Many
The word 'many' is used in "many" situations and contexts. In this lesson, we will discover all the details about this word.
One of the most widely-used words in English is 'many' and we are going to learn its uses in this lesson.
Functions of 'Many'
1. 'Many' as a Determiner
Use
'Many' as a determiner is used before (countable) plural nouns to refer to a large number of things or people. For example:
The mayor appreciated
Position in the Sentence
'Many' as a determiner precedes a noun and modifies it. 'Many' and the modified noun can act as the object, subject, subject complement, etc.
The mayor appreciated
object
subject
'Many' as a determiner can be often used in negative statements.
I have
as many as
'As many' is used to compare countable things, like:
They knew
2. 'Many' as a Pronoun
Use
Another use of 'many' is being a pronoun that replaces a noun it refers to and it indicates 'a large number of things or people.'
'Many' might replace 'things.'
Some students can solve the problem but
I am going to buy some apples; however, he does not want
Position in a Sentence
'Many' as a pronoun replaces the noun it refers to, so it takes the role of the noun; whether it is the subject or the object.
subject
I am going to buy some apples; however, he does not want
object
Tip
'Many' in 'not many', 'too many', or 'not very many' can be used in short answers.
_ Do you have many books? _ No,
'Many' is a pronoun here.
3. 'Many' as a Noun
Use
'Many' as a noun means 'the great majority of people, especially the ordinary people in society, considered as a separate group from the society.'
The
Position in a Sentence
'Many' as a noun can take articles and have a different part of speech in a sentence. It is essential to know that a plural verb must be used. For example:
The
Here,
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Few
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