与数量有关的形容词，如several, enough, whole, half等。
e. 某些与数量有关的名词，如feet, miles, years, dozen等。
f. 某些与数量有关的合成词，如five-dollar（bill）, five-page（summary）等。
g. 某些词组的所有格，如six months’ experience, four weeks’ notice等。
下面将按这个顺序概括地加以梳理。
—How many students are near-sighted in your class? —There are a few（plenty）. ——你们班里有多少学生是近视眼？ ——有几个（很多）。
He has very little hope of recovery. 他痊愈的希望很小。
More oil was produced this year than last. 今年生产的石油比去年多。
Such programmes on TV attract the least viewers. 这种电视节目看的人最少。
Have some of this wine. 喝一点这种酒。
I’ll borrow a few of books from you. 我想向你借几本书。
None of this milk can be used. 这些牛奶全都不能用了。
Not much is happening in our town. 我们城市现在没发生多少事。
—How much money have you got? —A little. ——你有多少钱？ ——有一点儿。
Most of these new jobs pay less than regular jobs, and few come with good benefits. 这些新工作（机会）多半待遇不如正式工作，并且少有福利优厚的。
I met a lot of interesting people on holiday. 我度假时碰到了很多有趣的人。
A large number of their students are Asians. 他们的很多学生是亚洲人。
A great amount of our investments are in stock market. 我们大量的钱都投资到股票中了。
A great（good）many of them couldn’t find satisfactory work after graduation. 他们很多人毕业后找不到满意的工作。
He lost a great quantity of blood. 他大量失血。
Let’s have a bit of music. 咱们放一点儿音乐。
As I’ve been lying wide awake for a couple of hours, I know I’ve come in for it again tonight. 毫无睡意地躺了一两个小时之后，我知道今晚又要失眠了。
The report contains large numbers of inaccuracies. 这项报道有很多不准确之处。
She bought lots of clothes at a discount. 她买了很多打折的衣服。
We’ve had quantities of rain this summer. 今年夏天下了很多雨。
He had heaps of presents on his birthday. 他生日那天收到了大量礼物。
I have great masses of unanswered letters. 我有大量没有回复的信。
I have tons of work to do before I leave. 我走前有大量工作要做。
The lovers had loads of things to say to each other. 这对情侣彼此有很多话要说。
They affirmed that the girl did quite a bit of reading. 他们断言这个女孩子读了不少书。
The petals are covered with little drops of dew. 花瓣上有些细小的露珠。
If you wish to catch that robin, try putting a pinch of salt on its tail. 你要是想抓住那只知更鸟，就得设法撒一点盐在鸟尾巴上。
I use just a speck of cream in my coffee. 我的咖啡里只加一点点奶油。
There isn’t a grain of truth in his statement. 他的话毫无真实之处。
He has a touch of madness in his composition. 他的作品有点疯狂。
He has a trace of sadness in her smile. 她的笑里带有一丝忧伤。
There is not a shred of truth in that story. 这个讲法毫无真实之处。
Add salt, pepper and a dash of vinegar. 加盐、胡椒粉和一点儿醋。
This room would look all the better for a spot of paint. 上一点儿油漆能让这个房间增色不少。
She produced a ball of wool. 她拿出一团毛线。
A column of smoke appeared above the hill. 小山上升起一股浓烟。
There was a ring of light round the moon. 月亮周围有一圈月晕。
A shaft of light came through the window. ——道亮光从窗子射了进来。
I threw a stick of charcoal in the fire. 我往火里扔了一根木炭。
There is a strip of garden behind the house. 房子后面有一个狭长的花园。
A thread of light passed through the crack. 从缝里射进一道细细的亮光。
The bird had a tuft of feathers on top of its head. 这只鸟头上有一撮羽毛。
She sensed a wall of hostility between them. 她感到他们之间有一堵敌意的墙。
A gush of water came out when the pump started. 水泵开动时一股水流了出来。
A gust of wind scattered the leaves. 一阵风使树叶散落。
A fountain sends up a jet of water. 喷泉喷出一股水。
A stream of traffic crossed the bridge. 一股车流从桥上通过。
A torrent of water swept down the valley. 一阵激流从山谷冲刷而下。
He presented her with a bunch of flowers. 他献给她一束花。
Marching along the street is a group of students. 沿着街道行进的是一群学生。
A bunch of children surrounded the ice-cream man. 一群孩子围着卖冰激凌的人。
He conducted a company of tourists. 他领着一批游客。
A gang of porters appeared at the dock. 码头上出现一伙搬运工。
A team of doctors worked all night to save his life. 一组医生彻夜工作来挽救他的生命。
At the circus we were entertained by a troupe of acrobats. 在马戏团，一队杂技演员为我们演出。
还有一些量词是指动物或牲畜的：
A flock of wild geese flew overhead. 一群大雁从头上飞过。
The photographer took a photo of a herd of elephants. 这位摄影师拍了一张象群的照片。
A pack of hounds chased the fox. 一群猎犬追逐狐狸。
We saw a pride of lions resting by the stream. 我们看见一群狮子在溪边休息。
A swarm of locusts destroyed the crop. 一窝蜂虫毁坏了庄稼。
a bag of groceries 一口袋食品
a barrel of beer 一桶啤酒
a basin of water 一盆水
a basket of flowers 一篮花
a bottle of orange juice 一瓶橘汁
a bowl of rice 一碗饭
a box of biscuits 一盒饼干
a bucket of milk 一桶牛奶
a can of sardines 一罐沙丁鱼
a carton of fruit juice 一盒果汁
a crate of bananas 一箱香蕉
a cup of coffee 一杯咖啡
a glass of milk 一杯牛奶
a jar of jam 一罐果酱
a mug of hot tea 一大杯热茶
a pack of gum 一小包口香糖
a packet of sweets 一包糖果
a plate of soup 一盘汤
a pot of tea 一壶茶
a sack of flour 一袋面粉
a spoon of sugar 一勺糖
a tin of soup 一罐汤
a tub of ice-cream 一小桶冰激凌
a tube of glue 一管胶水
这种情况有时在名词后可加词尾-ful：
a spoonful of sugar 一勺糖
a basketful of apples 一篮苹果
a handful of peanuts 一把花生
a mouthful of wine 一口红酒
an armful of roses 一捧玫瑰
a houseful of children 一屋子的小孩
a busful of tourists 一车游览的人
a bagful of sweets 一包糖果
a cupful of boiled water 一杯开水
a tankful of petrol 一桶汽油
有不少形容词与数量有关：
This fire hose is about sixty feet long. 这段消防水管大约有六十英尺长。
He was about six feet tall. 他约有六英尺高。
The room is 10 feet wide. 这个房间有十英尺宽。
The water was fifteen feet deep. 水有十五英尺深。
The layer of rock was ten metres thick. 那层岩石有十米厚。
How broad is the street（river）? 街（河）有多宽？
The building is nine stories high. 那座楼有九层高。
还有其他一些与数量有关的形容词：
A whole city was destroyed in the earthquake. 一整座城在地震中被摧毁了。
The place was only half a mile from our school. 这个地方离我们学校只有半英里远。
We have enough seats for everyone. 我们有足够的座位给大家坐。
It’s the largest school in the city. 这是这座城市最大的学校。
She has a tiny mole on her cheek. 她面颊上有一颗小痣。
They grow to twenty feet. 它们可长到二十英尺长。
The maximum load for this lorry is three tons. 这辆卡车的最大载重量是三吨。
Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit（32°F）or zero degrees Celsius.水结成冰的温度是三十二华氏度或零摄氏度。
It weights fifty or more kilos. 它的重量有五十千克或更多。
这类名词常见的有：
还有些名词和in连用，表示数量大小等：
I put on nearly 10 kilos in weight. 我的体重几乎增加了十千克。
He is two metres in height. 他身高两米。
He carried a block of ice about one cubic foot in size. 他拿着一块大小约一立方英尺的冰块。
这类短语常见的有：
有些合成词可用来表示数量，例如：
I wrote a two-page digest of my dissertation. 我写了一篇两页长论文摘要。
It is a twenty-four-storeyed house. 这是一座二十四层高的楼房。
This is a ten fold increase in five years. 这在五年中翻了十倍。
What is the average per capita wage of civil servants? 公务员的人均工资是多少？
He works a 44-hour week. 他每周工作四十四小时。
还有一些名词的所有格也可表示数量：
I have already had nine months’ work experience in the field of electronics. 她已经有了九个月在电子学领域工作的经验。
He had been given two weeks’ notice. 他已接到了离职通知。
She’s on a month’s leave from her company. 公司给了她一个月的假期。
He had asked for half a day’s leave. 他请了半天假。
还有下面这类词组也表示数量：
She stood there in a brown study for one and half hours. 她站在那里沉思了一个半小时。
This happened five and a half centuries ago. 这是五个半世纪前发生的事。
Lake Nyasa is 450 miles long by about 50 miles wide. 丽莎湖长约四百五十英里，宽约五十英里。
The car could do only forty-five miles per hour. 这辆车每小时只能开四十五英里。