| Tricky Synonyms |
| Words used only with countable nouns: number, many, few, a few, fewer |
Some quantifiers (words that express quantity) and
adjectives are used with only count or non-count nouns.
used with count nouns used with non-count nouns
number amount
many much
(a) few (a) little
fewer less
She has a good number of coins in her piggy-bank.
She has a good amount of money in her piggy-bank.
The State of Maine has many lakes.
There are so many cultures in the world!
David ate too many hot dogs.
Too much freedom can be bad for a child.
There was so much tension at the meeting.
Do you wear much jewelry?
I should eat fewer doughnuts and drink less coffee.
With only a few buttons and a little fabric, Mindi made a
cute puppet.
adjectives are used with only count or non-count nouns.
used with count nouns used with non-count nouns
number amount
many much
(a) few (a) little
fewer less
- Number is used with countable nouns; amount is
used with uncountable nouns.
She has a good number of coins in her piggy-bank.
She has a good amount of money in her piggy-bank.
- Many, so many, and too many are used only with
plural, countable nouns, (or when an uncountable
noun is used as a plural).
The State of Maine has many lakes.
There are so many cultures in the world!
David ate too many hot dogs.
- Much, so much and too much are used only with
uncountable nouns.
Too much freedom can be bad for a child.
There was so much tension at the meeting.
Do you wear much jewelry?
- Fewer, few and a few are used with count nouns;
less, little and a little go with non-count nouns.
I should eat fewer doughnuts and drink less coffee.
With only a few buttons and a little fabric, Mindi made a
cute puppet.
| Many businesspeople carry briefcases. |
| Words used only with uncountable nouns: amount, much, little, a little, less |
| Uncountable Nouns materials, liquids, things usually seen as separate objects, things too small to count, abstract nouns, nouns that describe groups of dissimilar things, nouns that end with 's' but are not plural |
| Much thought goes into a business proposal. |
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