Several vs. Multiple
What Are Their Main Differences?
'Multiple' is used for large quantities; while several refers to smaller quantities.
Differences
Grammatical Functions
'Multiple' is used as:
Multiple as an adjective is used only before nouns, and it means many or involving many things. Multiple as a noun means a number that contains a smaller number an exact number of times.
Having multiple duties made him confused. → adjective
One hundred is a multiple of twenty. → noun
'Several' is used as:
As a determiner, 'several' must be used before plural countable nouns. As a pronoun, 'several' is used alone without being followed by a noun. As an adjective, 'several' can be used after the verb 'be' and before nouns. And the point is that it means separate.
Several people went to the charity. → determiner
Several study in difficult conditions. → pronoun
They have several rooms, so the slumber party wouldn't bother her brother. → adjective
Similarities
What They Refer to
'Several' and 'multiple':
Both refer to quantities. You might ask what quantifiers are. The answer is quantifiers are the terms that refer to a quantity. The quantity can be a number or an amount.
The cat was loved by multiple pecks.
The lawyer submitted multiple copies of the evidence to the court.
After several minutes he finally answered my call.
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