much*/*/*/

[mʌtʃ]

(comparative more [mɔːr] ; superlative most [məʊst] ) grammar word summary: Much can be: ■ a determiner: There isn't much time left. ■ a pronoun: He didn't say much. ♦ Much of the work has already been completed. ■ an adverb: Things haven't changed much. ♦ The exam was much easier than I had expected.

1) a large amount of something

It's a small car that doesn't use much fuel.[/ex]

I don't know much about art.[/ex]

It wouldn't cost very much to have your old bike repaired.[/ex]

Much of the evidence was gathered in 1991.[/ex]

We can't talk here. There's too much noise.[/ex]

He spent so much time with Claudia, it seemed as if they were never apart.[/ex]

2) used for asking or saying what the amount of something is

How much stuff is she taking with her?[/ex]

How much were the tickets?[/ex]

We didn't spend as much time at the museum as I had hoped.[/ex]

3) used for emphasizing that someone or something is a lot bigger, better, worse etc

Richard's much happier now that he's got a permanent job.[/ex]

You will have to try much harder.[/ex]

4) a lot, or to a great degree

People here don't use public transport much.[/ex]

The trouble with Jean is she talks too much.[/ex]

Aunt Edie laughed so much that her sides ached.[/ex]

We don't go out as much as we used to.[/ex]

It's amazing how much she's changed.[/ex]

It's obvious that they love each other very much.[/ex]

•

as much as — used before an amount for showing how large and surprising it is[/ex]

You can pay as much as £300,000 for a one-bedroom flat in central London.[/ex]

be too much for sb — to be too difficult or tiring for someone to deal with[/ex]

much less — used for saying that something is even less likely or true than something else[/ex]

I wouldn't have dinner with him, much less spend the weekend with him.[/ex]

not much of a — informal used for saying that someone or something is not a very good example of something[/ex]

We haven't had much of a summer this year.[/ex]

not/nothingmuch — spoken used for saying that something is not very important, good, or serious[/ex]

'What are you doing tomorrow?' 'Nothing much.'[/ex]

There's not much to get excited about.[/ex]

See:

bit I

Both much and a lot can be used for referring to a large amount or a great degree. ■ Much is mainly used in questions and negative sentences, or in positive statements after ‘so', ‘too', and ‘as': He drinks too much. ■ A lot is usually used instead of much in positive statements: They waste a lot of time.