many
determiner, pronoun OPAL WOPAL S
/ˈmeni/
/ˈmeni/
Idioms - We don't have very many copies left.
- You can't have one each. We haven't got many.
- Many people feel that the law should be changed.
- Many of those present disagreed.
- How many children do you have?
- There are too many mistakes in this essay.
- He made ten mistakes in as many (= in ten) lines.
- New drivers have twice as many accidents as experienced drivers.
- Don't take so many.
- I've known her for a great many (= very many) years.
- Even if one person is hurt that is one too many.
- It was one of my many mistakes.
- a many-headed monster
Grammar Point many / a lot (of) / lots (of)many / a lot (of) / lots (of)- Many is used only with countable nouns. It is used mainly in questions and negative sentences:
- Do you go to many concerts?
- How many people came to the meeting?
- I don’t go to many concerts.
- You made too many mistakes.
- In statements a lot (of) or lots (of) (informal) are much more common:
- I go to a lot of concerts.
- ‘How many shows did you see?’ ‘Lots!’
- I stayed in England for many/quite a few/ten weeks.
- I stayed in England a lot of weeks.
- Lots of people like Italian food.
- Plenty of stores stay open late.
- A lot of/lots of is still felt to be informal, especially in British English, so in formal writing it is better to use many or a large number of in statements.
- the manyused with a plural verb to mean ‘most people’
- a government which improves conditions for the many
- many a(formal) used with a singular noun and verb to mean ‘a large number of’
- Many a good man has been destroyed by drink.
Word OriginOld English manig, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch menig and German manch.
Idioms
as many as…
- used to show surprise that the number of people or things involved is so large
- There were as many as 200 people at the lecture.
have had one too many
- (informal) to be slightly drunk
many’s the…
- (formal) used to show that something happens often
- Many's the time I heard her use those words.