What is the difference between expressions a lot, a lot of and lots of (a lot of, lots of) and when should they be used?

• Answer

So, Manuel, a learner of English from Spain, wants to know the difference between a lot of, lots of and quite simply a lot. The first point to make here is that English can be more or less formal and lots of is just a more conversational form of a lot of. So you could say or write:

Well, Spaniard Manuel is studying English and wants to know the difference between a lot of, lots of and, quite simply, a lot. The first thing to notice here is that English can be more or less formal, and lots of is just a colloquial expression a lot of. So, you can say or write:

There are a lot of people over there.

There a lot of of people.

Or you could say:

Or you can to tell:

There are lots of people over there.

There a lot of of people.

The last one's chattier - it's less formal. And that's an easy way to remember it, I think.

The last example is more colloquial - less formal. And that way, I think it's easy to remember.

grammatically speaking, a lot of or lots of is used before a noun,

Speaking of grammar, a lot of or lots of used before a noun

There are a lot of people

Here a lot of of people

or what we call a "noun phrase" - a group of words that serves as a noun. Now, can you spot the noun phrase in this sentence?

or before the so-called "compound noun" - a group of words that performs the role of a noun. Can you identify the compound noun in this sentence?

There are a lot of Spanish people living in London.

Many Spaniards live in London.

And the noun phrase is, : There are a lot of Spanish people living in London.

The compound noun here is Spanish people living in London: Lives in London lots of Spaniards.

A lot, or for that matter, lots without of, is used in answers. If the question is, "Are there many Spanish people living in London?" the answer will be:

A lot or simply lots without of, used in responses. If the question is: "How many Spaniards live in London?", the answer will be:

yes, a lot.

Yes, a lot of.

Or if you want to sound chattier, more conversational:

Or, if you want to say it more casually, more colloquially:

yes, lots.

Yes, a lot of.

Things do, however, get a bit more complicated in the question and the negative. If a noun is countable, in a negative or question, we normally use many instead of a lot.

However, with questions and denials, the situation is more complicated. If the noun is countable, in a negative or question we usually use many instead of a lot.

Are there many British tourists in Spain?

Are there many British tourists in Spain?

There aren't many Spanish tourists in Outer Mongolia.

There are few Spanish tourists in Outer Mongolia.

But if a noun is uncountable - that "s a mass noun like food or money or love- we use much.

But if the noun is uncountable - that is, denoting a certain mass, substance, as food, or money, or love- we use much.

I haven't got much money.

I have some money.

Is there much food in the fridge?

Is there a lot of food in the refrigerator?

To finish then, another quick test. Which of these three sentences is grammatically okay?

To sum up, one more quick test. Which of these three sentences grammatically correct?

a) I haven't got much money, but I've got much love.
b) I "ve got much money but I haven't got much love.
c) I haven't got much money but I've got a lot of love.

And the answer is c) I haven't got much money but I've got a lot of love. So if you got that, well done!

And the answer is c) I have a little money, but a lot of love ( negation, much / affirmation, a lot of) . So if you figured it out, great!

Hello people! In this article, we will analyze in detail the rules for using English language words "much", "many" and "a lot of", we will learn the differences between them, discuss the nuances of using them in speech, and also show examples for clarity.

Much

Translation and transcription: much - a lot, very, a lot, significantly, very much;

Use: is used in a sentence when we mean a large number of uncountable nouns, i.e. those that cannot be counted individually;

Example:

There is much black paint left in the garage.
Left in the garage a lot of black paint.

Also, it is usually used in negative (negative) or interrogative (interrogative) sentences:

Chris does not have much change. Only a few five dollar bills.
Chris doesn't have much money to change. Just a few five dollar bills.

In affirmative sentences, "much" is sometimes used when a more formal and formal style is meant.

For example:

There is much concern about genetically modified food in the UK.
In Great Britain the question is acute relatively genetically modified products nutrition.

Many

Transcription and translation: like "much", "many" ["menɪ] is translated as "many";

Use: used exclusively with countable nouns in plural;

Example:

However, despite many many problems remain unsolved.
However, despite significant efforts, many problems remain unresolved.

AT denials and issues with countable nouns "many" is also quite common:

how many quail eggs are in this salad?
How quail eggs in this salad?

Anthony does not have many bottles of wine in his own private bar. At least that's what he's saying.
Anthony a little bottles wine in his own bar. By at least he says so.

Can be used in affirmative suggestions when you need a shade formalities.

There were many scientific articles taken into account to make a decision.
It was taken into account many scientific articles to make a decision.

A lot of

Transcription and translation: in meaning “a lot of” [ə lɔt ɔf] is similar to “much” and “many” and implies the same translation - a lot;

Use: used both with countable nouns in the plural and with uncountable ones, mainly in colloquial and informal speech.

Example:

Jack had a lot of peanut butter left in the jar.
Jack has left a lot of peanut pasta in the bank.

The equivalent of "a lot of" is " lots of' (an even more informal form).

Lots of teenagers learn Korean because they are into k-pop.
Many teenagers are learning Korean because they are into the K-pop music genre.

Table: Difference between much, many and a lot

WORD	Use	Meaning
	countable nouns (plural) / negation + question / affirmation = formal style
	uncountable nouns / negation + question / affirmation = formal style
		more / more
The most	uncountable + countable nouns / adjectives	most / most
A lot (of)	uncountable + countable nouns / informal style
lots (of)	uncountable + countable nouns / highly informal style

What is the difference between a lot of and lots of in English?

Here you can find out the difference between English phrases a lot of and lots of.

The main function of phrases a lot of and lots of is to indicate a large number of someone or something. These phrases can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns. Both are translated as "many, great number".

In spite of external differences, there is not much difference in meaning between them. Let's look at an example:

He's bought a lot of f lowers for her. = He's bought lots of flowers for her. He bought a lot of flowers for her.

It is believed that a lot of sounds a little more formal than lots of . The phrase lots of is better for an informal setting. Although the difference is actually very small.

Some students wonder if a lot of and lots of in questions and negatives. Answer: of course, you can, but still a lot of and lots of more commonly seen in affirmative sentences. In questions and denials, the words much / many are more often used.

This is a convention confirmed by some grammatical sources, but there will be no mistake if you use a lot of and lots of in all kinds of sentences, especially the lots of construction. She is more accustomed to colloquial speech and goes well with uncountable nouns.
Let's look at a few more examples:

I don't have lots of patience to deal with her, do you? - I don't have that much patience to mess with her, do you?
Billy gave her lots of money to buy some new clothes. Billy gave her a lot of money to buy new clothes.
Have you eaten lots of fruit? - Have you eaten a lot of fruit?
They didn't have a lot of choices indeed. They really didn't have much of a choice.

The form a lot can be used on its own to mean "very, quite often". For example:
I attend the gym a lot. - I go to the gym quite often.
Do you like daffodils? A lot. - Do you like daffodils? Yes very.

All the words in question are translated in the same way: " a lot of" and are used with nouns. But how do you know which word to use? Many or much? Or a lot of?

We learned from school textbooks that the words many and much are used always and everywhere, regardless of the type of sentence. Therefore, after several years of studying English, for many, the fact that English words many and much are used mainly in interrogative and negative proposals, and statements it is preferable to use a lot (of) , which will be discussed a little later.

Dealing with the use of words many and much, it's time to remember about countable and uncountable nouns. To countable items that can be counted. I draw your attention to what cannot be measured, namely count and name their exact number. Category uncountable belong to nouns denoting something that cannot be counted, but can only be measured. You can learn more about the two categories of nouns.

The choice of the word many or much directly depends on which noun is used with it. If countable, many is used, and if uncountable, then much :

Many houses - many houses
many words - many words
many shirts - many shirts
much information - a lot of information
much clothes - a lot of clothes
much attention - a lot of attention

As mentioned above, many and much are used in questions and negations. Let's start with questions. In questions, many and much are combined with the question word how:

How many- how many (if asking about countable nouns)
how much- how many (if asking about uncountable nouns)

How many lessons did you have yesterday? How many lessons did you have yesterday?
How many cups of tea do you drink? - How many cups of tea do you drink?
How much money did you spend yesterday? How much money did you spend yesterday?
How much tea do you drink? - How much tea do you drink?

These questions can be given a specific answer by naming the quantity, or you can answer: "Not a lot": not many or not much. And if you want to answer that there is a lot, then you need to use a lot:

How many cups of tea do you drink? — A lot.
How much tea do you drink? — A lot.

A lot (of) is usually used in affirmative offers. This quantifier can be combined with both countable and uncountable nouns, which makes our task much easier. However, don't forget the preposition of if it's followed by a noun:

A lot (of) has equivalents. These are lots of and plenty of . They denote a large number and can be used in the same way as a lot of , whether it is a countable noun or not:

Lots of and plenty of are used without an article and correspond in meaning to a lot of. The only difference between these qualifiers is that a lot of and lots of are more colloquial, while plenty of emphasizes sufficiency:

I "ve got plenty of money. - I have a lot (enough) money.
We "ll have plenty of time. - We will have a lot (enough) time.

By the way, the question is often asked whether the verb are can be used in combination with a lot of, because are is plural, and the article a means singular. If you use a lot of with countable nouns, then the noun will be in the plural and, accordingly, the verb are will refer to it, and not to a lot of:

When a lot of is used with uncountable nouns, this question does not arise, since is is used with uncountable nouns:

Let's go back to the words many and much, which are also used in negations. If the sentence contains a negative particle not or another word with a negative meaning, then it is better to use many and much, and not a lot of:

He doesn't have many friends. - He doesn't have many friends.
I never eat much in the evening. — I never eat much in the evenings.
They hardly ever spend much money. They rarely spend a lot of money.
I did not see many sights because I did not have much time. I didn't see many sights as I didn't have much time.

To sum up today's lesson: in affirmative sentences you should use a lot of (or its equivalents) to mean "a lot", and in negative and interrogative sentences, you need to choose between many and much, depending on which noun they refer to: countable or uncountable.

In this article, we have covered the main uses of the words many and much, in fact there are many more, including various nuances and exceptions. But this topic deserves a separate and detailed explanation, so we will talk about this in one of our next articles.

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How not to get confused using much and many? Just pay attention to the rules of use, because it is no coincidence that the British came up with two words with the same meaning. They are not interchangeable: in some cases you will only need much, and in others only many. It all depends on the word itself, to which it will refer. much or many. Let's figure out what's what!

Much and many. Rules of use

As you know, nouns are divided into countable (can be counted) and uncountable (cannot be counted), and it is on this that they depend rules for using much and many. It must be remembered once and for all that many"friends" only with countable nouns, and much- with uncountable.

Examples:

many children - many children

much water - a lot of water

But that's not all about much and many. The rules for using these words say that they are best avoided in positive sentences. That is much and many in English should be used in negatives and questions. There are exceptions when these words are part of the subject.

Examples:

Do you have many friends here? – Do you have many friends here? ( many + count noun).

I don't like much sugar in my tea. – I don’t like a lot of sugar in tea ( much + uncountable noun).

Many people speak English. – A lot of people speak English ( many is part of the subject– many people).

Rules for using many much a lot of

If you can’t do without “a lot” in your positive sentence, then pay attention to rules for using many\much\a lot of. It is believed that it is well suited for assertion a lot of. By the way, you can use it in absolutely any context. Even if you suddenly doubt what is suitable for this offer, a lot of will always help out, as it can be used for both countable nouns and uncountable ones.

Examples:

There are a lot of people in this room. - There are a lot of people in this room ( a lot of + countable noun).

I have a lot of work today. - I have a lot of work today ( a lot of + uncountable noun).

Do I have a lot of mistakes in the test? - Do I have a lot of errors in the test? ( interrogative sentence).

They don't have a lot of information. – They don’t have much information ( negative sentence).

Rules for using many\much\a lot of relate specifically to nouns, you cannot use these words with verbs. But what to do when it is important to "strengthen" the meaning of the action? Suitable here a lot(no preposition of).

Examples:

We see our parents a lot. – We see our parents a lot (meaning “we see each other often”)

Do you practice this language a lot? – Do you practice this language a lot?

How much how many

Concerning use how much how many, then here, too, everything depends on the noun that will follow this or that interrogative phrase. how much must be combined with uncountable nouns, and how many- with countable.