many
A1Neutral (used in all registers from informal to formal)
Definition
Meaning
A large number of people or things.
Used to refer to a large but indefinite quantity; often implies more than expected or a significant amount within a given context.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
"Many" is used with countable nouns. It often appears in questions and negative statements in informal speech (e.g., "I don't have many"), while "a lot of" is more common in affirmative statements. In formal writing, "many" is preferred in all contexts.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage patterns are very similar. In informal spoken American English, "a lot of" or "lots of" may be slightly more frequent in affirmative statements than in UK English, where "many" retains slightly more currency.
Connotations
None.
Frequency
Extremely high frequency in both varieties. Corpus data shows it is among the top 500 most frequent words in both British and American English.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
many + countable noun (plural)many + of + determiner + noun (e.g., many of the students)many + (pronoun) (e.g., many were left)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “many a time”
- “many hands make light work”
- “one too many”
- “be one of many”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
"The company has many stakeholders to consider."
Academic
"The study replicates the findings of many previous investigations."
Everyday
"How many apples do we need for the pie?"
Technical
"The algorithm must handle many concurrent requests efficiently."
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- There weren't many tickets left for the concert.
American English
- She has many friends from different states.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I have many books.
- How many sisters do you have?
- There are many children in the park.
- Many students find the new module challenging.
- We've visited many European capitals.
- Despite many attempts, he couldn't solve the puzzle.
- The policy has been criticised by many influential commentators.
- Many of the participants reported improved wellbeing.
- There are many factors to consider before making a decision.
- The theory, while persuasive, fails to account for many crucial anomalies.
- Many a CEO has struggled with similar ethical dilemmas.
- His arguments have been dissected in many a scholarly journal.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a 'MAN' with 'Y' (many) arms trying to carry lots of things.
Conceptual Metaphor
QUANTITY IS SIZE (e.g., 'many problems' conceptualised as a large mass).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid using 'much' with countable nouns (e.g., 'much people' is wrong).
- Remember that 'many' requires a plural noun and plural verb agreement.
- Do not confuse 'many of' with 'much of'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'many' with uncountable nouns (e.g., 'many information').
- Using singular verb with 'many' (e.g., 'Many people is here').
- Overusing 'many' in informal affirmative statements where 'a lot of' is more natural.
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'many' correctly?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Many' is used with countable nouns (things you can count, like 'books', 'ideas'). 'Much' is used with uncountable nouns (things you can't count, like 'water', 'information').
Yes, but in informal spoken English, 'a lot of' or 'lots of' are often more natural in positive statements (e.g., 'I have a lot of friends'). 'Many' is perfectly correct and is preferred in formal writing.
It's a formal or literary phrase meaning 'many'. It is followed by a singular noun and a singular verb (e.g., 'Many a student has faced this problem').
When 'many' is the subject, it takes a plural verb (e.g., 'Many were surprised'). When used with 'many a', it takes a singular verb (e.g., 'Many a person was surprised').
Collections
Part of a collection
Common Questions
A1 · 31 words · Question words and phrases for basic communication.