Unit 87: much, many, little, few, a lot, plenty

Use much and little with uncountable nouns, many and few with plural nouns, and a lot of, lots of and plenty of with both. Learn where much sounds unnatural, and the difference between little and a little, few and a few.

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A Which word goes with which noun

With uncountable nouns	With plural nouns	With both
much patience, much noise	many cousins, many shops	a lot of rain, a lot of emails
little sleep, little interest	few buses, few customers	lots of room, lots of chairs
		plenty of food, plenty of volunteers

plenty means more than enough.

Take your time. We've got plenty of time before the film starts.
There's plenty to see in York.
We haven't had much rain this year.
There aren't many shops left on the high street.

B much in positive sentences

much is unusual in positive sentences, especially in speech. Use it in negatives and questions, and use a lot (of) in positives.

Negative or question	Positive
We didn't eat much cake.	We ate a lot of cake.
Do you go to the gym much?	I go to the gym a lot.

too much, so much and as much are perfectly normal in positive sentences.

many and a lot of both work in every kind of sentence.

Say many years / many weeks / many days. A lot of years is possible, but it is not what people usually say.

We didn't eat much cake.
We ate a lot of cake.
Do you go to the gym much?
I go to the gym a lot.
I've eaten too much. I'll need a nap.
Many people park on the pavement. / A lot of people park on the pavement.
Have you got many cousins? / Have you got a lot of cousins?
There aren't many seats left. / There aren't a lot of seats left.
My grandparents ran the corner shop for many years.

C little = not much, few = not many

little means not much, and usually less than one would want. few means not many, and usually fewer than one would want.

very little and very few are common.

Owen works six days a week. He has little time for anything else.
Shona moved to Swindon last year. She has few friends there.
Owen has very little time for anything else.
Shona has very few friends in Swindon.

D a little = some, a few = some

a little means some, a small amount. a few means some, a small number. Both suggest the amount is small but enough, which is a more cheerful outlook than little and few allow.

The bus isn't due yet. We've got a little time for a cup of tea.
"Do you speak Welsh?" "A little."
I like it here. I've made a few friends at the allotment.
"When did you last see Ian?" "A few weeks ago."

E little and a little, few and a few: compared

Without a (not much / not many)	With a (some, enough)
She spoke little French, so ordering was a struggle.	She spoke a little French, so ordering was fine.
He's lucky. He has few worries.	He's a bit stressed. He has a few worries.

Say only a little and only a few, never only little or only few.

She spoke little French, so ordering was a struggle.
She spoke a little French, so ordering was fine.
He's lucky. He has few worries.
He's a bit stressed at the moment. He has a few worries.
Come on. We've only got a little time.
It was a tiny village. There were only a few houses.

Exercises

87.1 In some of these sentences much is wrong or unnatural. Change much to many or a lot (of) where necessary. Write OK if the sentence is correct.

We didn't spend much.
OK
We didn't spend much.
Our neighbour watches much telly.
Our neighbour watches a lot of telly.
Our neighbour watches a lot of telly.
Hurry up. We haven't got much time.
The new boiler cost much.
Did the new boiler cost much?
You've got much shopping. Let me carry some.
There wasn't much rain yesterday.
I don't have much friends at work.
Do you drink much coffee?
Ruth loves dancing. She dances much.

87.2 Complete the sentences with plenty of ... or plenty to ... . Use a word from the box.

cafésdofoodreadspacetime

Have another sandwich. There's plenty of food.
Have another sandwich. There's plenty of food.
The train doesn't leave until six. We've got .
Bring your bike inside. There's in the hall.
Fiona has shelves full of novels, so there's always .
You won't be bored in Cardiff. There's .
We'll find somewhere for lunch. There are round here.

87.3 Put in much, many, little or few. Use one word only.

Nobody ever rings Brian. He has few friends.
Nobody ever rings Brian. He has few friends.
Pete has two jobs at the moment. He has very free time.
Did you get cards for your birthday?
Most of the village was rebuilt after the war, so there are old cottages left.
The lawn has gone brown. There's been very rain this month.
My cousin moved to Australia. I haven't seen her for years.
Both recipes taste the same to me. There's very difference.
Take your time. There isn't to do this afternoon.
I love living by the sea. There are better places to grow up.

87.4 Which is right? Choose the correct form.

He's fortunate. He has ___ (few worries / a few worries).
few worries
He's fortunate. He has few worries.
Could you lend me ___ (few pounds / a few pounds) until Friday?
It was four in the morning, so there was ___ (little noise / a little noise) in the street.
We moved to Hull ___ (few months ago / a few months ago).
I can't give you an answer now. I need ___ (little time / a little time) to think it over.
I don't speak much Welsh, ___ (only few phrases / only a few phrases).
Everyone was shocked when the shop closed. ___ (Few people / A few people) knew it was in trouble.

87.5 Put in little, a little, few or a few.

Rachel works very long hours. She has little time for hobbies.
Rachel works very long hours. She has little time for hobbies.
Sit down a minute. I'd like to give you advice.
Before I sign anything, could I ask you questions?
The museum is rather dull, so people bother to visit.
I wouldn't put Jack in charge of the kids. He has patience.
"Do you take sugar?" "Yes, just , please."
The town is dead after six. There's to do.
I've stayed in Edinburgh times, so I know my way around.
There were only people at the bus stop.
"Did you build this shed on your own?" "No, I had help from my brother."

much, many, little, few, a lot, plenty