Skip to main content

Amount of, number of or quantity of?

Amount of or number of?​

We use amount of with uncountable nouns. Number of is used with countable nouns:

  • We use a huge amount of paper in the office every day.
  • The amount of time it took to finish the job was very frustrating.
  • A great number of students volunteer each year for environmental projects.
  • Not: A great amount of students volunteer …
  • I have a number of things I want to talk to you about.

A quantity of or quantities of?​

Quantity is more formal than amount or number. A quantity of or quantities of can be followed by a countable noun or an uncountable noun. They are most commonly used with an adjective such as huge, big, large, small:

  • The soldiers discovered a large quantity of weapons hidden under the floor of a disused building. (countable)
  • You only need a very small quantity of cement to mix with the sand. (uncountable)
  • Large quantities of illegal drugs had been discovered. (countable)
  • Aid workers have delivered huge quantities of food to the refugee camps. (uncountable)