The difference between much and many. The words many, much, a lot of and their usage

Greetings, my dears!

There is an opinion that the Russian language is the richest language with an immense number of beautiful words! .. But how can one agree with him when in Russian there is only one word that expresses a large number - “a lot”, and in English there are already such words as many as three! (In fact, there are more of them - these are just the main ones ...).

Of course, I will not start a debate about the beauty of the language here - and it is so clear that each language is magnificent in its own way! And here "Rule many many" and a few other words that we use to express quantity, I will break it down for you today so that you don’t even think to get confused and make mistakes! You are ready? I'm already...

Let's start with a table that will clearly show you the difference. And let's finish with the exercises - without them, your fresh knowledge will fly into the water pipe - about the same as an earring that accidentally falls there) flies away)).

I think the table makes sense. Now I will explain verbally and in more detail.

Much / a little / little (a lot / a little / a little)

The words Much/a little/little are used only with nouns that cannot be counted, that is, with uncountable nouns. Much means a lot something - much sugar (a lot of sugar), much water (a lot of water), much money (a lot of money). Little - on the contrary - very little something - little sugar (very little sugar), little water (little water), little money (little money). A little means "little", this is a cross between much and little - a little sugar (a little sugar), a little water (a little water), a little money (a little money).

Many / a few / few (a lot / a few / few)

The words Many/a few/few are used only with nouns that can be counted, i.e. countable nouns. Many means a lot something - many books (many books), many friends (many friends), many thoughts (many thoughts). Few - on the contrary - very little something - few books (very few books), few friends (few friends), few thoughts (few thoughts). A few means "several", this is a cross between many and few - a few books (several books), a few friends (several friends), a few thoughts (several thoughts).

A lot of (many)

A lot of can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns, which is very convenient. A lot of often replaces much and many in affirmative sentences, while in negatives and questions it is more appropriate to use much and many.

Do you have much time?

No, I don't have much time. or - Yes, I have a lot of time.

By the way, there are several "thin places" where students very often make mistakes. We read and remember!

!Many people! ( not much)

many clothes! ( not much)

Much money! ( not many)

many fruits s! or !Much fruit!

And now, as I promised, tasks with answers at the end

Exercise 1. Insert much or many instead of dots

Have you found … information about this company?

They spent … money in a shop yesterday.

There are so … places in the world that I'd like to visit.

… people nowadays use bicycles instead of cars to go to work.

“You’ve put too … salt in the soup, I can’t eat it!”

“Don’t buy … food in the supermarket, we are going out tonight.”

Exercise 2. Translate the sentences into English using much, many, a little, a few, little, few, a lot of

I don't have many friends in this part of town.

The teacher said so many words, but I did not understand anything.

He asked the waiter to bring some water.

In autumn, many birds fly south.

She doesn't like having too much sugar in her tea.

“There is absolutely no room in the closet! You have so many clothes!”

I hope you didn't make any mistakes. few!

Well, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask - I will definitely answer them!

Answers

Exercise 1.

Exercise 2.

I have few friends in this part of the city.

A teacher said so many words but I understood nothing.

He asked a waiter to bring a little water.

In autumn many birds fly to the south.

She doesn't like it when there is too much sugar in tea.

“There is no place in a wardrobe! You've got so many clothes!”

Hello people! In this article, we will analyze in detail the rules for using the words “much”, “many” and “a lot of” in English, find out the differences between them, discuss the nuances of using them in speech, and also show examples for clarity.

Much

Translation and transcription: much - a lot, very, a lot, significantly, very much;

Use: is used in a sentence when we mean a large number of uncountable nouns, i.e. those that cannot be counted individually;

Example:

There is much black paint left in the garage.
Left in the garage lot black paint.

Also, it is usually used in negative (negative) or interrogative (interrogative) sentences:

Chris does not have much change. Only a few five dollar bills.
Chris doesn't have much money to change. Just a few five dollar bills.

In affirmative sentences, "much" is sometimes used when a more formal and formal style is meant.

For example:

There is much concern about genetically modified food in the UK.
In Great Britain the question is acute regarding genetically modified foods.

Many

Transcription and translation: like "much", "many" ["menɪ] is translated as "many";

Use: used exclusively with plural countable nouns;

Example:

However, despite many many problems remain unsolved.
However, despite significant efforts, many problems remain unresolved.

AT denials and issues with countable nouns "many" is also quite common:

how many quail eggs are in this salad?
How much quail eggs in this salad?

Anthony does not have many bottles of wine in his own private bar. At least that's what he's saying.
Anthony Little bottles wine in his own bar. At least he says so.

Can be used in affirmative suggestions when you need a shade formalities.

There were many scientific articles taken into account to make a decision.
It was taken into account many scientific articles to make a decision.

A lot of

Transcription and translation: in meaning “a lot of” [ə lɔt ɔf] is similar to “much” and “many” and implies the same translation - a lot;

Use: used both with countable nouns in the plural and with uncountable ones, mainly in colloquial and informal speech.

Example:

Jack had a lot of peanut butter left in the jar.
Jack has left lot peanut pasta in the bank.

The equivalent of "a lot of" is " lots of' (an even more informal form).

Lots of teenagers learn Korean because they are into k-pop.
Many teenagers are learning Korean because they are into the K-pop music genre.

Table: Difference between much, many and a lot

WORD	Use	Meaning
	countable nouns (plural) / negation + question / affirmation = formal style
	uncountable nouns / negation + question / affirmation = formal style
		more / more
The most	uncountable + countable nouns / adjectives	most / most
A lot (of)	uncountable + countable nouns / informal style
lots (of)	uncountable + countable nouns / highly informal style

The use of few, little, much, many, a lot of largely depends on the type of sentence and on the noun standing next to it. The correct use of these pronouns determines the semantic meaning of the phrase. How to understand in which cases you can say "a lot" or "a little", "little" or "too much"? All questions about similarities and differences will be considered in more detail in the article. .

Semantic and grammatical features of the use of few, little, much, many, a lot of.

In our speech, we often use words such as “little” or “little”, “a few” or “many”. Thus, we are trying to point to a not quite specific amount of something. Usage in English much, many, a lot of, few, little sometimes causes difficulty. However, these pronouns are very common in speech and the meaning of the phrase depends on their correct use.

Understanding and using them correctly in speech is quite easy if you follow the following rules of English grammar and follow the steps below.

Step 1. Determine the meaning of the pronoun (word translation)

Much
Many
A lot of

Few
Little

Step 2. Determine the group of the noun to which it refers

All nouns can be divided into countable(those that can be counted: pen - 2 pens, pen - 2 pens) and uncountable(sugar, water; sugar, water)

Step 3. Choose the right pronoun

Difference between few, little, much, many, despite the identical translation of these language pairs, lies precisely in the use of the subsequent noun.
So, much and little are used with uncountables:

much work - a lot of work; much salt - a lot of salt;
little money - little money; little sugar - little sugar;

I haven't much work today. I don't have much work today.
My mother gave me little money, I can't buy it. - My mother gave me little money, I can’t buy it (little, not enough).

Many and few are placed before countables:

many pencils - a lot of pencils; many books - many books;
few friends - few friends; few cars - few cars;
Have you got many books about animals? Do you have many books about animals?
Unfortunately, he has few friends. Unfortunately, he has few friends (few, not enough)

Thus, having determined the group of the noun (countable or uncountable), you can easily select the desired pronoun.

note that a lot of (lots of, plenty of colloquial forms) It is used before both countable and uncountable nouns. This "magic wand" will always help convey the meaning of "a lot" if you find it difficult to determine which group the word belongs to.

He spent a lot of money.He spent a lot of money.
He has got a lot of financial problems.He has many financial problems.

Note:Plenty of passes a value greater than necessary; too much.

Have some more to eat. No, thank you. I've had plenty of.
Eat some more. No thanks. I've already eaten enough.

Step 4. Determine the type of sentence (affirmative, interrogative, negative)

Much, many - it is better to use in negative or interrogative sentences. A lot of - also conveying the meaning of "a lot" - it is advisable to use in affirmative. However, you should be careful, such phrases as too much, as much, so much, very much, or how much are also used in affirmative phrases. It is important to note that English grammar says that the pronoun much can convey the meaning of very, much, much, or much.

He didn't put much sugar into the tea. (negative) He didn't add much sugar to the tea.
Have you got many books? (interrogative) Do you have many books?

I can't eat this soup. There's too much salt. I can't eat this soup. It has too much salt.

He did it much sooner. He did it much faster.

As, little, few have a slightly negative meaning (little, not enough, I would like more), then their use sounds better in negative sentences. If you want to convey the meaning of little, but enough, just a little, just a little, then put the indefinite article "a" in front of them - a few, a little. It is more expedient to use such a combination in affirmative expressions, since it carries a positive connotation. Note the use of the phrase only a little or only a few reflects slight dissatisfaction (a little, I want more).

We've got little time. - We have little time.
Tom is not friendly. He has got few friends. Tom is not friendly. He has few friends.
Have you got any time to talk? Yes, a little.- Do you have time to talk? Yes a little.
When did you visit granny? A few days ago. - When did you visit your grandmother? A few days ago (not so long ago).
The house was very small. There were only a few rooms. — It was a small house. It has only a few rooms.

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in using the pronouns much, many, few, little. The main thing is to carefully look at the noun standing next to it and the type of sentence, and your speech will be competent and understandable.

In English, there are several ways to say that something is a lot. The Russian word "many" can be translated as plenty, much or many. There are also options a lot of and lots of. Let's see what is the difference between these words and learn how to use them correctly.

Much and many

The key difference is that much is used with uncountable nouns (sugar, tea, water, wood)

There's not much sugar in the sugar bowl. Don't forget to buy it.
There is not much sugar in the sugar bowl. Don't forget to buy it.

And many - with countable ones (people, cups, children, trees).

here were many children at Disneyland.
There were a lot of kids at Disneyland.

Be careful. In English, there are uncountable nouns that are easily confused with countable ones. If you are not sure about the “countability” of a word, do not be too lazy to look into the dictionary.

It is very useful, when studying a new word, to look not only at its translation, but also for additional information: word forms, whether it is countable, examples of use

There are also exception words that are uncountable. I call them decoys because they are easily confused with countables.

This includes:

advice (advice), money (money), news (news), travel (travel), furniture (furniture)

Lots of and A lot of

The use of these words does not depend on whether the noun is countable or not.

Lots of water/a lot of water, lots of paper work/a lot of paper work, lots of pens/ a lot of pens

Note that lots of is only used in informal English. Also, let's look at the difference in using these expressions in a sentence:

A lot of students visit their parents on Christmas holidays.
Many students visit their parents during the Christmas holidays.

Lots of snow falls during a storm.
A lot of snow falls during a storm.

In the first case, the verb refers directly to the noun, so it is put in the plural form. Please note that there is no ending - s in the example.

If an uncountable noun is used with the phrase Lots of, then we write the verb in the third person singular form.

Difference between much/many and lots of/a lot of

The main difference in usage is that we say much and many when we ask about the amount of something:

How many people were in the meeting? How many people were at the meeting?

How many people were in the meeting?

Also, don't forget about set phrases:

too many / too much - too much;
as much as / as many as- as much as ...;
so many / so much - so many.

Keep in mind that much and many sound formal. Lots of and a lot of are used informally. The fact that lots of is even more informal than a lot of we have already written above.

By the way, in informal English such expressions as “a lot more”, “a lot fewer”, and “a lot less” are acceptable.

When to say plenty of

Like the two previous phrases, plenty of is used with both countable and uncountable nouns. The only difference is that it means "a lot", a huge amount of something.

We have analyzed all the options: plenty, much or many. To remember, try to come up with phrases that will help you if you get confused somewhere. For example, my phrases are many people and much sugar. People are a countable noun, which means that many must also be used with other countable nouns. I argue the same about much sugar. The same association phrases can be thought up for each item above. It helps a lot in the beginning.

How often do we have to compare certain things, or people, or phenomena of the reality around us? It seems that we rarely resort to comparisons. In fact, it turns out that people constantly compare something with something, sometimes without noticing it. For example, a neighboring street may be wider, longer, and the house where friends live is larger, more comfortable, taller, more modern. The series of such comparisons can be continued indefinitely.

Everything is comparable

Everything that surrounds us has certain qualities, which means that it can be compared according to different criteria. The qualities of objects are denoted by adjectives, and the qualities of actions by adverbs. These parts of speech can be used in the form You can run fast and even faster, a dress can be expensive and even more expensive. In English, this grammatical phenomenon regulates the descriptive use of the more/most rule.

How to say in English that one car is expensive, the second is more expensive, and the third is the most expensive in the cabin? In this situation, the words more/most come in handy. They are necessary to form a comparative and superlative form for polysyllabic English adjectives, that is, those where there are two or more syllables: expensive, more expensive, the most expensive (expensive - more expensive - the most expensive).

When are comparative suffixes needed?

To understand the meaning of the words more, most, it is better to break the rule of their use into two parts. First, let's look at how a comparative degree is formed in English grammar, or, as linguists call it, a comparative.

Short, often monosyllabic, adjectives and adverbs form a comparative degree with the suffix -er: cheap/cheaper, hard/harder, large/larger, thin/thinner.

Some disyllabic adjectives, especially those ending in -y, also form a comparative with this suffix, for example: lucky/luckier, funny/funnier, easy/easier, and clever/clevere, simple/simpler.

Much or many for polysyllabic adjectives?

For longer adjectives and adverbs, the rules for using more come into play. The English use more (but not the suffix -er) when comparisons involve polysyllabic adjectives, for example: more modern, more expensive, more comfortable. The same applies to an adverb if it ends in -ly: more slowly, more seriously, more carefully. But every rule has exceptions that need to be learned by heart. English is spoken more often (but not oftener) and earlier (but not more early).

In general, the regulatory use of more/most rule for adjectives and adverbs in English grammar is not a difficult topic, it can be clearly illustrated by the example of the Russian language. For example, we say “faster/faster/more quickly/less quickly” or “expensive/more expensive/more expensive/less expensive”. In our language, the comparative degree can also be formed using suffixes or special words “more/less”.

The best or the best: how to say in English?

To form the superlative form more/most, the rule prescribes the use of the most with the obligatory definite article. As in the formation of a comparative degree, the word most is necessary for the formation of forms of polysyllabic adjectives: the most famous, the most difficult, the most boring. Short forms of adjectives and adverbs require the -est suffix: long/the longest, hot/the hottest, hard/the hardest.

The Russian language similarly forms superlatives with the help of suffixes or the words “most / most / least”, for example: dear / most expensive, great / greatest / greatest, difficult / most difficult.

How to express the concept of "many" in English?

Some difficulty causes beginners to learn English defining the use of much / many rule. After all, if in Russian they say “a lot of pencils” and “a lot of bread”, then when translating these phrases into English, one has to make a difficult choice. Both much and many are translated into Russian in the same way: “many”. Which one to choose for translation?

In order not to make a mistake, it is necessary to remember the division of nouns into countable and uncountable. What word to use - much, many - the rule dictates unequivocally: the first, if we are talking about objects that can be counted, and the second, if it is impossible to count by the piece. So, you can count pencils and loaves of bread, but bread combined with “a lot” cannot be counted. The same can be said about water, flour, oil, earth and other similar concepts in the collective sense: a lot of water - much, a lot of bottles of water - many. Moreover, after many, the noun must be in the plural form. The same nouns that follow much are used only in the singular.

Another important condition limits the use of much / many in speech in the meaning of “many”. These words are mainly used in interrogative and negative sentences:

Have you spent a lot of money?
Do you have a lot of friends?
We didn't drink much water.
They didn't eat many apples.

When translating these sentences into English, it is appropriate to use much or many.

Another thing is if you need to make an assertion:

We've spent a lot of money.
They drank a lot of water.

In this case, the English language expresses the concept of “a lot” in other words, and it is the same for countable and uncountable nouns: a lot (of), lots (of), plenty (of).

A table of examples will help to learn the use of much / many (rule).

What to say if there are too many ... rules?

Grammar rules are not created by people, they are created by the language itself. Grammar is not a set of instructions for negligent students, but the natural basis of the language. Therefore, if an English learner claims that there are too many rules, how can this be conveyed in English? This is where you need to look into a textbook or a grammar reference, where there will definitely be too many / too much expressions suitable for the situation.

The rule clarifies that you can use much / many in affirmative sentences, but only in this combination with the word too in the meaning of “too”. If the speaker emphasizes that there is too much of something, then this is a sufficient condition for choosing these words:

There are too many rules in the English language.
There was too much sugar in the tea.

When translating these sentences into English, we must remember that in the first noun “rules” is countable and stands in So, only the combination too many is possible. In the second, the noun “sugar”, uncountable, requires too much.

For beginners to learn English, the rules of English grammar seem very difficult and even insurmountable. It will take enough time for the laws and traditions of another language to no longer raise the question “Why are they so?”. Usually teachers respond to this with the phrase: “So they (native speakers) speak.” You just need to get used to speaking and thinking according to the laws of another linguistic world.