A Lotof Much Many a Little a Few

Is there much ham on the plate? No, there isn’t much much.. There are only three slices.

Has she got many friends? Yes, she’s got a lot of friends. of friends.

 Are there many people in the swimming pool? No, there aren’t many many.. There are only two.

• We use a lot of/lots of with plural countable nouns (books, cars, etc.) and uncountable nouns (e.g. sugar, sugar, milk, etc.) in positive statements. She’s got lots of   /a  / a lot of books. of books. There’s a lot of milk of milk in the fridge. Note: We omit of  of when when a lot is not followed by a noun. Are there many people in the room?  Yes,  Y es, there are are a lot. lot.

• We normally use much with uncountable nouns in questions and negations. How much money have you got? There isn’t much sugar in the bowl.

• We normally use many with plural countable nouns in questions and negations. Are there many books on the shelf? There aren’t many books on the shelf.

• In questions we use how much to ask about the amount of something and how many to ask about the number of number  of things. How much + uncountable noun How many + countable noun How much sugar do we need? A kilo. (we want to know the amount) How many boys are there in your class? Twenty. (we want to know the number)

Affirmative Question Countable nouns Uncountable nouns

a lot (of) lots of  a lot of

Negative

(how) many

many

(how) much

much

 A: How many apples have you got? B: Not many many..

COUNTABLES - UNCOUNTABLES

 A: How many apples have you got? B: A B:  A lot

 A: How much cheese have you got? B: Not much much..

 A: How much cheese have you got? B: A B:  A lot. lot.

 A: How many eggs have you got? B:  A lot.

 A: How many sandwiches have you got? B: Not many.

 A: How much steak have you got? B:  A lot. lot.

 A: How much flour have you got? B:  A lot. lot.

COUNTABLES - UNCOUNTABLES

 A: How many carrots have you got? B: Not many.

 A: How much butter have you got? B: Not much. much.

 A: How many biscuits have you got? many. B: Not many.

Carol has got a little flour. She can make a cake.

Jill has got (very) little flour. She can’t make a cake.

Carol has got a few strawberries. She can make some jam.

Jill has got (very) few strawberries. She can’t make any jam.

• We use a little/little with uncountable nouns (water, money, money, rice, etc. A little means “not much but enough”. I’ve got a little money. I can buy some bread. Little means ”hardly any, almost nothing” and can go with very for emphasis. They’ve got (very) little money. They can’t buy any bread.

• We use a few/few with plural countable nouns (tomatoes, books, cups, etc.). A few means “not many but enough”. There are a few tomatoes. We We can make a salad. Few means “hardly any, almost none” and can go with very for emphasis. There are (very) few people in the cinema. It is almost alm ost emp empty ty..

There is a lot of honey in the jar.

There is a little tuna in the tin.

There are a few biscuits in the packet.

There is a lot of Coke in the glass.

There is a lot of mayonnaise in the jar. jar.

There are a few potatoes in the bag.