Grammar-Quizzes › Noun Phrases › Determiners › Quantifier › Much vs. Many
MUCH |
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We use much with noncount nouns to indicate a large quantity. However, much is mostly used in negative sentences or questions. |
NEGATIVE SENTENCE / QUESTION |
Not much food is in the refrigerator. |
Is there much food in the refrigerator? |
MANY |
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Use many with plural count nouns to indicate a large number. However, many is mostly used in negative sentences or questions. |
NEGATIVE SENTENCE / QUESTION |
Not many snacks are in the refrigerator. |
Are there many snacks in the refrigerator? |
Also see count / noncount nouns | some/ any
Also see More / -er…than, Most/-est and Much / More
Comparative forms:
much–more–most / many–more–most
MUCH |
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Much is uncommonly used in a positive sentence except for scholarly contexts such as science journals or reference books. Reword the sentence using some or a lot of. |
POSITIVE SENTENCE |
~ Much food is in the refrigerator. (Use some or a lot of) |
Some food is in the refrigerator. |
A lot of food is in the refrigerator. |
Much food can be preserved in a refrigerator. (Use in a scholarly context only.) |
MANY |
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Many is uncommonly used in a positive sentence except for scholarly contexts such as science journals or reference books. Reword the sentence using a lot of or several. |
POSITIVE SENTENCE |
A lot of / Several snacks are in the refrigerator. ~Many snacks are in the refrigerator. (Use a lot of, several) |
Several snacks are in the refrigerator. |
A lot of snacks are in the refrigerator. |
Many snacks have high amounts of sodium. (scholarly context) |
*incorrect usage / ~borderline usage, awkward, requires a special context
MUCH OF |
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Use much of before a, an, or the + a singular count or noncount noun to indicate a portion of something. Use singular verb agreement. |
Much of the food is fresh. (positive sentence)
|
Much of the food isn't fresh. (negative sentence) |
Is much of the food fresh? (question) |
How much of a watermelon can you eat? |
MANY OF |
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Use many of before the + plural count noun to indicate a quantity of items in the group. Use plural verb agreement. |
Many of the snacks are fresh. (positive)
|
Many of the snacks aren't fresh. (negative) |
Are many of the snacks fresh? (question) |
— "How many of some…" is not used. |
SO MUCH – SINGULAR |
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Use so much with a noncount noun and a singular verb. So much emphasizes quantity. |
So much chicken is left over from las night. |
We ate so much chicken last night. |
Not so much chicken was eaten / We didn't eat so much chicken |
SO MANY – PLURAL |
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Use so many with a count noun and a plural verb. . So many emphasizes quantity. |
So many french fries are fattening. |
We ate so many french fries last night. |
Not so many fries were eaten. We didn't eat so many fries. |
MUCH MORE |
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Use much more with a noncount noun to emphasize the quantity or make a comparison. Use a singular verb. |
Much more food is in our refrigerator. (emphasis on how much) |
You eat much more food than I do. (comparison of how much) |
MANY MORE |
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Use many more with a plural count noun to emphasize quantity or make a comparison. Use a plural verb. |
Many more eggs are needed for this recipe. |
You eat many more eggs than I do each week. |
See Much / More and So many + infinitive/that.
SO MUCH… THAT | |
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Use so much to emphasize the quantity of a noncount noun. (singular verb) |
|
EMPHASIS ON QUANTITY | RESULT |
So much delicious food is available |
that we eat too much. |
So much fresh seafood is available |
that we buy a lot of it. |
So many cherries are available |
that we eat some and freeze the rest. |
SUCH… THAT | |
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Use such … that to emphasize quality of a count or noncount verb. (The verb agrees with the noun of the such-phrase.) |
|
EMPHASIS ON QUALITY | RESULT |
Such delicious food is available |
that we enjoy tasting it. |
Such fresh seafood is available |
that we enjoy eating it. |
Such sweet cherries are available |
that we love eating them. |
available (Adj) – on hand, easy to get, readily obtainable
See So/Such-that.
You will need to know if the noun is count or noncount. Noncount/Count
A lot of young people in their twenties are frustrated because there aren't many jobs for them. Many kids have borrowed much money to go to college and get a degree. However, after they graduate, they aren't finding much opportunities. They have heard much advice about working hard, but they can't find jobs where they can prove themselves. Because of this problem, many kids are taking internships.
They learn and work at the same time. They get many experience whie working with a mentor. However, they don't get much money. The students hope that after working a few months, they will get many good recommendations, which will help them get many more job offers. With both a degree and work experience, a student is such more likely to get the job that he or she wants.
frustrated (N) – upset because they are not making progress
degree (N) – a certificate of graduation (finishing college or university)
internship (N) – an unpaid or low-paid learning position in a business or company
mentor (N) – a person who works one-to-one to train a student-employee
recommendation (N) – a positive letter to a future employer