Determiners and pronouns - a lot / much / many

Question 1

• We use MUCH + UNcountable noun (much food / much money etc.)
• We use MANY + PLURAL noun (many books / many people etc.)
• We use “A LOT OF” + BOTH types of noun

Answer 1

…Did you buy much food?
…We don’t have much luggage.
…How much money do you want?

…Did you buy many books?
…We don’t know many people.
…How many photos did you take?

…We bought a lot of food.
…Paula doesn’t have a lot of free time.
…We bought a lot of books.
…Did they ask a lot of questions?

→ We say:
There IS a lot of food/money/water … (singular verb)
There ARE a lot of trees/shops/ people … (plural verb)
A lot of people speak English. (NOT speaks)

Question 2

• We use “MUCH” in QUESTIONS and NEGATIVE sentences
• But we do NOT often use “MUCH” in POSITIVE sentences:
• We use “MANY” and “A LOT OF” in ALL TYPES of sentences (positive/negative/question):
• You can use “MUCH” and “A LOT” WITHOUT a noun:

Answer 2

…Do you drink much coffee?
…I don’t drink much coffee.

…I drink a lot of coffee. (not I drink much coffee)
…‘Do you drink much coffee?’ ‘Yes, a lot.’ (not Yes, much)

…We have many friends / a lot of friends.
…We don’t have many friends / a lot of friends.
…Do you have many friends / a lot of friend?.

…Amy spoke to me, but she didn’t say much.
…‘Do you watch TV much?’ ‘No, not much.’ (= not often)
…We like films, so we go to the cinema A LOT. (NOT go to the cinema much)
# Note que o “A LOT” quando usado SEM um nome no final NÃO tem o “OF”
…I don’t like him very much