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 / manyIn everyday English, we normally use
much / many only in questions and negative clauses.
Example:
How much money have you got?
Fatima does not have many friends.
In positive clauses with
so,
as or
too, we also use
much / many.
Example:
Ahmed has so
many friends.
He has as
many friends as Farid.
Mourad has too
much money.
In all other positive clauses, however, we prefer expressions like
a lot of /
lots of.
Example:
Ahmed has a lot of / lots of friends.
Mourad 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 NounsIn 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