|
a lot of -
much - many
A lot of -
much
- many
are used to express quantity.
A lot of
:
can be used in
all sentences, affirmative, negative and interrogative.
Much-many
: are
used in negative and interrogative sentences.
They are rarely used in affirmative sentences, except if they begin
the sentence
(see table below).
Much is used with uncountable nouns (for
example : much English)
Many is used with countable nouns (for
example : many words).
|
Affirmative |
Negative |
Interrogative |
We learn a lot of English.
I make a lot of mistakes.
BUT...
Much
of our food is exported.
Many people drive too fast.
|
I don't know a
lot of English.
I don't know much English.
I don't know a lot of words.
I don't know many words. |
Do you learn a
lot of English?
Do you know much English?
Do you make a lot of mistakes?
Do you make many mistakes?
|
Compare a lot of and a lot :
◊ Tom knows a
lot of vocabulary.
◊ Tom is
talkative. He talks
a lot.
|