Using much and many in sentences. Using much, many, a lot of, few, little

What is the difference between a lot of and lots of in English?

Here you can find out what the difference is between the English phrases a lot of and lots of.

The main function of the phrases a lot of and lots of is to indicate a large number of someone or something. These phrases can be used with both countables and uncountable nouns. Both of them are translated as "many, large number".

Despite the external differences, there is not much difference in meaning between them. Let's look at an example:

He's bought a lot of f lowers for her. = He’s bought lots of flowers for her. - He bought a lot of flowers for her.

It is believed that a lot of sounds a little more formal than lots of. The phrase lots of is better suited for informal settings. Although the difference is actually very small.

Some students wonder if it is possible to use a lot of and lots of in questions and negatives. Answer: of course, you can, but still a lot of and lots of it's more common to see in affirmative sentences. In questions and negatives, the words much/many are more often used.

This is a convention confirmed by some grammatical sources, but there will be no error if you use a lot of and lots of in all types of sentences, especially the construction of lots of. It is more common in colloquial speech and goes better with uncountable nouns.
Let's look at a few more examples:

I don’t have lots of patience to deal with her, do you? “I don’t have that much patience to mess with her, do you?”
Billy gave her lots of money to buy some new clothes. - Billy gave her a lot of money so she could buy new clothes.
Have you eaten lots of fruit? -Have you eaten a lot of fruit?
They didn't have a lot of choices indeed. - They really had little choice.

The form a lot can be used independently to mean "very, quite often". For example:
I attend the gym a lot. - I go to the gym quite often.
Do you like daffodils? A lot. - Do you like daffodils? Yes very.

How not to get confused when using much and many? Just pay attention to the rules of use, because it was no coincidence that the British came up with two words with the same meaning. They are not interchangeable: in some cases you will only need much, and in others - only many. Here it all depends on the word itself to which it will refer much or many. Let's figure out what's what!

Much and many. Rules of use

As you know, nouns are divided into countable (can be counted) and uncountable (cannot be counted), and it is on this that they depend rules for using much and many. We must remember once and for all that many is “friendly” only with countable nouns, and much- with uncountables.

Examples:

many children – many children

much water - a lot of water

But that's not all about much And many. The rules for using these words indicate that they are best avoided in positive sentences. That is much And many in English should be used in negatives and questions. There are exceptions when these words are part of the subject.

Examples:

Do you have many friends here? – Do you have many friends here? ( many + countable noun).

I don't like much sugar in my tea. – I don’t like a lot of sugar in tea ( much + uncountable noun).

Many people speak English. – Many people speak English ( many is part of the subject– many people).

Rules for using many much a lot of

If you can’t do without “a lot” in your positive sentence, then pay attention to rules for using many\much\a lot of. It is believed that it is well suited for approval a lot of. By the way, you can use it in absolutely any context. Even if you suddenly doubt what is suitable for this proposal, a lot of will always help out, since it can be used for both countable and uncountable nouns.

Examples:

There are a lot of people in this room. – There are a lot of people in this room ( a lot of + countable noun).

I have a lot of work today. - I have a lot of work today ( a lot of + uncountable noun).

Do I have a lot of mistakes in the test? – Do I have a lot of mistakes in my test? ( interrogative sentence).

They don't have a lot of information. – They don’t have much information ( negative sentence).

Rules for using many\much\a lot of These apply specifically to nouns; you cannot use these words with verbs. But what to do when it is important to “strengthen” the meaning of an action? Suitable here a lot(without pretext of).

Examples:

We see our parents a lot. – We see our parents a lot (meaning “we see each other often”)

Do you practice this language a lot? – Do you practice this language a lot?

Using how much how many

Concerning usage of how much how many, then here, too, everything depends on the noun that will follow this or that interrogative phrase. How much must be combined with uncountable nouns, and how many- with countable ones.

1.79
1. Much used with uncountable nouns (singular), and many– with plural countables:

I haven't got much time.
I don't know many of your friends.

□ Sometimes much can be used before singular countable nouns:

There's not much point in going on.

□ Many can be used after other determiners (the, my, its, his, her, etc.):

Among the many unknowns after the earthquake is the extent of damage to the foundations of buildings.
The gallery is exhibiting some of his many famous paintings ships of.

2. Much And many can be used as pronouns (if the meaning is clear):

You haven't eaten much.
Did you find any mushrooms? - Not many.

As a rule, this sounds quite formal:

There is no guarantee of a full recovery. Much depends on how well she responds to treatment.
The government's policies have done much to reduce unemployment.
Many (= many people) have discussed that she is the finest poet of our generation.
Not once did I see a tiger in the jungle, although I heard many.

Before other determiners (the, my, this, etc.) or pronouns it is used much/many of:

You can't see much of a country in a week.
How much of the house do you want to paint this year?
I won't pass the exam: I've missed too many of my lessons.
How many of you are there?

There"s not much meat left. (not ‘ There's not much of meat left’.)
Many shops are open on Sunday mornings. (Not ' many of the shops’)

Of after much/many usually not used unless there is another determiner (article or personal):

She didn't eat much breakfast. (not ‘ ... much of breakfast’.)
There aren't many large glasses left. (not ‘ ...many of large glasses left’.)

But much of used before names and geographical names:

I've seen too much of Haward recently.
Not much of Denmark is hilly.

□ Sometimes the following usage is possible:

He"s not much of a success/gentleman.

3. In colloquial speech much And many, as a rule, are used only in interrogatives and negative sentences. In affirmative sentences they sound very formal (especially much) and instead of them other words and phrases of equal meaning are used:

He's got lots of men friends, but he doesn't know many women. (More natural than ‘ He's got many men friends...’)
Did you buy any clothes? .- Yes, lots. (Not ' Yes, many’)
How much money have you got? - I've got plenty. (Not ' I've got much’.)

a) a lot of And lots of

These expressions are used mainly in colloquial speech and can be used with uncountable nouns and plural countable nouns (the verb agrees in number with the noun, not with a lot of/lots of):

A lot of time is needed to learn a language.
Lots of patience is needed, too. (Not ' Lots of patience are needed, too’.)
A lot of my friends want to emigrate. (Not ' A lot of my friends wants...’)
Lots of us think it"s time for an election.

There"s not a lot of meat left. (not ‘ There's not a lot of meat left’.)

b) plenty of means "enough" or "more than enough":

Don't rush. There's plenty of time.
Plenty of shops take checks.
There's no need to worry. We've got plenty of money.
Have some more coffee. - No, thank you. I"ve had plenty.

We took lots of food and drink on our walk through the hills/ ...plenty of...
Jim doesn't look well. He's lost a lot of weight (not " plenty of")
Plenty of shops open on Sunday mornings. (Not ' Plenty shops’)

4. In a more formal style they are used

a) much And many:

We have much (work) to do/many obstacles to overcome before we can claim that real progress has been achieved.
Much has been written about unemployment.
In the opinion of many economists, ...
Much debate has been heard about Thornton's new book.
There could be many explanations for this.
Much of her fiction describes women in unhappy marriages.

b) a great/good deal of, a large/considerable/substantial amount of And a large/considerable/great/substantial number of

These expressions sound somewhat more formal than a lot of And lots of:

A great/good deal of And a large amount of used with uncountable nouns:

Mr. Lucas has spent a great deal of time in the Far East.
A good deal of the exhibition was devoted to her recent work.
I"ve thrown out a large amount of old clothing.
A large amount of the food was inedible/ Much of...

A large number of used with plural nouns:

A large number of problems still have to be solved. (more natural than
‘A large amount of problems ...’ / ‘A great deal of problems ...’)
The book contains a large number of pictures, many in colour/ ...many...

c) turnover many a with a singular noun:

The manager must have spent many a sleepless night worrying about his team selection.
Many a pupil at the school will be pleased that Latin is no longer compulsory.

d) rpm a good/great many:

She has a good/great many friends in New Zealand.

e) rpm far too many / far too much(meaning "too much")

Far too many students failed the end-of-year math exam.
Far too much time is wasted filling in forms.

□ Expressions with of usually not used before words such as pounds, or miles:

It cost several pounds. (Not ' It cost a lot of pounds’.)
They lived many miles from the town. (Not ' They lived plenty of miles from
the town’.)

□ Usually many(but not a lot of/lots) are used with words denoting time (days, minutes, months, weeks, years) and with numbers + of(for example: thousands of voters, millions of pounds):

We used to spend many hours driving to Melbourne and back.
He was the founder of a company now worth many millions of pounds.

□ Expressions with of can be used as pronouns if the meaning is clear:

How much did it cost? - A lot. (= A lot of money.)
We should be all right for cheese - I"ve bought plenty.
He does not often speak, but when he does he says a great deal.

□ A lot And a great deal can be used as adverbs:

On holiday we walk and swim a lot.
The government seems to change its mind a great deal.

□ Expressions so much/many, as much/many And too much/many sound quite natural in colloquial speech in affirmative sentences:

There was so much traffic that it took me an hour to get home.
I play as much tennis as I can.
You make too many mistakes.
She won't drink this coffee. There's too much sugar in it.
There was so much sugar in the coffee that she could"t drink it.

□ Much used as an adverb in questions and negative sentences:

Do you work much at weekends? I don't travel much these days.
She"s much older than her brother.
I don't drive much faster than you.

□ Much in a formal style it can be used before some verbs (expressing satisfaction and preference) in affirmative sentences:

I really appreciate your help.
We much prefer the country to the town.
I didn't enjoy the concert much.

Very much used as an adverb (usually not placed before a noun):

I very much like your new hairstyle.
Thank you very much.
There's a whole lot of water coming under the door. (before noun) (not ‘ There's very much water coming...’)

Much And many have degrees of comparison (and the same):

George did more work/exercises than anyone else.
So he did the most work/ exercises

1.80
MORE

1. More used as a comparative degree much And many:

We need more time (not ‘ ...more of time’.)
More university students are having to borrow money these days.

2. If the meaning is clear, more

I"d like some more, please.

more of:

Three more of the missing climbers have been found.
Could I have some more of that smoked fish?
I don't think any more of them want to come.

AND more of

It would be nice to see more of Ray and Barbara.
Five hundred years ago, much more of Britain was covered with trees.

3. RPM is consumed one more/ two more... and so on..

There's just one more river to cross.

4. More used (according to the appropriate rules) to form the comparative degree of adjectives and adverbs):

As you get older you get more tolerant.
Please drive more slowly.

5. More can be used as an adverb:

I couldn't agree more.
I hate this job more and more as the years go by.

1.81
MOST

1. The most used as a superlative much And many:

Susan found the most blackberries (more than others).
The most work is often done by the quietest worker.

In colloquial speech the sometimes omitted:

Who earns (the) most money in your family?

2. Most(in this sense without the article) means “most”:

Most children like ice cream. (Not ' The most children...’)
Most cheese is made from cow's milk.
Most Swiss people understand French. (Not ' Most of Swiss people...’)
Most people want a peaceful life.

Most of used before names and place names:

In this meaning most no longer a superlative much/many, but in fact an independent determinant.

□ The majority of(=most / most of) is usually used with the plural:

The majority of criminals are non-violent.

3. If the meaning is clear, most can be used as a pronoun:

Some people had difficulty with the lecture, but most understood.

Before other determiners (a, the, my, this, etc.) and pronouns it is used most of:

Most of the people here know each other.
Most of my friends live abroad. (Not ' most of my friends...’)
Most of us thought he was wrong.
He's eaten two pizzas and most of a cold chicken.

4. (The) most used (according to the appropriate rules) to form the superlative degree of adjectives and adverbs:

I wasn't as clever as the others, but I was the most beautiful.
I work most efficiently in the early morning.

5. (The) most can be used as an adverb (the article is often omitted in colloquial speech):

They all talk a lot, but your little girl talks (the) most.
The truth hurts most.

As an adverb most can mean "very" in a formal style:

That is most kind of you.
Thank you for a most interesting afternoon.
The experience was most distressing.

□ Mostly means "in most but not all cases"

Your little girl talks the most. (Not ' ...talks mostly’.)
She talks mostly about her friends.

The basics of English grammar are quite easy to master. However, those who strive to reach the advanced level will have to study in more depth. In any language there are many nuances that require detailed study. One such topic is the use of the word “many.” English translation may vary depending on context and some other factors. The rest of the article talks about the various semantic connotations of this concept and its translation options.

Quantitative pronouns a lot of, much, many: rules of use

The word most often used to express the plural is many. It is used mainly in cases where it refers to countable nouns. Antonym - few.

Many (few) things, people, ideas, thoughts, countries - many (few) things, people, ideas, thoughts, countries.

The concept of "a lot" in English in combination with uncountable nouns is translated by the word much. The opposite meaning is little.

Much (little) luck, energy, time, money - a lot (little) luck, energy, time, money.

In affirmative sentences a lot of is often used . You also often come across the phrase lots of .

A lot of time, books, people, friends, ideas - a lot of time, books, people, friends, ideas.

Many and much are used in negation or questioning.

I didn't spend much money. - I didn't spend a lot of money.
Has she got many books? - Does she have many books?

In affirmative sentences, the expressions too much and so much are also often found.

There's too much sugar in the coffee. - There is too much sugar in the coffee.
This car costs too much. - This car costs too much.

As for the basic uses of the words a lot of, it’s quite easy to master. But for a more in-depth study of this topic, some more aspects should be considered.

Set expressions

The main difficulty of set phrases lies in translation, since understanding each individual word does not always help to comprehend the meaning of the general phrase. The rules for using many, much, a lot of and other analogues also do not provide a comprehensive answer in all cases. Therefore, many such expressions simply need to be remembered.

So, phrases with the word many :

a good/great ~ - quite a lot, fairly;
a good ~ times - many times;
a good ~ people - a lot of people;
a great ~ of - many;
as ~ as five years - five whole years;
in ~ regards/respects - in many respects;
in ~ ways - in a variety of ways;
~ others - a number of others;
~ other things - much more.

Phrases containing the word much :

as ~ as is needful - as much as needed;
as ~ as all that - so much/strongly;
as ~ as to say - equivalent to/it’s the same as saying, as if speaking;
as ~ as possible - as far as possible;
as ~ as practical - as much as possible;
how ~ ? - how much does it cost, what is the price?
however ~ - no matter how much/however;
in so ~ as - since, since;
make ~ of - to highly value, to have a high opinion;
~ like - akin;
~ of something - most of something;
~ the same - almost the same thing;
pretty ~ - very, perhaps, to a large extent;
so ~ for - here you go (expression of indignation, disappointment).

Expressions with words a lot of :

~ red tape - a lot of paperwork, a lot of bureaucratic barriers;
~ practice - abundance of practice;
do ~ walking - walk a lot;
get ~ mileage out of - derive considerable benefit from;
get ~ play - be in the spotlight;
give ~ thought - spend a lot of time thinking;
get through ~ money - spend a lot of money;
spend ~ time - spend a lot of time.

Other ways to characterize a large number

In addition to the above, “a lot” in English can be expressed in many other ways. When translating, it is very important to take into account the fact whether a countable noun is used in a sentence or not.

The table shows analogues of the above quantitative pronouns:

Despite the widespread use of the words a lot of, much, many in English, the rule of use is not limited to well-known vocabulary. IN fiction There are original ways of conveying a concept that implies a large number. Here are some examples of figurative expressions:

He has pots of money. - He has a lot of money.
I have a bunch of stuff. - I have a lot of things.
Investigator has a mountains of evidence. - The investigator has a lot of (mountains) of evidence.
There is an ocean of flowers in my garden. - There is an ocean of flowers in my garden.

Practical part

One of the best ways consolidate theoretical material in practice - work with exercises. Here is an example of one of the tasks. Main part practical material you can find in the corresponding topics of grammar textbooks.

Exercise : translate into English using the words a lot of, much, many (the rules of use are described above).

How many children are there in your school?
My car uses a lot of gasoline.
Don't bother her. She has lots of work.
I can't eat this soup. It has too much salt.
Anna has many friends.

Answer :

How many children are there in your school?
My car uses a lot of petrol.
Don"t disturb her. She"s got a lot of work to do.
I can't eat this soup. There's too much salt in it.
Ann has many friends.

To make learning as effective as possible, you should incorporate new vocabulary into your speaking and writing. One of the common mistakes common to beginners is trying to memorize a list of words without further application during conversation.

This method will help enrich only passive vocabulary. That is, if you encounter this vocabulary in a book or hear it in a conversation with a native English speaker, you will understand what it is about. However, in order to be able to express one's own thoughts with these words, new expressions must become integral part your vocabulary.

One of the best methods is as follows: select several phrases, come up with 5-10 sentences with each of them and try to speak in foreign language include them in your speech. This will allow you to naturally get used to a new way of thinking and communicating information.

Much and many. Rules of use

Examples:

many children – many children

much water - a lot of water

Examples:

Do you have many friends here? – Do you have many friends here? ( many + countable noun).

I don't like much sugar in my tea. – I don’t like a lot of sugar in tea ( much + uncountable noun).

Many people speak English. – Many people speak English ( many is part of the subject– many people).

Rules for using many much a lot of

Examples:

There are a lot of people in this room. – There are a lot of people in this room ( a lot of + countable noun).

I have a lot of work today. - I have a lot of work today ( a lot of + uncountable noun).

Do I have a lot of mistakes in the test? – Do I have a lot of mistakes in my test? ( interrogative sentence).

They don't have a lot of information. – They don’t have much information ( negative sentence).

Examples:

We see our parents a lot. – We see our parents a lot (meaning “we see each other often”)

Do you practice this language a lot? – Do you practice this language a lot?

Using how much how many

Concerning uses how much how many, then here, too, everything depends on the noun that will follow this or that interrogative phrase. How much must be combined with uncountable nouns, and how many- with countable ones.