Much and Many in Questions and Negatives
The A1 lesson covered the basics: many with countable plurals, much with uncountable nouns, a lot of with both. This lesson looks more closely at one thing the A1 lesson only mentioned: the kind of sentence also changes the choice.
POSITIVE → A LOT OFa plain statement
We bought a lot of fruit at the market.
A positive sentence, so a lot of.
NEGATIVE → MUCH / MANYa sentence with not
There weren't many people at the cinema.
A negative, and people can be counted, so many.
QUESTION → MUCH / MANYa yes/no question
Did you get much sleep last night?
A question, and sleep is uncountable, so much.
Positive statements usually take a lot of; negatives and questions usually take much or many. A lot of still works in negatives and questions. But much on its own in a positive statement is very rare.
TRY IT
- Question 1
"My grandfather drinks green tea every day."
- Question 2
"Were there cars on the road this morning?"
The four patterns
NEGATIVE
Sdon't / didn'tVmuch / manynoun
We didn't take many photos.
Much with uncountable nouns, many with countable plurals.
QUESTION
Do / DidSVmuch / manynoun?
Do you eat much meat?
Choose much or many the same way as in a negative.
PRICE
How muchis / are / was / were…?
How much are these sandals?
Is for one thing, are for more than one. Don't add money.
PRICE WITH COST
How muchdoes / didScost?
How much did your new phone cost?
Did comes before the subject; cost comes at the end.
TRY IT
- Question 1
"We didn't get homework last weekend."
- Question 2
" is this watermelon?"
- Question 3
"Did the doctor give you advice?"
When to use them
Short answers
Was there a lot of traffic? — Not much.
Drop the noun. Not much for uncountable things, Not many for countable ones.
Signal words: Not much. · Not many. · Not a lot.
Much and a lot at the end
Do you go out much?
No noun comes after it. Questions and negatives take much; positive sentences take a lot.
Signal words: I don't cook much. · She laughs a lot.
Counting with there
How many rooms were there in the hotel?
How many + plural noun + are there / were there?
Signal words: How many … are there? · How many … were there?
A lot of vs. too much
A lot of just means a large amount. Too much and too many mean more than you want — there is a problem. The Too and Enough lesson taught too much and too many; here you only choose the right meaning.
| A LOT OF | TOO MUCH / TOO MANY | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | a large amount | more than you want — a problem |
| Uncountable | I put a lot of sugar in my coffee. | There's too much sugar in this cake. |
| Countable | Our street has a lot of trees. | There are too many chairs in this small room. |
TRY IT
- Question 1
"Our new flat is great — it has windows."
- Question 2
"I can't eat this soup. There's salt in it."
Common mistakes
Incorrect:I sleep much at the weekend.
Correct:I sleep a lot at the weekend.
Much on its own at the end of a positive sentence sounds wrong. Use a lot.
Incorrect:How much money are these jeans?
Correct:How much are these jeans?
How much already asks for a price, so we don't add money.
Incorrect:How much did cost your phone?
Correct:How much did your phone cost?
In a past question, did comes before the subject and cost comes after it.
Incorrect:Did you take many photos? — No, not much.
Correct:Did you take many photos? — No, not many.
A short answer still follows the noun it drops. Photos can be counted, so it is not many.
Incorrect:I don't have many money now.
Correct:I don't have much money now.
Money is uncountable, so a negative takes much.
Incorrect:How many students there are in your class?
Correct:How many students are there in your class?
This is a question, so are comes before there, just like Are there…?
Incorrect:I have much homework today.
Correct:I have a lot of homework today.
A plain positive statement takes a lot of. Much fits negatives and questions.
Quick check · 8 questions
Choose the right phrase:
My aunt has a lot of plants on her balcony.
- A. a lot of — Correct
- B. much
- C. a lot
Answer: A. a lot of
A plain statement takes a lot of. Much is wrong because plants can be counted. A lot without of cannot go before a noun.
Choose the right word:
We didn't spend much money on the trip.
- A. much — Correct
- B. many
- C. a lot
Answer: A. much
The sentence has didn't, so it takes much or many. Money is uncountable, so it is much.
Choose the right word:
Did you meet many new people at the summer camp?
- A. many — Correct
- B. much
Answer: A. many
Questions take much or many. People is a countable plural, so the word is many.
You are buying rice and asking the price. Choose the right question:
I'd like two kilos of rice. How much is that?
- A. How much — Correct
- B. How many money
- C. How many
Answer: A. How much
How much already asks for a price, so we don't add money. How many asks for a number of things, not a price.
Choose the right short answer:
Did you buy a lot of clothes in the sale? — No, not many.
- A. many — Correct
- B. much
Answer: A. many
A short answer drops the noun, but we still choose by that noun. Clothes can be counted, so the answer is Not many.
Choose the right word:
Lan reads a lot. She has hundreds of books.
- A. a lot — Correct
- B. much
- C. many
Answer: A. a lot
There is no noun after the gap, and the sentence is positive, so the word is a lot. "Lan reads much" sounds wrong.
Choose the right phrase:
I love this park. It has a lot of trees.
- A. a lot of — Correct
- B. too many
- C. much
Answer: A. a lot of
Too many means more than you want, and that does not fit "I love this park". Much does not go with trees.
Choose the right word order:
How much did your bike cost?
- A. did your bike cost — Correct
- B. did cost your bike
- C. your bike cost
Answer: A. did your bike cost
This is a past question, so did comes before the subject your bike. The base verb cost comes after it.
See whether it really stuck.
Start the quiz · 12 questions
