Использование слов much / many, little / few, a little / a few

Слова much, many – много, little, few – мало, a little, a few – немного, несколько могут быть также неопределенными местоимениями и определять существительное.

C неисчисляемыми существительными используются местоимения much, (a) little, с исчисляемыми – many, (a) few. В утвердительных предложениях much и many во многих случаях заменяются словом a lot of.

Grammar exercises

1. Give the comparative and superlative degrees:

good, bad, cheap, big, old, regular, clever, many, little, easy, difficult, long.

2. Choose the write variant. Translate the sentences:

1. This problem is as (serious / more serious) as others. 2. He always chooses the (easier / easiest) way. 3. Her examination paper is the (worst / bad) in class. 4. The Tretyakov Picture Gallery is the (bigger / biggest) museum in Moscow. 5. By the way, which is the (shortest / shorter) way there? – First go right, then turn left. There is no (shorter / shortest) way than this one. 6. Russia is home to some of the (old / oldest) lakes in the world, such as Lake Baikal – an estimated 25-30 million years old. 7. Lake Baikal is the world’s (deep / deepest) freshwater lake. 8. The climate of England is much (milder / mildest) than that of the East-European part of our country. 9. Britain is quite a small island, no one lives (farther / further) than 75 miles from the sea. 10. My brother is twenty years (older / elder) than me. 11. His computer is ten times (faster, fastest) than my computer. 12. She pays half as (much / more) for water and electricity as I do. 13. When the sun is behind a cloud, you feel noticeably (cool / cooler) than when it is not.

3. Read, translate and explain the usage of the words much / many, little / few, a little / a few:

1. We have so little time left. 2. Unfortunately I haven’t got many photographs. 3. Have you got much work to do? 4. Few colleges have such libraries. 5. Let me say a few words about it. 6. How much does it cost to go to New York? 7. It costs a lot of money to travel round the world. 8. He knows much about economics. 9. This large hotel usually accommodates as many as a thousand people. 10. It takes them much time to make all the necessary calculations.

4. Insert the appropriate form of the adjectives given in brackets: positive, comparative or superlative. Translate the sentences:

1. The Japanese as a nation, on average, live much … than Europeans (long). To a large extend, this is due to the food the Japanese eat, since life in modern Japan is no … stressful than that in the west (little). The Japanese live mainly on a diet consisting of fish and rice. A typical Japanese family consumes at … twice as … vegetables as we do in Europe (little, many). In comparison with Europeans, the Japanese eat … meat and … potatoes (little, few); at the same time they eat seven times … fish than we do, which makes their diet far … (much, healthy). In general, the Japanese consume considerably … sugar than Europeans (little), though the modern Japanese – frequent visitors to Europe on business or for pleasure – are discovering the pleasures and dangers of western-style eating habits.

2. This computer is very old. I want to buy something ... (modern). 3. Your collection of coins is several times … than mine (large). 4. Their method is … than Witkin's (accurate). 5. The rule makes us be … (careful). 6. We omit the … factors (important). 7. Uncontrolled economic competition between strong and weak nations leads to the creation of … inequality between the rich and poor nations in the world (great). 8. This makes documenting programs … (easy). 9. Substances burn … in oxygen than they do it in air (rapidly). 10. The … the temperature, the … the pressure, the … time is required (high, low, little). 11. Aluminum is as … for transmission lines as copper (good). 12. Our … neighbor in space is the Moon (near).