Grammar about Much and Many

How to use much and many in the correct way in English speaking and writing well.

Much / many

The words much and many mean a lot of.

• If a noun is in singular, we use much

Example:

much money

• If a noun is in plural, we use many

Example:

many friends

Use of much / many

In everyday English, we normally use much / many only in questions and negative clauses.

Example:

How much money have you got?

Carla does not have many friends.

In positive clauses with so, as or too, we also use much / many.

Example:

Carla has so many friends.

She has as many friends as Sue.

Kevin has too much money.

In all other positive clauses, however, we prefer expressions like a lot of / lots of.

Example:

Carla has a lot of / lots of friends.

Kevin has a lot of / lots of money.

In formal texts, however, much / many are also common in positive clauses. This you will notice for 

example when you read English news.

Countable / Uncountable Nouns

In connection with much / many people often speak of countable nouns and uncountable nouns.
Countable nouns have a singular and a plural form. In plural, these nouns can be used with a number (that's why they are called 'countable nouns'). Countable nouns take many.

Example:

100 friends – many friends

Uncountable nouns can only be used in singular. These nouns cannot be used with a number (that's why they are called 'uncountable nouns'). Uncountable nouns take much.

Example:

100 money – much money

Note: Of course you can count money – but then you would name the currency and say that you have got 5 euro (but not „5 money“).

Exercise on much and many

Exercise 4

Decide whether you have to use much or many.

1. There is too water in the bath tub.
2. How brothers and sisters has Anne got?
3. I don't receive letters nowadays.
4. How rice do you eat per week?
5. I put too salt in the soup.
6. How people were at the party?
7. It doesn't make sense.
8. There wasn't traffic on the motorway.
9. My grandfather does not have hair, anymore.
10. How plates do we need?

Exercise on much and many

Exercise 5

Decide whether you have to use much or many.

1. She has so friends!
2. Too cooks spoil the broth.
3. Hurry up. I don't have so time.
4. We went to a dairy yesterday. I had never seen so cows before.
5. It's also quite amazing how milk these cows produce every day.
6. You have too money. Won't you share it with me?
7. There are so poor people in the world.
8. There are too children in the house.
9. My father doesn't drink coffee.
10. How of you have ever been to London?

Now decide which word is needed to complete these sentences:

·         1 - How ___ kittens did your cat have?

much
many

·         2 - There are not ___ dishes left to clean.

much
many

·         3 - Why was there so ___ smoke in the room?

much
many

·         4 - There were so ___ people on the bus I got off and walked.

much
many

·         5 - We don't see ___ birds in winter.

much
many

·         6 - How ___ money should I save?

many
much

·         7 - We couldn't think of ___ good ideas.

many
much

·         8 - Does this TV use ___ electricity?

many
much

·         9 - Is our teacher going to give us ___ homework?

many
much

·         10 - There's ___ information to remember.

much
a lot of
many