Quantitative pronouns a lot of, much, many: rules, examples of use and exercises. Many, much, more, a lot of: usage rule

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 translated by the word much. Opposite meaning- little.

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

IN affirmative sentences quite often used a lot of . 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. Found in fiction original ways conveying a concept implying 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. The main part of the practical material can be found 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).

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

Answer :

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

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

This method will help enrich only passive lexicon. 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, to be able to express your own thoughts with these words, new expressions must become an integral part of your vocabulary.

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

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

Here you can find out what the difference is between 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 countable and uncountable nouns. Both of them are translated as "many, large number".

Despite 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 it 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 value. 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 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.

The use of the words much, many, a lot of often causes some difficulties due to the fact that in Russian the word “many” is universal. In English there are the following rules for these words:

1. A lot: many and much

Much is used with uncountable nouns, usually in negative sentences and questions.

I don't have much money.
/I don’t have a lot of money./

In addition, the word much has the meaning “very”, “much”, “significantly”, “much”.

"But it doesn't matter much," thought Alice.
“/But it’s not so important,” thought Alice./

He did it much sooner than she had expected.
/He did it much sooner than she expected./

Alice was not much surprised at this.
/This did not surprise Alice./

Many also means "a lot", but is used with countable nouns, often in negative sentences and questions (but not only), and in phrases with the words "many of".

I have scarcely spoken of the customs of the Kukuanas, many of which are exceedingly quaint.
/It’s unlikely that I spoke about the customs of the Kukuanas, many of which are extremely strange./

Have you been to many countries?
/Have you been to many countries?/

Many is used, for example, when we say “many days”, “many years”, “many hours”, “many times”.

We have known each other for many years.
/We have known each other for many years./

Additionally, many can mean “many” (people).

Though he was a great help in his father’s business, there were many who doubted that he would become the heir to it.
/Although he helped his father a lot in his business, many doubted that he would become his heir./

The words much and many are also used in the constructions as much as/as many as, too much/too many, so much/so many, how much/how many.

The animals avoided him as much as possible.
/The animals avoided him as much as possible./

But we have killed many sharks, you and I, and ruined many others. How many did you ever kill, old fish?
/But we killed many sharks and destroyed many. How many have you killed, old fish?/

2. A lot: a lot of, lots of, plenty of

In affirmative sentences a lot of is more often used , lots of, plenty of, both with countable and uncountable nouns.
The words lot and plenty are synonyms and are translated as “a lot”, “heap”, “mass”.

What I liked about her, she didn't give you a lot of horse manure about what a great guy her father was.
/What I liked about her was that she didn’t talk nonsense about how cool her dad was./

He owned a lot of books, though, and kept buying new ones, and giving me those he thought were particularly well done.
/He had a lot of books, but he kept buying new ones and gave me those that he thought were especially well written./

There was plenty of everything left for Frodo.
/A lot of everything was left for Frodo./

Here is lots of wood, let us stop and cook some dinner.
/There’s a lot of firewood here, let’s stop and cook some lunch./

3. Little: little and few

The adverbs few and little (not to be confused with the adjective “small”) mean “little,” and little is used with uncountable nouns, and few with countable nouns.

Hurry up! There's little time!
/Hurry up! We have little time!/

The funeral was packed, since few dared to be absent.
/The funeral was crowded, since few people dared not to come./

When the adverbs little and few are used with articles, their meanings become different - “a little”, “a small amount”, “several”.

They were around my age, or maybe just a little older.
/They were about my age, maybe a little older./

In appropriate cases (see article on articles) may be used definite article the. Then the few can mean “those few”, “those few”, and the little – “that small amount”.

Bonasera went out of the house and walked the few blocks to his funeral parlor.
/Bonasera left the house and walked a few blocks to his funeral home./

Exercises for consolidation

To translate the following seventeen sentences into English, you will have to use the rules you just read about. If you were not able to do it correctly right away, then rewrite these sentences in your notebook and repeat it tomorrow.

There is a lot of water in the basement.
I was very scared.
Do you have many rooms in your house?
Many politicians are honest people.
I have seen this spectacle many times.
How many horses are there on that farm?
Many people believe that they are unable to achieve anything.
How much money was spent?
I spent a lot of money.
I spent as much as I could.
We carried away as many bricks as we could.
There are a lot of all kinds of animals and birds there.
We're low on fuel!
Few know the whole truth.
We need to drive a few more kilometers.
The bag contained ten kilograms of flour or a little more.
We did this many more times.