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Many / Much

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jack

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2004
"There are so many enemies over there." <---correct? Is "enemies" countable?
"There are so much enemies over there." <--correct?

I saw some websites with "much enemies" and "many enemies" in their sentences? Are both of them correct? If so, what's the difference between the two in meaning?
 

Francois

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2004
Enemy is countable, so it goes "many enemies". Note that even if it were uncountable, "much enemies" would not work; it would be "much enemy".
Google hits ~1000 sites with "much enemies", and the top of the list comprises gaming sites... "Many enemies" gets 72,000 hits.

FRC
 

jack

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2004
Note that even if it were uncountable, "much enemies" would not work; it would be "much enemy".

Can you or someone explain this please with a thorough explanation please? I don't understand why "much enemies" or "many enemies" would not work? I saw some articles with "many enemies" and "much enemy" from a google search, so some of the articles are incorrect? Thanks.
 

Casiopea

VIP Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2003
Member Type
Other
jack said:
Note that even if it were uncountable, "much enemies" would not work; it would be "much enemy".

Can you or someone explain this please with a thorough explanation please? I don't understand why "much enemies" or "many enemies" would not work? I saw some articles with "many enemies" and "much enemy" from a google search, so some of the articles are incorrect? Thanks.

Use 'many' with count nouns: many books, many pencils, many trees, many cars, many people, many sheep, many enemies, etc.

many enemies is correct; much enemies is incorrect. Of the millions of people who use the Internet, not everyone is a native English speaker--or for that matter fluent--so you're bound to come across errors now and then. :(

All the best, :D
 

Francois

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2004
Nouns can be divided in countable and uncountable. A countable noun means you can count how many there are eg. one car, two steps, five stars etc. Uncountable nouns can't be enumerated eg. orange juice, sand, courage... Uncountable nouns have in most circumstances no plural form. You would not say "two orange juices", but you would say "some orange juice" or "two glasses of orange juice". Apart from some very specific contexts, orange juice never takes a final 's' to show plural. The same goes for 'courage' etc.

When you want to say 'several' or 'a great number' with countable nouns, you use 'many' eg. many cars. If you want to say 'a huge quantity', for uncountable nouns, you use 'much' eg. much orange juice.

Back to our examples: 'enemy' is clearly a countable noun (you can say one, two, one hundred enemies). Thus, "much enemy" is wrong, and "many enemies" is correct.
I pointed out, as a remark, that there's usually no plural after 'much', as (as we saw) uncountable nouns don't have a plural form eg. "much orange juices" is wrong.

Is it clearer?

FRC
 

jack

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2004
Are these correct? If not, why? Is "regret' countable? How do you know if words like this are countable or not? Let's say 'gossip' for example, how do you know if it is countable or not?

1. I have much regrets.
2. I have much regret.
3. I have many regrets.
4. I have many regret.
 
N

Natalie27

Guest
jack said:
Are these correct? If not, why? Is "regret' countable? How do you know if words like this are countable or not? Let's say 'gossip' for example, how do you know if it is countable or not?

1. I have much regrets.
2. I have much regret.
3. I have many regrets.
4. I have many regret.

"regret" is countable if it functions as a noun. So is "gossip".

I have many regrets.
Hollywood latest gosspis. :lol:

if in doubt, look it up in the dictionary, Jack! :D
 

jack

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2004
Thanks.

If I am in doubt and I look up the dictionary, I would use "many" if the word has an -s right? If the word doesn't have an -s, does that mean it cannot be plural? Which means that I canno use 'many' with the word right?

I looked the word 'money' up at dictionary.com:

1. Sums of money, especially of a specified nature. Often used in the plural: state tax moneys; monies set aside for research and development.

I don't get the bold part? How does it make money plural?
 

Casiopea

VIP Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2003
Member Type
Other
jack said:
Thanks.

If I am in doubt and I look up the dictionary, I would use "many" if the word has an -s right? If the word doesn't have an -s, does that mean it cannot be plural? Which means that I canno use 'many' with the word right?

I looked the word 'money' up at dictionary.com:

1. Sums of money, especially of a specified nature. Often used in the plural: state tax moneys; monies set aside for research and development.

I don't get the bold part? How does it make money plural?

monies/moneys, specifically in Business, refers to sums of money directed to/from more than one source. :D
 
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