(1) much, many通常用于疑问句、否定句中,在肯定句中不常用,一般多用lots (of), a lot (of)和plenty (of)代之,特别是在非正式场合(如会话)中。
- A: How much money have you got?
你得到了多少钱?
B: It's OK, I have got plenty 。
还可以,我得到了很多钱。 - A: Did you have much trouble with the customs?
你在适应这儿的风俗习惯方面遇到了很多困难吗?
B: Rather a lot .非常多。 - A: There isn't much food left, is there?
只剩下不多的食物了,是吗?
B: There is lots of bread and soup.
还有不少的面包和汤。 - He has got plenty of men friends, but he doesn't know many girls.
他有许多男性朋友,但认识的姑娘却不多。 - We have played lots of matches this season, but we haven't won many.
我们这个赛季打了不少比赛,但是我们赢的却不多。 - A lot of my friends are thinking of emigrating, but I don't suppose many of them will in the end.
我的许多朋友在考虑移民,但我认为他们中间有许多最终是不会移民的。
(2) a lot (of)和lots (of)无大差异,均可以与单数名词、不可数名词以及复数名词连用。与单数名词、不可数名词连用时,谓语动词用单数;与复数名词连用时,谓语动词用复数。
- A lot of us were invited at the last minutes.
我们中间的许多人在最后时刻都被邀请了。 - A: Where are my shirts?
我的衬衣在哪儿呢? - B: There are a lot in the washing machine.
有不少在洗衣机里。 - There's still lots of snow in the garden.
花园里还有不少的雪。
(3) lot和plenty比较口语化,在较正式的文体中,a great deal (of)(接不可数名词)和a large number (of)(接可数名词复数)通常用在肯定句中代替much和many。
- Mr. Davis has spent a great deal of time in the Far East.
戴维斯先生在远东地区度过了不少时间。 - The auditors have found a large number of mistakes in the accounts.
审计人员在账目中发现了许多错误。
(4) ①但在较正式场合中,much和many也用在肯定句中。
- Much research has been carried out in order to establish the causes of cancer.
为了确定癌症的起因,进行了许多研究。 - Many people were killed in the war.
有很多人死于战争。
②在肯定句中,much和many常用于too, so, as以及very之后。
- You have bought too many tomatoes.
你买的西红柿太多了。 - There's so much violence these days.
这些天发生了这么多的暴力事件。 - Try to get as many opinions as you can.
努力去得到尽可能多的意见。 - You talked too much yesterday.
你昨天说得太多了。