It is usually more natural to use a lot of rather than many in positive sentences, especially in spoken English. Don't say 'she has many friends'. Say she has a lot of friends. In written English, many is used especially in phrases such as in many ways/places/casesy and for many years,
plenty of /'plenti dv/ Quantifier] a lot of people or things that you want or need, especially when there are more than enough: There are plenty of parking spaces further along the road, ( The town has plenty of good bars and restaurants. I We haue plenty of glasses, but not enough plates.
plenty "Are there any tickets left for tonight's show?" "Yes, plenty."
a large number of I large numbers of з ,la:rd3 плтЬэг nv. ,1шМз "плтЬэЪ DV; [quantifier] a lot of a particular type of person or thing - used especially in newspapers and official reports: Police seized a large number of weapons. I Large numbers of demonstrators were arrested during today's protest march.
in large numbers Japanese cars were first sold in large numbers in the 1960s (=a lot of them were sold) .
be /all о/ bi: fol DV/ if something is full of people or things, there are a lot of them in it: In summer the town is full of tourists I Her essay was full of mistakes.
hundreds o//thousands of /Ълп-
dr^dz ov, Baoz^ndz dv/ [guanti/ierfa lot of things or people - use this when you want to emphasize that you are talking about a very large number: Driuing conditions are very bad and there have been hundreds of accidents I Thousands of people came to see the carnival.
You can use hundreds of or thousands of in informal spoken English to talk about a large number which is actually less than a hundred: Steve's had thousands
of girlfriends.
Qquite a few / кwan э 'fju:/ [quantifier] spoken a fairly large number of people or things: { still have quite a few friends in Denver - I used to be in college there.
Q a large amount of something
a lot of /з lot Dv||-1a:t-/ {quantifier} а large amount of something: There was a lot of water on the floor. I a book that contains a lot of useful information I We spent a lot of time just lying on the beach.
a lot It's a big house - it must have cost a lot.
quite a lot of (=a fairly large amount of something) There's quite a lot of work involved, but the research is interesting.
a lot to dLolseefeat etc There's still a lot
to do before the wedding, a lot more/less Ask Susan - she knows a lot more than I do.
lots of 'lots ovjj'laus-/ [quantifier] informal a large amount of something: Don't worry - we still have lots of time. I It's a big apartment, so there's lots of room for all my things
lots to dolseeleat etc We're never bored here - there's lots to see and do.
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LOT
much mAtJ [quantifier] a lot of something - use this in questions and negatives: Does he speak much English? not much I don't know much about cars. I I didn't get much help fют my family. too much Don't make too much noise.
^^ Don't say 'he earns much money'. Say he earns a lot of money. Use a lot of when you are talking about an amount in a positive sentence. Don't say 'too much people/cars etc'. Say too many people/ cars etc. Only use much with uncountable nouns: too much work
widespread /'waidspred/ [adj usually
before noun] a widespread feeling or attitude is one that a lot of people have in many different places; a widespread problem has a bad effect over a wide area widespread opposition/support/interest etc There was already widespread public support for women's rights.
widespread damage//looding/poverty
LOT 460
much of sth formal (=a large part of it) Much of the city was destroyed in the attack.
etc The bombing caused widespread damage.
a great deal of 9 ,greit 'di:l dv/ [quantifier] a large amount of something such as time, money, work, trouble, or skilclass="underline" The job requires a great deal of patience and skill. I The storm caused a great deal of damage.
A A great deal of is more formal than a lot of
A Don't use a great deal of to talk about physical objects or substances.
plenty of 'plenti dv [quantifier] a large amount of something, that you want or need: There's plenty of hot water if you want a bath. I Don 't worry - I have got plenty of money.
plenty No thanks. I couldn't eat any more - I've had plenty.
be covered in sth /bi: клузМ in (sth)/ if
a person is covered in something, they have a lot of it on their skin, their clothes, or their hair; if an object is covered in something, it has a lot of that thing on its surface: My shoes are covered in mud. I At the end of the fight he was covered in blood.
El when there is a lot of something in many places
common ''котэпЦ'ка:-./ [adj] if an object, animal, idea etc is common, there is a very large number of objects, animals etc of this type in many different places: Jones is a very common name in Britain. I Fiatheads are a common type of fish and good to eat. common belief f attitude / problem / mistake (=one that a lot of people have or make) My younger brother says politics is boring, which is a common attitude among teenagers. I Vou confused 'lie' and 'lay'. It's a common mistake.
4
very much
^ see also very
a lot 9 lDt||-'la:t (adu not before verb] very much: She's changed a lot since she's been here. I "How does your arm feel?" "It still hurts a lot."
a lot better/worse/bigger/more etc Your car's a lot bigger than ours. I It was a lot more interesting than I expected.
A\ A lot is more informal than very much and is used more in conversation.
much m.\tj [adu] much better/worse/ bigger/more etc a lot better, worse, bigger etc: You get a much better view if you stand on a chair. I a much more expensive car
A
much tqo big/old/tall etc I can't wear that coat It's much too big! I The test was much too difficult for most of the students.
a You can also use much after a verb in questions and negatives: Has he changed much? I "Did you enjoy the show1" "Not much."