9 ways to test your knowledge of much and many
- Joanne
- Jan 8, 2024
- 2 min read
How much ice-cream would you like?
How many scoops of ice-cream would you like?
We use much when we cannot count the amount of something. Ice-cream cannot be counted so it is given to us in another measurement for example in litres or in scoops.
When ice-cream is given to us in scoops, for example at an ice-cream parlour, we are asked how many scoops we would like because scoops can be counted.
When we buy ice-cream in a carton, we are asked how much we would like, for example 500ml.
This is the same for other food items such as rice, pasta or sugar.
How much rice would you like? How many spoons of rice would you like?
I'd like 1kg of rice. I'd like two spoons.
How much pasta would you like? How many spoons of pasta would you like?
I'd like 500g of pasta. I'd like three spoons.
How much sugar would you like? How many lumps of sugar would you like?
I'd like one teaspoon. I'd like one sugar lump.
This rule also applies to other items such as money, balloons or cheese:
I don't have much money. Money cannot be physically counted as is an abstract amount.
I don't have many coins in my purse. Coins in a purse can be counted easily.
How many balloons do you have for the party? The balloons can be counted.
How much cheese would you like? Cheese cannot easily be counted, but it is served to us by quantity (an amount of cheese) or weight.
Use this quiz to test your knowledge, it's not as complicated as you think:
1 How much books are in the library?
Answer
Incorrect. How many books are in the library? Many is used because the number of books can be counted.
2 How many boxes of chocolates would you like?
Answer
Correct. Many is used because we can count the number of boxes.
3 How much apples would you like?
Answer
Incorrect. How many apples would you like? Many is used because the number of apples can be counted.
4 How much people were in the cinema last night?
Answer
Incorrect. How many people were in the cinema last night? We use many because we can count the number of people or at least make a good estimate, 'around 50'.
5 How much flour do you need to bake the cake?
Answer
Correct. We use much because we cannot count the individual grains of flour. We use a different measuremeant instead, for example grams: "I need 300 grams." This question could then also be asked as "How many grams of flour do you need?"
6 How many pasta do you need for the recipe?
Answer
Incorrect. How much pasta do you need for the recipe? We use much because we cannot easily count the pieces of pasta. We use a different measurement instead, for example grams: "I need 150 grams". We could also ask the question "How many grams of pasta do you need?"
7 How many countries are in the European Union?
Answer
Correct. Many is used because we can count the number of countries.
8 Was there much traffic when you drove to work this morning?
Answer
Correct. We use much because traffic can come in many forms, cars, bicycles, lorries, motorbikes and we cannot count it all on our way to work.
9 Were there many cars in the car park when you arrived?
Answer
Correct. Many is used because, depending on the size of the car park, it might be possible to count the number of cars. If not, it is still possible for us to make an estimate. "Yes, there were a lot of cars." "No, there were not very many cars."
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