Grammar
1. Quantifiers - Much / Many / A Lot of
Quantifiers are words
that show how much there is of something - they
show quantity. Much, many, and
a lot of indicate a large quantity of
something, for example "I have a lot of
milk" means I have a large quantity of
milk.
Much
Much is used
with uncountable nouns, and is generally used
in negative statements and questions. It's uncommon
to use much in positive statements. For example:
- I don't have much money.
- Do you have much time?
- "I have much time." This sounds
unusual.
Many
Many is used
with plural countable nouns, and is often used
in negative statements and questions. It is
also used in positive statements however. For
example:
- I don't have many apples.
- Do you have many friends?
- Many people come here in summer.
Much and many
can be used in affirmative statements, but give
a more formal meaning. For example:
- He has many good friends from Harvard University.
Much and
many often appear in short answers. For
example:
- Do you see your family much?
- No, not much.
A lot of
A lot of is
used with uncountable and countable nouns, and
is generally used for affirmative statements.
For example:
- I have a lot of friends.
- I have a lot of time.
A lot of is
also used in questions, especially when you
expect a positive response. Although it is often
said that much and many are used
for questions, we usually use them for questions
which expect a negative response. For example:
- Do you want a lot of pizza?
I expect you want to eat a lot.
- Do you want much pizza?
This sounds unusual, as though I expect you
don't want to eat much.
Lots of can
be used in the same way as a lot of,
often in informal speech. For example:
- I have lots of time.
- I have a lot of time.
How much / many?
How much is
used to ask about the price of something. For
example:
- How much is it?
- How much is that dog in the window?
How much and
How many are used to ask about quantity.
For example:
- How much money do you have?
- How many apples does he have?
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Now try some exercises
with much, many, and a lot
of!
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