English Grammar in Use With Answers » Unit 87: Much, many, little, few, a lot, plenty

We use much and little with uncountable nouns:
  • much time
  • much luck
  • little energy
  • little money

We use many and few with plural nouns:
  • many friends
  • many people
  • few cars
  • few countries

We use a lot of / lots of / plenty of with both uncountable and plural nouns:
  • a lot of luck
  • lots of time
  • plenty of money
  • a lot of friends
  • lots of people
  • plenty of ideas

Plenty = more than enough:
  • There's no need to hurry. We've got plenty of time.

Much is unusual in positive sentences (especially in spoken English). Compare:
  • We didn't spend much money.
    but We spent a lot of money. (not We spent much money)
  • Do you see David much?
    but I see David a lot. (not I see David much)

We use many and a lot of in all kinds of sentences:
  • Many people drive too fast. or A lot of people drive too fast.
  • Do you know many people? or Do you know a lot of people?
  • There aren't many tourists here. or There aren't a lot of tourists here.

Note that we say many years / many weeks / many days (not a lot of .. . ):
  • We've lived here for many years. (not a lot of years)

Little = not much, few = not many:
  • Gary is very busy with his job. He has little time for other things. (= not much time, less time than he would like)
  • Vicky doesn't like living in London. She has few friends there. (= not many, not as many as she would like)

You can say very little and very few:
  • Gary has very little time for other things.
  • Vicky has very few friends in London.

A little = some, a small amount:
  • Let's go and have a coffee. We have a little time before the train leaves.
    (a little time = some time, enough time to have a coffee)
  • 'Do you speak English?'  'A little.' (so we can talk a bit)

A few = some, a small number:
  • I enjoy my life here. I have a few friends and we meet quite often.
    (a few friends = not many but enough to have a good time)
  • 'When was the last time you saw Clare?'  'A few days ago.' (= some days ago)

Compare little and a little, few and a few:
  • He spoke little English, so it was difficult to communicate with him.
    He spoke a little English, so we were able to communicate with him.
  • She's lucky. She has few problems. (= not many problems)
    Things are not going so well for her. She has a few problems. (= some problems)

You can say only a little and only a few:
  • Hurry! We only have a little time. (not only little time)
  • The village was very small. There were only a few houses. (not only few houses)

87.1 Complete the sentences using plenty or plenty of + the following:

  • hotels
  • money
  • room
  • time
  • to learn
  • to see
  1. There's no need to hurry. There's .
  2. He doesn't have any financial problems. He has __________ .
  3. Come and sit with us. There's __________ .
  4. She knows a lot, but she still has __________ .
  5. It's an interesting town to visit. There __________ .
  6. I'm sure we'll find somewhere to stay. __________ .

87.2 Put in much/many/little/few (one word only).

  1. She isn't very popular. She has friends.
  2. Ann is very busy these days. She has __________ free time.
  3. Did you take __________ pictures when you were on holiday?
  4. I'm not very busy today. I don't have __________ to do.
  5. This is a very modern city. There are __________ old buildings.
  6. The weather has been very dry recently. We've had __________ rain.
  7. 'Do you know Rome?' 'No, I haven't been there for __________ years.'

87.3 Put in a (a few, a little) where necessary. Write 'OK' if the sentence is already complete .

  1. She's lucky. She has few problems.
  2. Things are not going so well for her. She has few problems.
  3. Can you lend me few dollars? __________
  4. There was little traffic, so the journey didn't take very long. __________
  5. I can't give you a decision yet. I need little time to think. __________
  6. It was a surprise that he won the match. Few people expected him to win. __________
  7. I don't know much Spanish - only few words. __________
  8. I wonder how Sam is. I haven't seen him for few months. __________

87.4 Put in little / a little / few / a few.

  1. Gary is very busy with his job. He has time for other things.
  2. Listen carefully. I'm going to give you __________ advice.
  3. Do you mind if I ask you __________ questions?
  4. It's not a very interesting place to visit, so __________ tourists come here.
  5. I don't think Amy would be a good teacher. She has __________ patience.
  6. 'Would you like milk in your coffee?' 'Yes, __________ .'
  7. This is a very boring place to live. There's __________ to do.
  8. 'Have you ever been to Paris?' 'Yes, I've been there __________ times.'

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