Quantitative pronouns are used to denote a large number of something or someone in English. many And much. Both are translated into Russian by the word “many”. The question arises: if the meaning is the same, why are there two different pronouns? It turns out that this makes sense, since each of them has its own scope.

Difference between many and much

Pronoun many used in cases where it refers to objects (animate or inanimate) that can be counted. Words denoting such objects are called countable nouns.

For example, in the sentence “There are many animals in the zoo,” the countable noun is “animals.” Here it is used in the plural. In English the sentence would sound like this: “There are many animals in the zoo".

It would be nice to go around all the cages and count all the animals that live in them! There are a lot of things and people to count in the zoo. For example, tigers, elephants, bears, monkeys, and the very cells in which they live. Translated into English it would look like this: “ many tigers, many elephants, many bears many monkeys, many cages".

While you were counting the zoo's inhabitants, it was time for lunch and the animals were brought food. Lots of food: meat, fruits, milk. And more water to drink. Is it possible to count what is in the animals' feeders? No. Therefore, words that denote such objects are called uncountable nouns.

This means that when translating into English, you need to use the second pronoun. The phrases in this case will look like this: “ much food much meat much milk, much water".

If you remember this difference, then you will never have any confusion with the use of many and much.

All words that come after the pronoun much, are used in the singular.

By the way, the same thing happens in our native language. People don’t say “a lot of meat”, “a lot of food” (Sounds funny, doesn’t it?). Uncountable nouns in Russian grammar also have a singular form after the word “many”, for example: “a lot of meat”, “a lot of food”. Here we have a direct similarity with the English language.

Affirmative sentences

In modern English, in affirmative sentences, instead of the pronouns much and many, their synonym is increasingly used a lot of.

This is a universal pronoun, as it is suitable for animate nouns - a lot of people and inanimate - a lot of books, for countables - a lot of minutes and uncountable - a lot of time.

In those speech situations when you find it difficult to choose between many and much, use a lot of - you won’t go wrong.

For example: " A lot of children came to the zoo to see a new-born polar bear.” - “Many children came to the zoo to look at the newborn polar bear cub.”

The pronouns many and much are often part of the subject, for example:

There are many candles on the fireplace shelf. — There are a lot of candles on the mantelpiece.

There is much soup in the pan. - There is a lot of soup in the pan.

In these sentences, many and much can easily be replaced by a lot of, and the meaning of the sentences will not change.

In interrogative and negative sentences, as a rule, the pronouns much and many are used.

Interrogative sentences

First in the sentence is How many(how many, how much), followed by a plural countable noun.

For example:

How many tulips are there in the vase?
How many tulips are in the vase?

How many children do you have?
How many children do you have?

With expression How much(how many, how much) the word order is the same as in the case of How many. In the question it comes first, followed by a singular uncountable noun.

For example:

How much salt do you take in your salad?
How much salt do you put in your salad?
How much money do you need to be happy?
How much money do you need to be happy?

Negative sentences

In negative sentences, phrases not many And not much are translated into Russian as “little”, “a little”.

For example:

Not many people like bats. (noun bat – countable).
Few (people) like bats (or: Few people like bats).

She does not eat much meat (noun meat – uncountable).
She eats a little meat (or: She eats little meat).

Sometimes the pronouns many or much are followed by a particle of. This construction in Russian has the following translation: “many of...”, “a significant part of something...”.

For example:

Many of my business partners live in the country.
Many of my business partners live outside the city.

Much of the butter is spoiled.
A significant part of the oil has spoiled.

Exercise to reinforce the topic

Translate the following sentences into English:

There is little (a little) snow in the garden.
How many paintings are there on the wall?
Is there a lot of soup in the bowl?
I put a lot of butter in my porridge.
There are many trees in the park.
Babies need a lot of milk.
There is not enough meat in the refrigerator.
How many teeth does a shark have?

ADVICE.

When translating sentences, be careful:

Many used where objects can be counted individually.
If they cannot be counted, feel free to insert the word into the sentence much.

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 an exhaustive 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 to consolidate theoretical material in practice is to 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).

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 in 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, to be able to express your own thoughts with these words, new expressions must become an integral part of 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 include them in your speech in the near future when speaking a foreign language. 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 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 countable 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 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.

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 it when in Russian there is only one word that expresses a large number - “many”, and in English there are already such words as many as three! (actually there are more of them - these are just the main ones...).

Of course, I won’t start a debate about the beauty of language here - and it’s clear that every language is magnificent in its own way! And here "Rule much 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 about getting confused and making mistakes anymore! You are ready? I have already...

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

I think everything is clear from the table. Now I will explain verbally and in more detail.

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

The words Much/a little/little are used only with nouns that cannot be counted, that is, with uncountable nouns. Much means large quantity 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 something 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 (many/a little/few)

The words Many/a few/few are used only with nouns that can be counted, that is, with countable nouns. Many means a large number 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 something between many and few - a few books (several books), a few friends (several friends), a few thoughts (several thoughts).

A lot of (a lot)

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, whereas 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 “delicate areas” where students very often make mistakes. Read and remember!

!Many people! ( Not much)

Many clothes! Not much)

( Not Much money! (

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 didn’t understand anything.

He asked the waiter to bring some water.

In autumn, many birds fly south.

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

“There is absolutely no space in the closet! You have so many clothes!” I hope you didn't make any mistakes.

few!

Well, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask - I will definitely answer them!

Answers

Exercise 1.

Exercise 2.

I have few friends in this part of the city.

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!”