A: There aren't many tourists around here during the winter.
B: I guess there are only a few kinds of visitors that travel in the cold.
A Lot Of & Lots Of
A lot of and lots of have the same meaning. They can be used both countable and uncountable nouns:
We spent a lot of money last night.
He ate lots of food at dinner time.
There are a lot of people on the train today.
There are lots of new models in the showroom.
Much & Many
Much and many have the same meaning as a lot of and lots of. However, we use many only with countable nouns:
There were many people at the party.
Are there many trucks at the car show?
Do you have many friends on Facebook?
I have many things to do for homework tonight.
Much is used with uncountable nouns. It is common in negative sentences and questions. In positive sentences, English speakers do not usually use much. They use a lot of or lots of:
I didn’t have much homework last night.
Did you study much English when you were a child?
There isn't much money in my bank account.
Is there much work for us to finish?
We spent much lots of money yesterday.
There is much a lot of rice in the bowl.
It is okay to say so much in positive sentences:
This cabin has so much space!
There's so much sugar in this tea.
English speakers often ask questions that begin with how much... or how many...:
- How much pizza did you eat?
- How many people are there on your team?
- How much coffee do you drink every day?
- How many pairs of boots did you buy?
(A) Few & (A) Little
A few and a little have the opposite meaning of many and much. We use a few with countable nouns and a little with uncountable nouns:
Countable Nouns
- She only spent a few dollars.
- We stayed there for a few hours.
- Do you have a few minutes to help me?
Uncountable Nouns
- She only spent a little money.
- We stayed there for a little while.
- Do you have a little time to help me?
If you say few or little without a, this means "almost none" or "almost nothing".
It has little power.
I have little energy.
There were few people in the theatre.
The good student made few mistakes on the test.
Compare the differences:
I have a little money.
I have little money.
There are a few nice students in my class.
There are few nice students in my class.
Quantifiers as Pronouns
We can use the quantifiers a lot, lots, much, many, (a) few, and (a) little as pronouns. This means we can use them in our sentences without nouns if the meaning is clear:
Vancouver, Canada has a lot of rain, but Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has only a little rain.
A: Why are you so hungry?
B: Because I didn't eat much today for breakfast or lunch.
Exercise
Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.