Welcome to
ESL Printables, the website where English Language teachers exchange resources: worksheets, lesson plans,  activities, etc.
Our collection is growing every day with the help of many teachers. If you want to download you have to send your own contributions.

 


 

 

 

ESL Forum:

Techniques and methods in Language Teaching

Games, activities and teaching ideas

Grammar and Linguistics

Teaching material

Concerning worksheets

Concerning powerpoints

Concerning online exercises

Make suggestions, report errors

Ask for help

Message board

 

ESL forum > Grammar and Linguistics > Cofusion About "Countable and Uncountable" in much, a lot of, a great deal of    

Cofusion About "Countable and Uncountable" in much, a lot of, a great deal of



Imdad
Bangladesh

Cofusion About "Countable and Uncountable" in much, a lot of, a great deal of
 
Please help me find out the correct answer here

She took --- trouble to please us.
(a) a lot of
(b) much
(c) a great deal of
(d) all of the above are correct

 I think the answer is b) much
What �s your opinion?
"a lot of" means "huge" but takes Plural Noun. "a great deal of" means "huge" too, but takes plural Noun, doesn �t it?
So, I think It should be " much."
Am I right?

13 Nov 2011      





yanogator
United States

The answer is (d). You aren �t quite right about "a lot of" and "a great deal of". They mean the same as "much" and "many". Also, they take a plural or uncountable noun (not just plural). They can mean "a huge amount or number of", but they don �t mean "huge", especially since "huge" describes a singular noun.
 
Also, "much" is the most formal-sounding of the three choices, and most people wouldn �t use it in this sentence except in a very formal situation.
 
I hope this helps you,
Bruce

13 Nov 2011     



Imdad
Bangladesh

Well. thanks a lot for your answer.

If "a lot of " takes Plural countable and uncountable noun, then, consider these sentences  ---

1 I want a lot of water.                                  or,   I want a lot of waters.
2. She kept a great deal of milk in the fridge.  or,  She kept a great deal of milks in the fridge.

Are these correct?


one thing, by "Huge" i meant what exactly said here, I just wanted to make it short.

Now,, plzzzzzzzzzz

13 Nov 2011     



Lina Ladybird
Germany

I think you misunderstood yanogator... ;-) He said that "a lot of" takes a plural OR an uncountable noun!
 
Since "water" and "milk" are uncountable nouns, your first examples are correct - don�t use the words "waters" or "milks"!

13 Nov 2011     



yanogator
United States

As Lina said, it takes plural or uncountable nouns. Your first examples (a lot of water, a lot of milk) are correct, but they don �t include plural examples.
 
She has a lot of shoes.
ESL Printables contains a lot of worksheets.
 
I �m not sure you understand the meaning of "huge". It refers to the size of something (a huge elephant), whereas "a lot of" refers to the quantity, and means the same as "much" or "many".
 
Bruce

13 Nov 2011     



Imdad
Bangladesh

Well. Thanks a lot to both of you for the explanation.

Now the rule is____

1.*** a lot of / a great deal of + Plural Countable Noun / Uncountable Noun

2.*** many + plural countable Noun

3.*** much + Uncountable Noun

But 4.****>>> lots of + Plural Countable Noun >>> Is this right?

Like: I got lots of Scripts. >>>>>>>>>>>>Is this ok?


Thanks once again for the clarification...


14 Nov 2011     



yanogator
United States

I can see why this wouldn �t sound right, but "lots of" is the same as "a lot of", so it works with plural countable or uncountable.
 
Drink lots of milk if you want strong bones and teeth.
I have lots of money. (No, I actually have lots of debts).
I sent out lots of resumes before I found this job.
 
Bruce

14 Nov 2011     



Imdad
Bangladesh

That �s great .............

Once again, bunch of Thanks to you.

14 Nov 2011     



ruisleipa
Finland

I �m afraid there are some wrong answers here! The answer to the original question can be either a or c, NOT B. You cannot use �much � in positive sentences!

I don �t have much money - OK
Do you have much money? - OK
I have much money - NOT OK! Use �a lot of � instead!

17 Nov 2011