'There were quite some people in the square'?
Sometimes English leaners (or people who speak English as a foreign language) would dare to argue with native English speakers over some English usage. ( I do not appreciate it, although I understand them well [for I would do that myself quite some time ago :( ], because language is not maths, nor logics, and what finally counts is not the logic but the conventional practice that native people use the language. )

I just read a debate over the usage of 'quite some'. I noticed that 'quite some' is only used in front of uncountable nouns in the examples I've found.

Then I'm wondering if 'quite some' would work with a single coutable noun, meaning 'a certain', or with plural nouns, meaning ' a considerable number of', as in:

1) The news came as quite some surprise.
2) There were quite some people in the square.

Question

'There were quite some people in the square'?
Sometimes English leaners (or people who speak English as a foreign language)  would dare to argue with native English speakers over some English usage. ( I do not appreciate it, although I understand them well [for I would do that myself quite some time ago :( ], because language is not maths, nor  logics, and what finally counts is not the logic but the conventional practice that native people use the language. )

I just read a debate over the usage of 'quite some'. I noticed that 'quite some' is only used in front of uncountable nouns in the examples I've found.

Then I'm wondering if 'quite some' would  work with a single coutable noun, meaning 'a certain', or with plural nouns, meaning ' a considerable number of',  as in:

1)  The news came as quite some surprise.
2)  There were quite some people in the square.

Answer

No they are not correct.  "The news came as quite a surprise".  "There were quite a few people in the square".  The main use of 'quite some' is in the phrase 'quite some time'.  Perhaps also 'quite some distance'.  Learners are free to argue if they want - I don't mind if it is genuinely seeking clarification.  My pet hate is non-native speakers who are far from proficient, yet they  jump in and give risible answers with absolute confidence that they are correct.

Answer

The correct sentences are "The news came as quite a surprise" and " There were quite a few people in the square."

Answer

Are the the two sentences acceptable or natural?

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