Grammar in focus
Form
| countable (books, friends) | uncountable (water, time) | |
|---|---|---|
| large quantity | many | much |
| large quantity (both) | a lot of / lots of | |
| some (positive) | a few | a little |
| almost none (negative) | few | little |
Use
- much / many: mostly questions and negatives. How much money? I don't have many friends.
- a lot of: mostly positive sentences. She has a lot of friends. We have a lot of homework.
- a few / a little = some, enough: I have a little money. I can buy a coffee.
- few / little = almost none, not enough: I have little money. I can't buy it.
Watch out
many homework→ a lot of / much homework.much friends→ many friends.a few milk→ a little milk.a little books→ a few books.a lot work→ a lot of work.
En español
Many = muchos (contables), much = mucho (incontables), a lot of = mucho/a/os/as (ambos). A few / a little = unos pocos / un poco (suficiente); few / little = muy pocos / casi nada (no suficiente).
US vs UK
This book teaches American English. These are the differences you will notice with British English on this topic.
🇺🇸 USlots of / a lot of
🇬🇧 UKlots of / a lot of
Both are informal in both varieties; much in positive statements sounds formal.
Ambas son informales; much en afirmativas suena formal.
🇺🇸 USa ton of homework (informal)
🇬🇧 UKloads of homework (informal)
Informal American a ton of / tons of vs British loads of.
A ton of (EE. UU.) vs loads of (Reino Unido).
🇺🇸 USWe have a little time.
🇬🇧 UKWe have a bit of time.
A little (US, very common) vs a bit of (UK, very common).
A little vs a bit of.
Exam practice
- Five parts, like a certification exam: multiple choice, open cloze, error identification, sentence transformation and US vs UK.
- Typed answers accept American spelling and contractions (don't = do not).
- Every item has feedback in English and Spanish. Items and options change order on every attempt.
- Only Exam mode saves your score to your progress. You pass with 70%.
Practice mode
No timer. Check each part as you go and read the feedback.
Exam mode
25 minutes. Feedback at the end. Your best score is saved.