A1 GrammarA1 Elementary

Much, many, a lot of, a little, a few

Exercise 2

Exercises:1 2 3

Choose the correct wordsmuch, many, a lot of, a little, a few, to complete these sentences.

Grammar chart: Much, many, a lot of, a little, a few, no, any, none

Grammar chart illustrating the use of quantifiers such as 'much', 'many', 'a lot of', 'little', 'few', 'no', 'any', and 'none' with countable and uncountable nouns.

Download full-size image from Pinterest

Much/many

Many for countable, much for uncountable in (?) (-)

We use much/many in negative sentences and questions. We use many before plural countable nouns and much before uncountable nouns. We don’t normally use them in affirmative sentences.

There isn’t much coffee in the jar.
Were there many people at the party?

How much/how many

We use how many + plural nouns and how much + uncountable nouns to ask about quantity.

How many books did you read last semester?
How much coffee do you drink every day?

We can also say How much is it? to ask about the price of an item.

‘How much is it?’ ‘It’s 43 pounds.’
‘How much are the trousers?’ ‘They’re 58 pounds.’

A lot (of)

Before both countable and uncountable

We use a lot of before both plural countable and uncountable nouns to talk about a large quantity. We normally use a lot of in positive sentences.

She spends a lot of time watching TV.
We had lots of good moments together.

We can say quite a lot of to talk about medium quantity.

With my new job, I have quite a lot of free time.

It is also possible to use a lot of in negative sentences and questions.

Do you eat a lot of sugar?
I don’t read a lot of books.

Of before noun; of at the end of sentence

We must always use a lot of including of before a noun. However, we can use a lot (without of) at the end of a sentence or in short answers.

‘How many beers did you have?’ ‘I don’t know; I had a lot.’
I like her a lot.
‘How much coffee did you have?’ ‘A lot.’

A few/a little

A few for countable; a little for uncountable

We use a few before plural countable nouns and a little before uncountable nouns in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences to talk about a small quantity.

I have to do a few things this afternoon.
I always put a little milk in my tea.

Not many, not much

We can also use not many + plural countable or not much + uncountable nouns. The meaning is similar.

I don’t have to do many things this afternoon.
I don’t put much milk in my tea.

No/not…any/none

When we want to talk about zero quantity, we can use no + noun or not…any + noun. The meaning is the same.

I have no time today.
I don’t have any time today.

In short answers, we use none.

‘How much time do you have?’ ‘None.’

Ready to practice?

Put your knowledge to the test with interactive exercises (3 exercises available).

Much, many, a lot of, a little, a few

Exercise 2

'How much water do you drink?' '_____.'

_____ goals did they score?

Nowadays we don't use _____ cash, because we use our credit cards.

There's _____ pressure on the players.

They got married _____ months after they met for the first time.

'How much milk do you want in your coffee?' 'Only _____.'

There were _____ problems during the festival.

I don't want _____ gifts.

'How many gifts do you want?' '_____.'

I eat _____ vegetables.