How many / much exceptions

[TheShadow]

Hi,

Are there any exceptions when it comes to many and much?




For example: the strength of the bomb depends on how MUCH explosives it contains. Many does not make sense here?


Also with how much calories does chicken contain?




Thanks

 

[emsr2d2]

Hi,

Are there any exceptions when it comes to "many" and "much"? For example:

The strength of the bomb depends on how MUCH explosives it contains.

Does "many" [strike]does[/strike] not make sense here?

Also with "How much calories does chicken contain?"

Thanks.

The simple answer is that "many" is used with countable nouns and "much" can be used with uncountable nouns or abstract nouns.

With your first example, you could say "The strength of the bomb depends on how much explosive it contains" (uncountable noun). You could use "how many explosive devices ...".

With the second example, "calories" is a countable noun so the question must be "How many calories does chicken contain, per 100 grams". Note that you can't ask how many calories a chicken contains. Chickens are all different sizes and weights so you need to ask for the calorie count for a specific amount of chicken.