Saturday, February 10, 2018

meaning - What's the difference between words "number", "count", "amount" and "quantity"?




I just can't understand when i should use one of these words and when another. They are too similar, but looks like they are not absolutely the same. So what is the difference between them?



Answer



Number(v) = Give something a number.



There are 4 apples, number them.



a large/small number of (n) = To measure ANYTHING when we don't know exactly how many



There are a large number of people at the beach today.




Count (v) = How many are there.



Count the apples.
There are 4 apples.



Count (n) = How many of something are there.



What is the apple count?
There are 4 apples.




Amount to (v) = To measure something, not alive, which CAN NOT be counted.



The meeting between China and the USA amounted to nothing.



Amount (n) = To measure something, not alive, which CAN NOT be counted.



There is no amount of money that will make me do that.



quantity (n) = To measure something, not alive, that CAN be counted.




There is a large quantity of stores in the shopping mall.



In common conversation you can always use "a lot of" to describe any large number, amount or quantity and "not many/much" to describe any small number, amount or quantity.


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