The pronouns a lot of/lots of are used with countable and uncountable nouns. These pronouns are usually used in affirmative sentences. Pretext of is omitted, when a lot of/lots is NOT followed by a noun.
- There were a lot of/lots of people at the stadium. (There were a lot of people in the stadium)
- There is a lot of/lots of milk in the refrigerator. (There is a lot of milk in the refrigerator)
- Have you got many magazines? Yes, I have got a lot. (Do you have a lot of magazines? Yes, I have a lot of them)
Using much and many (a lot)
These pronouns are usually used in interrogative and negative sentences.
The main difference between the pronouns much and many in English language lies in their use with countable and uncountable nouns.
Much is used with uncountable nouns, many is used with countable nouns in plural.
- Is there much sugar in a sugar bowl? (Is there a lot of sugar in the sugar bowl?). Sugar – uncountable noun (refers to bulk substances).
- Have you got many T-shirts? I haven’t got many T-shirts (Do you have a lot of T-shirts? I don’t have many T-shirts / I don’t have enough T-shirts). T-shirt – countable noun (we can count: one T-shirt, another T-shirt, etc.).
Using how much and how many (how many)
How much (how much) and how many (how many) are used in questions.
How much + uncountable noun –> quantity
How many + countable noun –> number
- How much money have you got? - Not much. (How much money do you have? Not much.)
- How many dresses have you bought? - Five. (How many dresses did you buy? Five.)
Using too much, too many
Pronoun too many (too much) used with countables plural nouns. This pronoun has negative meaning and indicates thatsomething more than needed or wanted.
Pronoun too much (too much)used with uncountable nouns. This pronoun has the same negative meaning as the pronoun too many.
- You eat too many cakes. You will become fat. (You eat too many cakes. You'll get fat)
- I've got too much homework to do. I can't go to the cinema. (I have too much homework. I can't go to the cinema)
Use (a) little, (a) few
|
(a)little |
(a)few |
|
|
Use |
with uncountable nouns |
with plural countable nouns |
|
Example and meaning |
Little I have little time (I don't have much time) |
I have few books (I have few books) Meaning – there is barely anything, almost nothing |
|
A little I have a little time (I have a little time) |
A few I have a few books (I have a few books) Value – not much, but enough |
One of key features English language - the presence of separate pronouns for 2 groups of nouns: countable and uncountable. The learning process always begins with learning the rules. And in order to correctly use a lot of, much, many, you need to know the rule thoroughly.
This feature often complicates the process of language acquisition. But if desired, these difficulties can be easily overcome. The rule for using much, many, a lot of is quite easy to remember and learn to use in speech, if you understand what the difference is between these pronouns. All three English words and, in question, denote Russian dialect"a lot of". But they are used differently.
Pronouns much, many, a lot of. Rule
To master a language you need time to study, motivation and a certain teaching methodology. Should I start with it when the time has already been allocated and the motivation has been formed? We always start by looking at the rules.
So, how do you use the following pronouns: much, many, a lot of? The rule states that the pronoun many is placed next to those nouns that are included in the group of countable nouns. Much, accordingly, is used with uncountable nouns. Grain, coffee, sugar, cheese - all these words are used with the pronoun much.
There is also the pronoun a lot of. What to do with him? It is used in both cases. This is, one might say, a universal option. But use a lot of in a question or negative sentence not worth it. To construct a question, you can use the structure how many or how much, which is placed, as it should be in English, in the first place in the sentence. For negation, the construction don’t or doesn’t is used.
We don"t have bananas. - We don’t have many bananas.
How much is this? It "s ten dollars. - How much does it cost? (meaning money, so much).
Depending on the context, an uncountable noun can become a countable noun. That's why we sometimes talk about mixed types of nouns.
In the second sentence, the word “work” is used in an abstract sense. We are talking about a process, a concept that cannot be touched, seen or counted. Much is used here. And the first sentence tells about a specific number of the writer’s works. When we think about what exactly to use in a sentence - a lot of, much, many - the rule must be considered in context.
Uncountable nouns - what are they?
Uncountable nouns are abstract concepts, for example, emotions, philosophical categories, natural phenomena, which cannot be specified and counted. Also included in the group of such nouns are liquids, gases, scientific definitions, some specific substances, the exact number of which is impossible to immediately name:
- fruits;
- corn;
- transport;
- furniture;
- baggage;
- money;
- cloth.
Uncountable words include the following:
- leisure - leisure;
- courage - courage;
- work - work;
- gasoline - gasoline;
- exhaust - exhaust gases;
- education - education.
The list is incomplete, but it can give you an overall picture.
Examples of using the graft
Let's consider several sentences where the pronouns a lot of, much, many are used. The rule is always the same, and when you need to translate a sentence with the word “many”, you need to immediately pay attention to what kind of noun is used. At first, diagrams help that systematize information and make it easier to assimilate the material.
- I haven't got much time. — I don’t have much time (I don’t have much time).
- A lot of dolphins followed our boat. — Many dolphins followed our ship.
- I eat a lot of cakes. — I eat a lot of cakes.
- A lot of leaves fall off in autumn. — A lot of leaves fall in autumn.
- I wrote many poems. - I wrote a lot of poems.
The rule for using much, many, a lot of is not too complicated. After a detailed study of groups of uncountable nouns, everything will immediately become clearer.
How to consolidate knowledge?
To consolidate any lesson, of course, you need to complete several exercises. First, it’s better to write the rules on a sheet of paper from memory, then check how you did it. The next exercise already requires working with a dictionary.
Using a dictionary, create a list of English words - countable nouns and uncountable nouns. It is important to make sentences with these words using pronouns: a lot of, much, many. The rule will gradually “settle” in memory during such training.
Sometimes it’s easier to make a proposal using drawings. For example:
I bought many pieces of furniture. — I bought a lot of furniture.
As already mentioned, uncountable nouns mainly include abstract concepts or something that, in principle, cannot be counted. For example, leaves on trees, snow, sand, water. When learning new words in English, try to immediately determine which of them are uncountable. This skill will be useful for developing the skill of fast speech.
The pronouns much and many in English are presented with examples.
This topic will discuss in detail the pronouns much and many. The pronouns much and many can be considered as noun pronouns and adjective pronouns.
Much and many as adjective pronouns.
In this case they matter a lot.
It is necessary to remember that many is used with countable nouns, and much with uncountable nouns.
Study some examples.
We don"t use much gas in winter - We do not consume a lot of gas in winter.
Did John bring much water? - John brought a lot of water?
I don"t eat many apples - I don’t eat a lot of apples.
Have you seen many guests on the second floor? -Have you seen many guests on the second floor?
Much and many as noun pronouns.
In this case they mean: many - many, much - a significant part, a lot. In such sentences these pronouns are combined with the preposition of.
Study some examples.
Much of the information was obtained from him - A significant part of the information was obtained from him.
Much of what you see is John's work - Much of what you see is John's work.
Many of my classmates will come here - Many of my classmates will come here.
It is necessary to remember that the pronouns much and many, as a rule, are used in negative or interrogative sentences.
If the sentence is affirmative, then these pronouns take place when they are used in combination with the words as, how, too, very, so. Much and many are also used in affirmative sentences if they are a definition of the subject or subjects. Study some examples.
I have found so much money in the street! - I found so much money on the street!
I saw very many planes at the airport - I saw a lot of planes at the airport.
You made too many mistakes in this text - You made too many mistakes in this text.
Much information came from Mary - A lot of information came from Mary.
Many criminals escaped from prison - Many criminals escaped from prison.
In other cases, much and many in affirmative sentences are replaced by synonyms. Much is replaced by a good deal (of), a great deal (of), a lot (of), plenty (of), lots (of) etc. Many is replaced by a lot (of), a great many, plenty (of), lots (of), a good many etc.
That company produces a great deal of oil - That company produces a lot of oil.
He brought plenty of water - He brought a lot of water.
Mary sent a lot of letters - Mary sent a lot of letters.
There are plenty of laptops in that shop - There are a lot of laptops in that store.
Very often, when talking about the quantity of something, we want to emphasize that there was a lot of it. In this case, it is necessary to use the words much, many or a lot of, with which confusion sometimes arises. Let's figure out how to use them correctly in speech.
Countable and uncountable nouns
In order to understand this topic, it is necessary to understand the difference between countable and uncountable nouns. In fact, everything is very simple: countable nouns are things that can be counted (accordingly, they can be singular or plural), and uncountable nouns are things that can't be counted(accordingly, they do not have a plural form).
a lemon – two lemons (lemon – two lemons)
Lemon is a countable noun
bread – lots of bread (bread – a lot of bread)
Bread – uncountable noun
Please note: some nouns can be used as both countable and uncountable, but then their meaning will be different:
We don't have time. (We have no time .)
Time – uncountable noun
We were there five times last week. (We were there five times last week.)
Time is a countable noun
Consumption of a lot of
In affirmative sentences it is recommended to use a lot of or it short form lots of to point to a large number of anything:
I have a lot of books on my desk.
I have a lot of books on my table.
They drink lots of water.
They drink a lot of water.
Please note that for a lot of and lots of it makes no difference whether you use them with countable or uncountable nouns. These expressions apply to any type.
In addition, a lot of and lots of can be used in other types of sentences (negative and interrogative):
I don't have lots of time.
I do not have a lot of time.
We don’t bake a lot of bread.
We don't bake a lot of bread.
Using quite a lot of
Quite a lot of literally means “ enough", and is used to indicate the average amount of something:
She has quite a lot of clothes.
She has quite a lot of clothes.
Please note that the expression quite lots of is incorrect.
Using many and much
In negative and interrogative sentences It is recommended to use many or much:
I don't have much coffee.
I have some coffee.
Have you got many books?
Do you have many books?
Difference between many and much
The main difference between many and much is that many is used with countable nouns, and much is used with countable nouns. with uncountable:
We don't have many bananas.
We have some bananas.
Sarah doesn't drink much tea.
Sarah doesn't drink much tea.
How much / How many
To ask a question about the quantity of something, you must use how much or how many. The choice again depends on which noun we are talking about: countable or uncountable (How many is used with countable nouns, and How much is used with uncountable nouns):
How many burgers can you eat?
How many burgers can you eat?
How much bread do you eat?
How much bread do you eat?
Answers to the question with How many
When answering a question with how many, there are several options, depending on the value.
You can answer briefly:
How many books are there?
How many books are there?
Quite a bit of.
Not at all.
There are a lot of / lots of books.
There are a lot of books there.
There are quite a lot of books.
There are quite a lot of books there.
There aren't many books.
There aren't many books there.
There aren't any books.
There are no books there.
Answers to the question with How much
When answering a question with how mach, there are several options, depending on the meaning.
You can answer briefly:
How much milk do you drink?
How much milk do you drink?
Enough.
Not at all.
You can answer in a complete sentence:
I drink a lot of / lots of milk.
I drink a lot of milk.
I drink quite a lot of milk.
I drink quite a lot of milk.
I don't drink much milk.
I don't drink a lot of milk.
I don't drink milk.
I don't drink milk.
