When to use "Many" or "Much"

When to use "Many" or "Much"

I still see my friends struggle with this one. It may be as simple as building a better habit by practicing your English speaking more, but I still hear the words "many" and "much" used incorrectly, often interchanged when the other should be used.

Let's see the basic rules:

- Use "Many" when you can count the objects in question.
- Use "Much" when you cannot count the objects in question.

Example: How MUCH oil will you buy today?
Reason: Oil itself cannot be measured in whole numbers. You cannot say that I have 3 oils--it doesn't make sense. You can say that I have 3 bottles of oil, but in that sentence the bottles are the subject, not the oil. If you must use units like L or mL to measure something, then MUCH should be used.

Example: How MANY quarters do you have?
Reason: Quarters are objects that can be measured. I can have 3 quarters. I can have 500 quarters. If I cut one of my quarters, then I will have one half of a quarter. The point is that if you can measure something with a specific number, than MANY should be used.

Please let me know if you have questions or examples in your life that do not make sense to you!