much, many, little, few, a lot, plenty
- We use much and little with uncountable nouns:
much luck much time little energy little money
- We use many and few with plural nouns:
many friends many people few cars few children
- We use a lot of / lots of / plenty of with both uncountable and plural
nouns:
a lot of luck lots of time plenty of money
a lot of friends lots of people plenty of ideas
- plenty = more than enough:
There’s no need to hurry. We’ve got plenty of time.
There’s plenty to do in this town.
- Much is unusual in positive sentences (especially in spoken English).
Compare:
We didn’t spend much money. but We spent a lot of money.
Do you see David much? But I see David a lot.
- But we use too much / so much / as much in positive sentences:
We spent too much money.
- We use many and a lot of in all kinds of sentences:
Many people drive too fast. or A lot of people drive too fast.
Do you know many people? Or Do you know a lot of people?
There aren’t many tourists here. or There aren’t a lot of tourists here.
- Note that we say many years / many weeks / many days:
We’ve lived here for many years. (not usually a lot of years)
1
- little = not much, few = not many:
Gary is very busy with his job. He has little time for other things.
(= not much time, less time than he would like)
Vicky doesn’t like living in London. She has few friends there.
(= not many friends, not as many as she would like)
- We often use very little and very few:
Gary has very little time for other things.
Vicky has very few friends in London.
- a little = some, a small amount:
Let’s go and have coffee. We have a little time before the train leaves.
(a little time = some time, enough time to have a coffee)
‘Do you speak English?’ ‘A little.’ (so we can talk a bit)
- a few = some, a small number:
I enjoy my life here. I have a few friends and we meet quite often.
(a few friends = not many, but enough to have a good time)
‘When was the last time you saw Clare?’ ‘A few days ago.’ (= 3 or 4 days ago)
- Compare little and a little, few and a few:
He spoke little English, so it was difficult to communicate with him.
He spoke a little English, so we were able to communicate with him.
She’s lucky. She has few problems. (= not many problems)
Things are not going so well for her. She has a few problems. (= some problems)
- We say only a little (not only little) and only a few (not only few):
Hurry! We only have a little time. (= some, but not much time)
2
The village was small. There were only a few houses. (= some but not many
houses)
A- Put in much/many/little/few (one word only).
1 She isn’t popular. She has few friends.
2 Anna is very busy these days. She has………… free time.
3 Did you take .................... pictures at the wedding?
4 This is a modern city. There are……………. old buildings.
5 The weather has been very dry recently. We’ve had……………. rain.
6 I don’t know London well. I haven’t been there for………………. years.
7 The two cars are similar. There is ………………….difference between them.
8 I’m not very busy today. I don’t have ……………… to do.
9 It’s a wonderful place to live. There are……………… better places to be.
B- Which is right?
1 She’s lucky. She has few problems / a few problems. (few problems is correct)
2 Can you lend me few dollars / a few dollars?
3 It was the middle of the night, so there was little traffic / a little traffic.
4 They got married few years ago / a few years ago.
5 I can’t give you a decision yet. I need little time / a little time to think.
6 I don’t know much Russian – only few words / only a few words.
7 It was a surprise that he won the game. Few people / A few people expected
him to win.
3
C- Put in little / a little / few / a few.
1 Gary is very busy with his job. He has little time for other things.
2 Listen carefully. I’m going to give you……… advice.
3 Do you mind if I ask you …………….questions?
4 It’s not a very interesting place, so……………. tourists visit.
5 I don’t think Amy would be a good teacher. She has……………… patience.
6 ‘Would you like milk in your coffee?’ ‘Yes,…………. , please.’
7 This is a boring place to live. There’s………………… to do.
8 I know Hong Kong quite well. I’ve been there………………… times.
9 There were only ………………………people at the meeting.
10 ‘Did you do all this work on your own?’ ‘No, I had……… help from my friends.’
