EnglishGrammar Tips, Determiners, Pronouns, Adjectives The words much and many in English are used to describe the amount or quantity of something. These words actually mean the same thing, but we use much to describe the amount of a mass nounNo definition set for mass nounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and many to describe the quantity of a count nounNo definition set for count nounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. They have two main uses:
To ask about an amount: how much or how many:
mass noun
How much time does Jimmy have?
count noun
How many books are on that table?
To describe a large or significant quantity:
mass noun
Jimmy doesn’t have much time for play, he has to study his math!
→ Jimmy doesn’t have “a large quantity” of time
count noun
There are too many books on that table.
→ There is “a large quantity” of books on the table.
This use of much is very rare in positive sentences. We’ll discuss this more below!
But there is more to learn! In this post, we’ll look at the grammar of much and many, how to use them in different kinds of sentences, and how to modify them with words like not, too, and very, and lastly we’ll look at how to use much to describe actions, instead of nouns.
How much time does it take to learn this? Not too much! Many students learn these words very easily, in no time at all. Are you one of those quick learners? Let’s find out.
Where to put ‘much’ and ‘many’ in an English sentence?
Here are the three main places to use much and many in a sentence:
Before a noun:
I don’t have many apples.
By itself (to replace a noun):
Before of + determinerNo definition set for determinerLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. + noun:
How much of this information do you know already?
How many of these facts do you know already?
To ask a question about the amount or quantity of something, you can put how before any of these uses:
much (of the flour) → how much (of the flour)?
many (of the apples) → how many (of the apples)?
Always remember the difference between much and many:
Use much with a mass noun (which will be singularNo definition set for singularLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.)
much… flour / peace / milk / happiness / sunlight / concrete…
Use many with a count noun (which will be pluralNo definition set for pluralLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.)
many… apples / people / ideas / types / plants / inches…
Can you see this in the examples above?
Because much goes with singular mass nouns and many goes with plural nouns, we always use much with singular verbsNo definition set for verbsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., and many with plural verbs.
singular verb
How much cheese is in the house?
How much is in the house?
How much of his cheese is in the house?
plural verb
How many cats are in the house?
How many are in the house?
How many of the cats are in the house?
The word much can also be an adverbNo definition set for adverbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. meaning “frequently” or “with great effort”:
I don’t go to the zoo much.
We’ll talk more about using using much as an adverb below.
Let’s talk a little more about each of the uses of much and many discussed above.
How to use ‘much’ or ‘many’ before a noun?
When you use many and much directly before a noun, they are called quantifying adjectives, because they describe the quantity of a noun. Here are a few more grammar rules for using much or many directly before a noun:
Much or many will come before any other adjectives that describe the noun:
How many tall blue Victorian houses…?
How much thick blue latex paint…?
Do not use much with a noun that has a determinerNo definition set for determinerLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum..
❌ much my / the / this paint
❌ my / the / this much paint
Usually we do not use many with determiners either, but many can follow a determiner in very formal English:
I gave gifts to his many children.
I have lived here these many years.
You can respond to a question with this/that + much/many + noun, even in casual English:
Speaker A:How much cheese did you buy?
Speaker B:→ This is said while showing the amount visually.
When to use ‘much’ and ‘many’ as pronouns?
You can use much as a pronoun to replace a phrase with the structure much + noun, and use many to replace a phrase with the structure many+ noun.
When they replace a noun, much and many are called indefinite pronouns in English.
When and how to use ‘much’ or ‘many’ before ‘of’?
Use much and many before of when you want to talk about a percentage or proportion of a group:
many of the people in my class→ a large percentage of the people in my class
how many of the people in my class?→ how large a percentage of the people in my class?
not much of Bill's food→ not a a large percentage of Bill’s food
how much of Bill’s food?→ how large a percentage of Bill’s food?
Because much/many of + noun talks about a percentage, the noun that comes after of must refer to a specific group or mass. This means it will almost always have a determiner.
✅ How much of this sandwich?
✅ How much of Bob’s sandwich?
Are you wondering why we use much with sandwich, even though sandwich is a noun that can be counted (i.e. sandwich → sandwiches)?
Remember that sometimes a count noun can be used as a mass noun, when it represents a substance and not an item. Many kinds of food can either be an item or a substance:
→ We are talking about whole sandwiches, which are items, so it is a count noun.
How much of the sandwich?
→ We are talking about part of a single sandwich, which is a substance, so it is a mass noun.
Have a look at our post on mass nouns in English to learn more about how and when to use count nouns as mass nouns.
Now you know how and where to use much and many to describe the amount of something. But when and how you should use much or many will also depend on the type of sentence you are forming (statement, negative sentence, question, etc.)
Read on to learn more!
How to use ‘much’ and ‘many’ in different types of English sentences?
The words much and many are most common in 3 contexts:
In how much or how many questions:
How much cheese is in the fridge?
How many people are in the room?
In negative sentences, after the negative word:
I don’t have much work to do.
I don’t have many meetings today.
After the word too, to describe an excess or more of something than is needed or wanted:
There is too much water in this pot!
There are too many people at this party!
The uses above are the most common, but you can use many in all types of sentences, it is just a bit formal or old-fashioned:
✅ There are many people here.→ a positive sentence
✅ Many dogs don’t have homes.→ before the negative word
✅ Are there many people here?→ a question, but not using how many?
To sound less formal, replace many with another quantifying word, like a lot or lots of:
There are a lot of people here.
Lots of dogs don’t have homes.
Are there a lot of people at this party?
You can use muchin some other contexts too, but it is almost never used in a positive sentence or before the negative word.
❌ There is much milk in the fridge.→ a positive sentence
❌ Much time hasn’t passed since my birthday→ before the negative word
✅ Is there much milk in the fridge?→ a question, but not using how many?
However, if it comes after too, you can use much in positive sentences:
✅ I did too much work today!
Instead of using much in a positive sentence, we generally use a lot of or another similar phrase:
There is a lot of milk in the fridge.
Instead of using much before the negative word, we rephrase the sentence:
Not much time has passed since my birthday.
Historically, much was used in positive sentences more than it is today, and you will sometimes see much in positive sentences in some old-fashioned phrases. For example:
I have much to say on the subject.
Much of what he said was true.
There will be much wringing of hands over this decision.
However, in all of these phrases it is still safe to use a lot instead of much, so beginners do not need to use much this way at all!
How to use ‘much’ as an adverb?
In casual English, you can also use the word much as an adverbNo definition set for adverbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. to describe an action that happens over and over or with a lot of effort:
Over-and-over(often/frequently):
He doesn’t eat here much.
Do you go to the zoo much?
With great strength or force:
He didn’t push much on the door.
Did you think much about the answer?
In this use, much comes after the verbNo definition set for verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and the object, or sometimes at the end of a sentence.
Just like the other uses we discussed above, we don’t usually use the adverb much in positive statements.
❌ I worked on my homework much.
You can also modify the adverb much with very, that, and too:
He doesn’t think about school that much.
→ That much in a negative sentence is the most common way to use much as an adverb when speaking.
He doesn’t think about school very much.
→ This has the same meaning as that much, but it is a little more formal.
He plays video games too much.
→ 🌟 Notice that you can use the adverb phrase too much in a positive sentence!
You can use the phrase how much to ask about frequency, but usually we will ask how often, because how much isn't as clear:
How much does he eat here?
→ Does it mean: (a) How often does he eat here?, or (b) How much (food) does he eat here?It is better to clarify.
Summing up: ‘much’ vs. ‘many’
Here’s what you should try to remember about much and many in English:
The difference is this:
Much is used with singular mass nouns.
Many is used with plural count nouns.
Much and many are mostly used in 3 contexts:
After how, to ask questions about quantity.
In negative sentences, after the negative word, to say that the quantity is not large.
After the word too, to say that there is an excess of something (more than is wanted or needed).
You will also see them in other contexts, but remember that much is almost never used in a positive sentence!
They can be used in 3 ways:
Before a noun (I saw many people.)
To replace a noun (I saw many.)
Before of + determiner + noun (I saw many of the people.)
Much can also be used as an adverb to mean “frequently” or “with great effort.”
If you want to get some extra practice, or you just want to check out how well you know how to use much and many already, give a peek at the many much and many activities activities I’ve worked up for you!
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