Some or any, much or many? Talking about quantity

“Some” and “any” describe an unspecified amount: positive sentences usually take “some” (“I have some apples.”), while negatives and questions usually take “any” (“I don't have any apples.”, “Do you have any apples?”). “Many” goes with countable plural nouns (“many books”), and “much” goes with uncountable nouns (“much water”).

Some and any

Positive: “There is some milk in the fridge.”, “We need some eggs.” Negative: “There isn't any milk.” Question: “Is there any milk?” When you offer or ask for something, “some” is used in questions too, because you expect the answer “yes”: “Would you like some tea?”, “Can I have some water, please?”

Much and many

Countable plural nouns take “many”: “How many students are there?”, “I don't have many friends here.” Uncountable nouns take “much”: “How much time do we have?”, “There isn't much sugar.” Nouns such as water, money, time, and information are uncountable in English: “much money”, “much information”.

A lot of in positive sentences

In everyday speech, positive sentences usually use “a lot of” instead of “much” and “many”, and it works with both countable and uncountable nouns: “She has a lot of books.”, “We have a lot of time.” “Much” and “many” are heard more often in negatives and questions.

Common mistakes for Turkish speakers

Because “bilgi”, “tavsiye”, and “eşya” are countable in Turkish, they are often made plural in English: not “informations”, “advices”, or “furnitures”, but “information”, “advice”, “furniture”. To talk about one, say “a piece of advice”. The second common mistake is using “many” with an uncountable noun: not “many money”, but “a lot of money”, or “much money” in a negative.

A short exercise

Look around your kitchen and write five sentences: two with “some”, two with “any”, and one question with “How much…?” or “How many…?”. Then note next to each noun whether it is countable or uncountable.

To keep going, see Countable and uncountable nouns in English and A, an, or the? Articles in English.

Frequently asked questions

Can “any” be used in a positive sentence? Yes, when it means “it doesn't matter which”: “You can take any book.”

When are “a few” and “a little” used? “A few” describes a small number with countable nouns (“a few eggs”), and “a little” a small amount with uncountable nouns (“a little sugar”).