Amount Words: several, whole, half, less

Read words that describe amounts quickly and understand exactly how much they mean.

Some common words tell you how much or how many: several, whole, half, less, few, both, either, and enough. They seem small, but they change the meaning of a sentence a lot. 'Several' means more than two but not a great many. 'Whole' means all of it, with nothing missing. 'Half' means one of two equal parts. 'Less' means a smaller amount. Compare: 'She ate the whole pie' and 'She ate half the pie.

' Those are very different! In science and math texts, these words matter even more: 'The plant got less water than the others' tells you exactly what changed. Read amount words carefully, because the details depend on them.

• 1Amount words tell how much or how many.
• 2Small words like half and whole change meaning a lot.
• 3In science and math, amount words carry key details.