“Many” and “much” are both quantifiers (i.e., they indicate quantity). The difference is that we only use “many” with things we can count, while we use “much” with things we can’t count. To make sure your writing is grammatically correct, then, check out our guide below.
“Many” means “a large number.” We use it when we want to indicate the quantity of a plural countable noun, such as “cats” or “books,” without giving an exact number. We can use “many” in a few situations:
You’ll note that we say “formal” affirmations here. That’s because “a lot of” is a more common way of making a positive statement in everyday English:
There are a lot of cows in the field.
However, “many” is more formal. As such, so you should use it when referring to a large number of things in formal documents.
The term “much” means “a large amount of” something. We use it when we want to indicate the quantity of an uncountable noun, such as “sand” or “joy.” As with “many,” we use this term to suggest a large quantity without giving an exact amount. We also use this word in the same situations:
And like “many,” we often use “a lot of” for positive statements in everyday language, although “much” is still more appropriate in formal writing:
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The news caused a lot of excitement.
The only real difference between these words, then, is that we use “much” with things we can’t count individually.
One key variation with these terms comes when there is an article, pronoun, or demonstrative between “many” or “much” and the noun being modified. In this case, we need to use the preposition “of” after “many” or “much.”
You can see examples of this below:
These words both indicate a large quantity. The difference is:
Try to keep this in mind next time you use these words in writing! And if you’d like a little extra help with the grammar in your written work, why not upload a document for proofreading today?
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