MUCH

There are rules about the use of ‘much’ that make it difficult to use correctly. As a start, I recommend that you use ‘a lot' and 'a lot of’ instead of ‘much’. It is informaland it is just as good as ‘much’.  There are no complicated rules about 'a lot' and 'a lot of'.

In addition, in ‘a lot’ we can hear the ‘t’ clearly. And ‘a lot of’ – although it is often pronounced ‘alorov’ –  is very popular and easily understood. They both have ‘punch’; your listeners will understand you more easily if you say ‘a lot’ and ‘a lot of’’. Examples –

Using ‘a lot’ and ‘a lot of’:

We use ‘a lot’ in the manner of an adverb: it describes an action (a verb):

I like her a lot

You eat a lot

They travel a lot

We earn a lot.

He talks a lot.

We use ‘a lot’ of’ in the manner of an adjective: it describes a quantity of things, people or places (nouns).

You eat a lot of cookies.

He tells a lot of lies.

I like a lot of sugar.

We like a lot of music.

He talks a lot of nonsense.

In all the above examples you cannot use ‘much’.

Remember – it is not your duty, at first, to struggle to find a correct way to use ‘much’ in English. There is always another way to say something. However, the use of ‘much’ is a frequent subject in examinations.

The three main rules about using ‘much’ are –

1. It cannot be used for anything that can be counted:

COUNTABLES:

He has much coins in his pocket.---wrong!

She has much pens in her purse---wrong!

The family had much problems---wrong!

If the items are countable they are plurals and we must use ‘many’ or ‘a lot of’.

Even when the item is uncountable we cannot easily use ‘much’ in English because

of rules 2 and 3. 'Much' can only be used reliably –

2.  in a negative sentence or –

3. in a question.

UNCOUNTABLES:

Example:

‘You have much hope.’ – Affirmative sentence and ‘much’ is not correct.

But –

‘You don’t have much hope.’ – Negative sentence, and ‘much’ is correct.

‘Do you have much hope?’ – A question, and ‘much’ is correct.

Example:

‘She has much doubt.’ – Affirmative sentence and ‘much’ is not correct.

But –

‘She hasn’t much doubt’ – Negative sentence, and ‘much’ is correct.

‘Does she have much doubt?’ – A question, and ‘much’ is correct.

Accordingly, even if the item is uncountable you still cannot normally use ‘much’ in an affirmative sentence.

This rule is certainly strange, and I can’t explain it. But that is not

a problem; you simply have to understand the rules and follow them.

I wonder if all these rules are worth the trouble to a student of English as a second language (ESL) and that is why I recommend the use of

'a lot' and 'a lot of'.

'Much' as a pronoun:

It is easy to use ‘much’ as a pronoun.

‘He does not eat much.’

(in this case ‘much’ stands in for food and therefore is a pronoun).

Other uses –

‘They must bear much of the blame.’*

‘I did so much shopping.’*

The examples marked * are neither negatives nor questions, so they are examples of a good positive use of ‘much’.

Other examples of the use of ‘much’ in sentences where a negative or a question does not appear –

‘Pigeons had caused much of the damage to the bridge.’

‘During the earthquake there was much aimless running about.’

‘Much of his time is spent sleeping on his balcony.’

‘After a drought there is always much suffering.’

These examples show that affirmative/positive, non-questioning sentences can be formed, but this use is difficult and is a bit literary.

You will avoid making serious errors if you avoid using ‘much’.

The example (above) using ‘so much’ looks a lot more modern than the others. Similarly, the phrase, ‘This is too much!’ which means something closer to, ‘this is intolerable!’

The other examples look rather formal and could easily be replaced by ‘a lot of”, which also means ‘a large amount.’

THE TRAP:

For our purposes, especially for beginners, the main trap to avoid is to use ‘much’ for something that can be counted.

Telling the time:

We cannot say, ‘it is much past five o’clock (compare: ‘it is not much past five o’clock’, which is good English).

In the case of ‘past five o’clock’ we can’t use ‘a lot’ or ‘a lot of’ either, because no matter how many minutes are involved, they can be counted and can’t exceed 60.

We would usually say, ‘It is well past five o’clock’, for example, twenty five past five, although it’s not a regular way to tell the time. This phrase is commonly used to complain about or nag someone about being late.

As an adverb. ‘much’ doesn’t need any special comment. For example, ‘Do you study much?’ 'Have you prepared much?' and ‘Thank you very much.’