WHEN are the above listed words used? Some people get fits when they see these words because they are not sure of their usage in sentences. A closer look at these examples might help them understand.
We use much and little with uncountable nouns — much time, much luck, little energy and little money. We use many and few with plural nouns – many friends, many people, few cars and few countries.
A lot (of), lots (of) and plenty (of). We use a lot of/lots of/plenty of with uncountable and plural nouns – a lot of luck, lots of time, plenty of money, a lot of people, lots of books and plenty of ideas. Plenty = more than enough: -“Have some more to eat,” “No thank you. I’ve had plenty.” – There’s no need to hurry. We’ve got plenty of time.
We use much and many mainly in negative sentences and questions: – We didn’t spend much money. – Have you got many friends? In positive sentences, it is usually better to use a lot (of). Much is especially unusual in positive sentences. – We spent a lot of money. (not “we spent much money”) — There has been a lot of rain recently. (not much rain) But we use “too much” and “so much” in positive sentences. I can’t drink this tea.
There’s too much sugar in it. Little/ a little/few/a few: Little and few (without a) are negative ideas. – Hurry up! We’ve got; little, time. (not much, not enough time) –He’s not popular. He has few friends. (=not many, not enough friends). We also use “very little” and “very few”: – We’ve got very little time. He has very few friends. A little and “a few” are more positive ideas. A little/a few = some, a small amount or a small number.
– Let’s go and have a drink. We’ve got little time before the train leaves. (some time, enough time to have a drink) – “Have you got any money?” “Yes, a little. Do you want to borrow some?”(a little = not much but enough for you to borrow some) – I enjoy my life here. I have a few friends and we meet quite often. (a few friends = not many enough to have a good time) –“When did you last see Martin?” “A few days ago” (some days ago).
But “only a little” and “only a few” have a negative meaning: – Hurry up! We’ve only got a little time. – The village was very small. There were only a few houses. To test your understanding of what has been said, complete these sentences with much, many and a lot (of). Sometimes there are two possibilities. Examples: There weren’t many people at the party, I had seen before. It cost me a lot of money to construct this house.
We’ll have to hurry. We haven’t got . . . . time. Roy drinks . . . milk – one litre a day. She is a very quiet person. She doesn’t say . . . I put . . . salt in the soup. Perhaps too . . . . . . people do not like flying. The man was badly injured in the accident. He lost . . . blood. It’s not a very lively town. There isn’t . . . to do. The car is expensive to run. It uses . . . petrol. Don’t disturb me. I’ve got . . . work to do. He always puts . . . salt on his food.
Relative clauses (1) – clauses with who/that/which. Study this example: The man who lives next door is very friendly. (who lives next door) is a relative clause. A clause is a part of a sentence. A relative clause tells us, which person or thing (or what kind of person or thing the speaker means: –
The man who lives next door . . . tells us which man) – People who live in Harare . . . (who live in Harare tells us what kind of people).
We use “who” in a relative clause when we are talking about people. We use “who” instead of he/she/they: the man – (he) lives next door – is very friendly. – The man (who) lives next door is very friendly. We know a lot of people – (they) live in Harare. We know a lot of people (who live in Harare). An architect is someone who designs buildings. What was the name of the man who lent you the money? The man who was injured in the accident is now in hospital. Anyone who wants to do the examination must enter before next Tuesday.
It is also possible to use that instead of who: The man that lives next door is very friendly. But sometimes you must use (who) for people.
When we are talking about things, we use that (not who) in a relative clause. We use that instead of it/they: Where are the eggs? – (they) were in the fridge.
Where are the eggs (that) were in the fridge? – I don’t like stories that have unhappy endings. Keith works for a company that makes typewriters.
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