The confusion people experience in understanding when to use much and a lot of is due to the fact that the difference between much and a lot of is a little too slim. If you look at the two expressions much and a lot of you can understand that they are both expressions of quantity. When used in a positive sense much refers a large amount of something. A lot of also means a large number or amount. If you can put a number before the noun you should probably use "many.
There are too many grains of sand on the beach to count them all. At least a million of them are in my left shoe. Using "a lot of" or "lots of" is sort of personal preference.
In most cases the 2 are interchangeable. A lot of people make the mistake of writing " alot ," so don't do that! In most cases either one works fine, but you should be careful about replacing "a lot" or "lots" with "many" or "much. At first there was just one monkey, but then the banana truck exploded and there were lots of monkeys running all over the place! A lot of the monkeys ran off to the beach afterward.
Lots of bananas still litter the road though. The town will need to hire a lot of people to clean them up. Lots of people need jobs now anyway.
They are all used to mean "a large quantity" but it depends on what you are talking about. For example here's how I'd describe a fair I went to last week:. There wasn't much to see at the fair. Although there were many people there. There were a lot of kids and a lot of noise. Also lots of fun rides but nothing interested me. The first sentence is about the quantity of wine drunk uncountable.
It could've been all the same type of wine. The second sentence is about how many different types were drunk. There could've been five or six different varieties countable. The first sentence could be modified to make it countable. We drank many gallons of fine wine at his house. Example: "Not much beer left A lot and lots of are the most flexible quantifiers in English: we can use them in positive sentences with countable and uncountable nouns.
They have the same meaning, but a lot of is more common. Learn more about much and many , or discover more English quantifiers. Example Louis and his family are on holiday in Madrid. In the Plaza Mayor, there were so many people that Louis got lost. What is he going to do?
We use much with uncountable nouns. Examples: How much money do you have? Experience or experiment? Fall or fall down? Far or a long way? Farther , farthest or further , furthest? Fast , quick or quickly? Fell or felt? Female or feminine ; male or masculine? Finally , at last , lastly or in the end?
First , firstly or at first? Fit or suit? Following or the following? For or since? Forget or leave? Full or filled? Fun or funny? Get or go? Grateful or thankful? Hear or listen to? High or tall? Historic or historical? House or home? How is …? If or when? If or whether? Ill or sick? Imply or infer? In the way or on the way? Late or lately?
Lay or lie? Lend or borrow? Less or fewer? Look at , see or watch? Low or short? Man , mankind or people? Maybe or may be? Maybe or perhaps? Nearest or next? Never or not … ever? Nice or sympathetic? No doubt or without doubt? No or not?
Nowadays , these days or today? Open or opened? Opportunity or possibility? Opposite or in front of? Other , others , the other or another? Out or out of? Permit or permission? Person , persons or people? Pick or pick up? Play or game?
Politics , political , politician or policy? Price or prize? Principal or principle? Quiet or quite? Raise or rise? Remember or remind?
Right or rightly? Rob or steal? Say or tell? So that or in order that?
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