Grammar, compared
Much vs many, few vs little
Many goes with things you can count. Much goes with things you cannot. A lot of works with both.
Book a trial classThe short answer
| Countable | Uncountable |
|---|---|
| How many students are there? | How much time do we have? |
| There are a few chairs. (Enough.) | There is a little milk. (Some.) |
| There are few chairs. (Not enough.) | There is little milk. (Almost none.) |
Which word to use
| Word | Goes with | Example |
|---|---|---|
| many | Countable plural, in questions and negatives | How many friends do you have? |
| much | Uncountable, in questions and negatives | I don't have much time. |
| a lot of | Both, in positive sentences | I have a lot of friends. A lot of money. |
| a few | Countable plural, some | A few days ago. |
| a little | Uncountable, some | A little sugar, please. |
| few, little | Almost none, a negative idea | Few people came. There is little hope. |
Watch out if you speak Spanish
- Mucho covers both in Spanish: mucha gente, mucho tiempo. In English choose: many people, much time.
- In positive sentences, say a lot of: I have a lot of friends, not I have much friends.
- Information, advice, news, furniture, homework, luggage, money and traffic are uncountable. Say some information, a piece of advice.
- A few and a little sound positive. Few and little sound negative: I have a few friends (good) or I have few friends (sad).
Practice
Grammar practice
Choose or type the answer for each sentence, then check.
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Questions
- Can I use much in a positive sentence?
- It sounds formal or odd in speech. Use a lot of instead: We have a lot of work.
- What is the difference between a few and few?
- A few means some, which is positive. Few means almost none, which is negative.
Keep going
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