How much or how many? English 3AC
Choose how much and how many in English 3AC. Practise countable and uncountable nouns, food quantities and prices with examples and clear answers.
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By the end of this lesson, you can
- Recognise countable and common uncountable nouns.
- Choose how much or how many.
- Use a container to describe an uncountable quantity.
Before you startRead short English sentences and identify the subject and verb.
Un bon cours, ça se partage.
When do you use how much and how many?
Use how many to ask about things you can count as separate items: How many apples do we need? Apples is a plural countable noun. Use how much with a quantity that is not normally counted item by item: How much water do we need? Water is uncountable in this sentence.
Common countable food nouns include eggs, oranges and sandwiches. Common uncountable nouns include rice, milk, bread, sugar and water. Learn each noun with an example rather than translating its grammar from another language. We say some bread, not three breads, when we mean an ordinary quantity of bread.
How can you count an uncountable quantity?
Use a container or a unit: two bottles of water, a glass of milk, three pieces of bread or a kilo of rice. The container or unit can be counted. Ask How many bottles of water do we need? because bottles is plural and countable.
Look at the noun directly after how much or how many. Compare How much rice is there? with How many bags of rice are there? Both talk about rice, but they ask different questions. The second asks for the number of bags, not the weight of the rice.
How do you ask about a price?
How much is this notebook? asks for the price of one notebook. How much are these notebooks? asks for the price of several. A possible answer is It's twelve dirhams or They're twenty-four dirhams. Price questions still use how much even when the object itself is countable. Keep price and quantity questions separate in your answers.
A worked example
Preparing a simple lunch
How many apples do we need? Four. How much rice do we need? Half a kilo. How many bottles of water do we need? Two.
- Apples is a plural countable noun.
- Rice is uncountable, so its quantity uses how much.
- Bottles is countable even though water is not.
How should I use this English 3AC lesson?
- Try the exercises before reading the answers.
- Explain a correction in your own words.
- Return to the examples when two structures look similar.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between how much and how many?
Why do we say how many bottles of water?
Can how much ask about a countable object?
Quiz: 6 questions
6 questions are randomly selected from this lesson’s 6-question bank. Choose one answer for each question and get an immediate explanation.
Q1How ___ oranges do you need?
Incorrect answer
Oranges can be counted as separate items.
Correct answer: many
Oranges can be counted as separate items.
Q2How ___ sugar is there?
Incorrect answer
Sugar is uncountable in this question.
Correct answer: much
Sugar is uncountable in this question.
Q3How many ___ of milk?
Incorrect answer
Bottles is a plural countable container.
Correct answer: bottles
Bottles is a plural countable container.
Q4Which question asks a price?
Incorrect answer
How much is it? asks how much money something costs.
Correct answer: How much is it?
How much is it? asks how much money something costs.
Q5Choose the correct phrase.
Incorrect answer
Pieces is the countable unit; bread stays uncountable.
Correct answer: two pieces of bread
Pieces is the countable unit; bread stays uncountable.
Q6How ___ are these pens?
Incorrect answer
The verb are and the object these pens can occur in a how much price question.
Correct answer: much
The verb are and the object these pens can occur in a how much price question.
Your score
0/6
Start with the worked examples
Read the lesson in small sections. Write your own example for each rule and try the Easy exercises before returning to the quiz.
Review: 6 missed questions
How ___ oranges do you need?
Correct answermany
Oranges can be counted as separate items.
How ___ sugar is there?
Correct answermuch
Sugar is uncountable in this question.
How many ___ of milk?
Correct answerbottles
Bottles is a plural countable container.
Which question asks a price?
Correct answerHow much is it?
How much is it? asks how much money something costs.
Choose the correct phrase.
Correct answertwo pieces of bread
Pieces is the countable unit; bread stays uncountable.
How ___ are these pens?
Correct answermuch
The verb are and the object these pens can occur in a how much price question.
Exercises with answers
6 exercises, from easy practice to challenges. Try each one yourself, then reveal the answer and explanation.
Exercise 1
EasyComplete: How ___ eggs are there?
Answer and explanation
Many. Eggs is a plural countable noun.
Exercise 2
EasyComplete: How ___ milk do you want?
Answer and explanation
Much. Milk is uncountable here.
Exercise 3
IntermediateComplete: How ___ glasses of water do we need?
Answer and explanation
Many. The question counts glasses.
Exercise 4
IntermediateAsk the price of one dictionary.
Answer and explanation
How much is this dictionary? Price questions use how much.
Exercise 5
ChallengeCorrect: We need three breads. Use pieces.
Answer and explanation
We need three pieces of bread. Pieces gives a countable unit.
Exercise 6
ChallengeWrite one question about the amount of rice and one about the number of bags of rice.
Answer and explanation
How much rice do we need? How many bags of rice do we need? The second question counts bags.