not + any | many | much + NOUN – English Grammar Profiler

In linguistics, “much” and “many” are quantifiers used to denote the degree or amount of a specific quality or item. They are used in both affirmative and negative contexts. However, their usage differs based on the context and the type of noun they modify.

“Many” is used with countable nouns, i.e., nouns that can be counted as individual items. For example, in the sentence “Not many companies can build planes,” the word “many” is used to quantify the countable noun “companies.” The use of “not many” implies that the number of companies capable of building planes is small.

“Much” is used with uncountable nouns, i.e., nouns that cannot be counted as they represent a whole or mass items. For example, in the sentence “There’s not much difference between them,” the word “much” is used to quantify the uncountable noun “difference.” The use of “not much” implies that the degree of difference between the two entities being compared is minimal.

In negative contexts, both “not much” and “not many” are used to express a lack or small amount/number of something. It’s important to note that while “much” and “many” can be used in negative sentences, their usage in affirmative sentences is less common and often limited to formal or written English.

“Any” is used in negative sentences and questions. It can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns. When used in a negative context, “any” implies the absence of something. For example, “I don’t have any apples” means I have zero apples.

Profiling research

When grammar points in the English Grammar Profile are from the same CEFR level, and in the same category, we believe it is more useful to have a single post that covers them. Both these A2 points come from the category of DETERMINERS/quantity.

Point 15:

‘many’ with plural nouns in negative contexts.

Point 23:

‘much’ with uncountable nouns in negative contexts.

This point clashes with a B1 point.

Not only that, they are also better summarised as points in other categories:

A2 Point 6 in the category of NEGATION is defined:

determiners ‘any’, ‘much’ and ‘many’ with nouns in negative contexts. Determiners: quantity

Finally, note that A2 point 13 in determiners also covers ‘any’.

PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLES:

There weren’t any teachers

that taught Arpa around my house.

Japanese female level 3 writing class.

I heard the thunder today,

but there was not much rain.

Arabic male level 3 grammar class.

If you don’t serve too many alcoholic beverages,

the guests won’t have trouble

or face serious problems.

Turkish male level 3 writing class.

An iWeb search for:

_XX any|many|much _NN

1 NOT MANY PEOPLE 16723
2 NOT MUCH DIFFERENCE 2658

There‘s not much difference between them.

listen

3 NOT MUCH TIME 2498
4 NOT MUCH POINT 1892 5 NOT MUCH ROOM 1838 6 NOT MUCH HELP 1343 7 NOT MUCH FUN 1316

8 NOT MUCH INFORMATION 1305

9 NOT MUCH MONEY 1052 10 NOT MANY PLACES 896 11 N’T MANY PEOPLE 875

12 NOT ANY KIND 777

That‘s not any kind of name.

Taxi Driver

In the movie, he is expressing his disbelief or rejection of the name that Iris has given him. He is implying that the name doesn’t fit the usual or accepted standards of what a name should be. It’s his way of saying that the name is unusual, inappropriate, or doesn’t sound like a real name to him. This could be due to his personal beliefs, societal norms, or cultural expectations.

13 N’T MUCH DIFFERENCE 756 14 NOT MANY THINGS 752 15 N’T MUCH TIME 748 16 N’T MUCH ROOM 693

17 N’T ANY WAY 679

There isn’t any way that I can explain this to you

because it wasn’t meant for anybody but us.

The Laughing Policeman

18 N’T MUCH FUN 677 19 NOT MUCH CHANCE 639

20 NOT MANY COMPANIES 614

You know,

not many companies can build missiles or aircraft.

TED

21 NOT MANY YEARS 605 22 NOT MANY PLAYERS 583

23 N’T ANY REASON 573

24 NOT MUCH SPACE 561 25 NOT MUCH INFO 530 26 NOT MANY OPTIONS 521

27 NOT MUCH REASON 517

28 N’T MUCH HELP 476

29 N’T MUCH POINT 466

30 N’T MANY PLACES 462 31 NOT ANY TIME 443

32 NOT MANY TEAMS 436

33 NOT MUCH USE 434 34 NOT MANY DAYS 428 35 NOT MUCH EVIDENCE 415

36 NOT ANY SORT 387

37 N’T ANY NEED 371 38 N’T MANY OPTIONS 366 39 NOT MUCH CHOICE 347 40 NOT MANY WOMEN 345

41 NOT MUCH LUCK 327

42 N’T MUCH INFORMATION 308 43 N’T ANY KIND 305 44 N’T MANY THINGS 305 45 NOT MANY OTHERS 298 46 NOT MUCH EFFORT 283 47 NOT MANY GAMES 275 48 NOT MUCH WORK 271 49 NOT MUCH RESEARCH 268 50 N’T ANY PROBLEMS 264

51 NOT MANY GUYS 261

52 NOT MUCH EXPERIENCE 259 53 NOT MANY MEN 255

54 NOT MUCH TRAFFIC 248

55 NOT MUCH DETAIL 242
56 NOT MANY DETAILS 239 57 N’T ANY EVIDENCE 237 58 NOT MANY FOLKS 231 59 NOT MUCH WATER 221 60 NOT MUCH ATTENTION 219 61 N’T ANY FUN 217 62 NOT MUCH VALUE 214 63 N’T ANY ROOM 213

64 N’T MUCH REASON 208

65 NOT MUCH INTEREST 208

66 N’T ANY POINT 206

67 NOT MUCH SUCCESS 203 68 NOT MUCH SENSE 201

69 N’T MUCH SPACE 198

70 NOT MUCH PROGRESS 197 71 NOT MUCH ACTION 196

72 NOT MUCH COMPETITION 192

73 N’T ANY TIME 180 74 NOT MUCH DATA 178 75 N’T ANY MONEY 176 76 N’T ANY PROBLEM 176 77 NOT ANY THING 176 78 NOT MANY TIMES 175 79 N’T ANY ISSUES 173

80 NOT MUCH VARIETY 173

81 NOT ANY WAY 171 82 N’T ANY RULES 170

83 N’T ANY SORT 168

84 N’T ANY HELP 166 85 N’T MUCH MONEY 161 86 NOT MANY JOBS 160 87 NOT MANY STUDENTS 160 88 NOT MUCH LIGHT 160

89 NOT ANY TYPE 159

90 NOT MUCH POWER 159

91 N’T ANY DIFFERENCE 155

92 NOT MUCH CHANGE 153

93 NOT MANY TOURISTS 152

94 N’T MUCH EVIDENCE 151 95 NOT MANY KIDS 151 96 NOT MUCH DEPTH 151 97 N’T MUCH USE 149 98 NOT MANY USERS 149

99 NOT MUCH ACTIVITY 147

100 NOT MANY OPPORTUNITIES 146

A2:

activity, companies, competition, detail, details, difference, guys, information,

luck, point, reason, sort, space, teams, tourists, traffic, type, variety, way

AI wrote the following sentences using the A2 vocabulary above:

Not many companies can survive in such a competitive market.
There’s not much competition in this remote area.
Not many details were provided about the incident.
There’s not much difference between these two types of coffee beans.
Not many guys can pull off that sort of fashion style.
There’s not much information available on this obscure topic.
Not many tourists visit this part of the city.
There’s not much traffic on the roads at this hour.
Not many teams can compete at such a high level.
There’s not much space left in the storage room.
Not many types of birds can survive in this harsh climate.
There’s not much variety in their menu, it’s mostly fast food.
Not many ways lead to the hidden treasure.