5.7 A Lot Of, Much, Many

Notice which quantity words go with count (C) and noncount (NC) nouns.

EXAMPLES EXPLANATION

Affirmative (C) You need a lot of cranberries for this recipe. (NC) We use a lot of sugar to make cranberry sauce. Affirmative (C) I am thankful for many things. (NC) We eat a lot of food on Thanksgiving. We can use a lot of with both count and noncount nouns in affirmative statements.

In affirmative statements, we use: many with count nouns. a lot of with noncount nouns. Much is rare in affirmative statements.

Negative (C) The Pilgrims didn’t have many skills in American agriculture. (NC) Today American Indians don’t have much land. Negative (C) The Pilgrims didn’t have a lot of skills in American agriculture. (NC) Today American Indians don’t have a lot of land.

Question (C) Did you invite many people for dinner? (NC) Did you eat much turkey? In negative statements, we use: many with count nouns. much with noncount nouns.

We can use a lot of with both count and noncount nouns in negative statements.

In questions, we use: many with count nouns. much with noncount nouns.

Question (C) Did you invite a lot of guests for Thanksgiving? (NC) Did you eat a lot of turkey? Question (C) How many hours did you cook the turkey? (NC) How much time did you spend on food preparation? We can use a lot of with both count and noncount nouns in questions. In questions, we use: how many with count nouns. how much with noncount nouns.

Note: With a quantity word, we can sometimes omit (leave out) the noun when we know what the noun is. I usually drink a lot of water, but I didn’t drink a lot today. (We know that a lot refers to water.)

GRAMMAR IN USE We use quantity words often in speaking and in writing, so it’s a good idea to recognize which one to use in different situations. Notice how these words express different levels of formality.

Formal: many, much We’re having many problems at work. less Formal: a lot of We’re having a lot of problems at work.

least Formal: lots of We’re having lots of problems at work.

EXERCISE 9 Circle the correct words to complete this conversation. In some cases, more than one answer is correct. If so, circle both options.

A: Did you prepare (a lot of/many) food for Thanksgiving?

1.

B: No, I didn’t prepare (a lot/a lot of). This year I didn’t invite (much/many) people. I just invited my

2. 3.

immediate family.

A: How (much/many) people are there in your immediate family?

4.

B: Just seven. I bought a 12-pound turkey. It was more than enough.

A: I don’t know how to prepare a turkey. Is it (a lot of/many) work?

5.

B: Not really. But if it’s frozen, it takes (a lot of/much) time to defrost it. Cooking it is easy.

6.

A: Did you make (many/a lot of) other dishes, like sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce?

B: No. Each person in my family made something. That way, I didn’t have (much/a lot of)

7.

work. But we had

8.

(many/a lot of) work cleaning up.

9.

A: Have you thought about using paper plates? That way, you won’t have (many/much) work cleaning up.

10.

B: I know (many/much) people do that, but I want my dinner to look elegant. For me, paper plates are for

11.

picnics.

A: That’s true. Also paper plates aren’t very environmentally friendly. It’s better to have (a lot/a lot of) dishes

12.

to clean, especially with (a lot/a lot of) people to help.

13.

B: Right! With help, it wasn’t too (much/many) work.

14.

FUN WITH GRAMMAR

Play a game with units of measure. Form two or three teams. Your teacher will say a noncount noun and one team member will go to the board and write the noun with a unit of measure (e.g., water—a glass of water; art—a work of art). For each correct answer, the team earns a point. Every student has a turn. The team with the most points wins.