Words That Confuse

http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/grammar/muchfew.html#alot

LEO: Literacy Education Online

Many/Much

Few/Less

Few / A few / A few of / Few of the

A Lot

Many/Much
Many is used with a noun that names things that we can count: count nouns. Much is used to describe things that we do not count: noncount nouns. Many (count/plural) Many manuscripts are Many vehicles are Many authors are Much (noncount/singular) Much talk is Much controversy is Much criticism is

Some nouns can be either count or noncount, depending on their use: Many of the troubles disappeared when he outlined his points. Much of the trouble with his proposal was the lack of focus and of logical development of points.

Few/Less
Few is used in the same way as many, with count nouns. Less is used just as much, with noncount nouns. Few (count/plural) Few rivers are Few students are Few laws are Less (noncount/singular) Less water is Less money is Less crime is

Again, the context of the sentence will change the meaning at times: Example Few foods are as rich as ice cream. Food Health-conscious people eat less food that is deep-fried. Meaning Countable meaning Noncountable meaning

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Words That Confuse

http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/grammar/muchfew.html#alot

Few crimes are committed at high noon. Countable meaning Crime Having a good police force will result in less crime. Noncountable meaning

Few / A few / A few of the / Few of the

These words follow idiomatic patterns, but the connotation changes. A few and a few of the focus on the number of students, implying that some students did something (positive meaning). Few and few of the focus on the low percentage of students who did something (negative meaning). POSITIVE MEANING A few students chose the take-home test. A few of the students want to be lawyers. NEGATIVE MEANING Few students approve of the decision. Few of the students decided to transfer.

A lot
The words a lot must be written as two words. The phrase has the same meaning as both many and much and can be interchanged with either one. A lot is followed by of when the meaning is general or by of the when the meaning is specific: Example A lot of people have done research on discrimination practices among employers. People Meaning General meaning

A lot of the people at the meeting disagree with Specific the market strategy presented. meaning A lot of money is spent on the battle against AIDS. General meaning Specific meaning

Money

The committee used a lot of the money surveying the population.

Sometimes, a lot can also end a sentence, but it is considered an informal expression: We laughed a lot. The budget for the universities in the state of Minnesota has grown a lot. 1997, 1998, 1999 The Write Place

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Words That Confuse

http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/grammar/muchfew.html#alot

The print handout was revised and then redesigned for the Web by Maggie Escalas for the Write Place, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota, and may be copied for educational purposes only. If you copy this document, please include our copyright notice and the name of the writer; if you revise it, please add your name to the list of writers. Last update: 5 October 1999 URL: http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/grammar/muchfew.html

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