Another word for more and most

1.79
1. Much употребляется с неисчисляемыми существительными (в единственном числе), а many – с исчисляемыми во множественном числе:

I haven’t got much time.
I don’t know many of your friends.

□ Иногда much может употребляться перед исчисляемыми существительными в единственном числе:

There’s not much point in going on.

□ Many может употребляться после других определителей (the, my, its, his, her и т.п.):

Among the many unknowns after the earthquake is the extent of damage to the foundations of buildings.
The gallery is exhibiting some of his many famous paintings of ships.

2. Much и many могут употребляться как местоимения (если при этом смысл ясен):

You haven’t eaten much.
Did you find any mushrooms? — Not many.

Как правило, это звучит достаточно формально:

There is no guarantee of a full recovery. Much depends on how well she responds to treatment.
The government’s policies have done much to reduce unemployment.
Many (= many people) have argued that she is the finest poet of our generation.
Not once did I see a tiger in the jungle, although I heard many.

Перед другими определителями (the, my, this и т.п.) или местоимениями употребляется much/many of:

You can’t see much of a country in a week.
How much of the house do you want to paint this year?
I won’t pass the exam: I’ve missed too many of my lessons.
How many of you are there?

There’s not much meat left. (не ‘There’s not much of meat left’.)
Many shops open on Sunday mornings. (не ‘many of shops’ )

Of после much/many обычно не употребляется, если нет другого определителя (артикля или личного):

She didn’t eat much breakfast. (не ‘ … much of breakfast’.)
There aren’t many large glasses left. (не ‘ … many of large glasses left’.)

Но much of употребляется перед именами и географическими называниями:

I’ve seen too much of Haward recently.
Not much of Denmark is hilly.

□ Иногда возможно такое употребление:

He’s not much of a success/gentleman.

3. В разговорной речи much и many, как правило употребляются только в вопросительных и отрицательных предложениях. В утвердительных предложениях они звучат очень формально (особенно much) и вместо них употребляются другие, равнозначные по смыслу, слова и обороты:

He’s got lots of men friends, but he doesn’t know many women. (More natural than ‘He’s got many men friends…’)
Did you buy any clothes? .- Yes, lots. (не ‘Yes, many’)
How much money have you got? — I’ve got plenty. (не ‘I’ve got much’.)

a) a lot of и lots of

Эти выражения употребляются в основном в разговорной речи и могут употребляться с неисчисляемыми существительными и множественным числом исчисляемых (глагол согласуется в числе с существительным, а не с a lot of/lots of):

A lot of time is needed to learn a language.
Lots of patience is needed, too. (не ‘Lots of patience are needed, too’.)
A lot of my friends want to emigrate. (не ‘A lot of my friends wants… ’)
Lots of us think it’s time for an election.

There’s not a lot of meat left. (не ‘There’s not a lot meat left’.)

b) plenty of означает «достаточно» или «больше, чем достаточно»:

Don’t rush. There’s plenty of time.
Plenty of shops take cheques.
There’s no need to worry. We’ve got plenty of money.
Have some more coffee. — No, thank you. I’ve had plenty.

We took lots of food and drink on our walk through the hills/ …plenty of…
Jim doesn’t look well. He’s lost a lot of weight (не ‘plenty of‘)
Plenty of shops open on Sunday mornings. (не ‘Plenty shops’)

4. В более формальном стиле употребляются

a) much и many:

We have much (work) to do/many obstacles to overcome before we can claim that real progress has been achieved.
Much has been written about unemployment.
In the opinion of many economists, …
Much debate has been heard about Thornton’s new book.
There could be many explanations for this.
Much of her fiction describes women in unhappy marriages.

b) a great/good deal of, a large/considerable/substantial amount of и a large/considerable/great/substantial number of

Эти выражения звучат несколько более формально, чем a lot of и lots of:

A great/good deal of и a large amount of употребляются с неисчисляемыми существительными:

Mr. Lucas has spent a great deal of time in the Far East.
A good deal of the exhibition was devoted to her recent work.
I’ve thrown out a large amount of old clothing.
A large amount of the food was inedible/ Much of…

A large number of употребляется с существительными во множественном числе:

A large number of problems still have to be solved. (более естественно, чем
‘A large amount of problems …’ / ‘A great deal of problems …’ )
The book contains a large number of pictures, many in colour/ …many…

c) оборот many a с существительным в единственном числе:

The manager must have spent many a sleepless night worrying about his team selection.
Many a pupil at the school will be pleased that Latin is no longer compulsory.

d) обороты a good/great many:

She has a good/great many friends in New Zealand.

e) обороты far too many/ far too much (со значением «слишком много»)

Far too many students failed the end-of-year math exam.
Far too much time is wasted filling in forms.

□ Выражения с of обычно не употребляются перед такими словами как pounds, или miles:

It cost several pounds. (не ‘It cost a lot of pounds’.)
They lived many miles from the town. (не ‘They lived plenty of miles from
the town’.)

□ Обычно many (а не a lot of/lots) употребляются со словами, обозначающими время (days, minutes, months, weeks, years) и с числами + of (например: thousands of voters, millions of pounds):

We used to spend many hours driving to Melbourne and back.
He was the founder of a company now worth many millions of pounds.

□ Выражения с of могут употребляться как местоимения, если смысл ясен:

How much did it cost? — A lot. (= A lot of money.)
We should be all right for cheese — I’ve bought plenty.
He does not often speak, but when he does he says a great deal.

□ A lot и a great deal могут употребляться как наречия:

On holiday we walk and swim a lot.
The government seems to change its mind a great deal.

□ Выражения so much/many, as much/many и too much/many звучат вполне естественно в разговорной речи в утвердительных предложениях:

There was so much traffic that it took me an hour to get home.
I play as much tennis as I can.
You make too many mistakes.
She won’t drink this coffee. There’s too much sugar in it.
There was so much sugar in the coffee that she could’t drink it.

□ Much употребляется как наречие в вопросах и отрицательных предложениях:

Do you work much at weekends? I don’t travel much these days.
She’s much older than her brother.
I don’t drive much faster than you.

□ Much в формальном стиле может употребляться перед некоторыми глаголами (выражающими удовлетворение и предпочтение) в утвердительных предложениях:

I much appreciate your help.
We much prefer the country to the town.
I didn’t much enjoy the concert.

Very much употребляется как наречие (обычно не ставится перед существительным):

I very much like your new hairstyle.
Thank you very much.
There’s a whole lot of water coming under the door. (before noun) ( не ‘There’s very much water coming … ’ )

Much и many имеют степени сравнения (причем одинаковые):

George did more work/exercises than anyone else.
So he did the most work/ exercises

1.80
MORE

1. More употребляется как сравнительная степень much и many:

We need more time (не ‘ … more of time’.)
More university students are having to borrow money these days.

2. Если смысл ясен, more можно употреблять в качестве местоимения:

I’d like some more, please.

Перед другими определителями (a, the, my, this и т.п.) и местоимениями употребляется more of:

Three more of the missing climbers have been found.
Could I have some more of that smoked fish?
I don’t think any more of them want to come.

И more of употребляется перед именами и географическими названиями:

It would be nice to see more of Ray and Barbara.
Five hundred years ago, much more of Britain was covered with trees.

3. Употребляются обороты one more/ two more… и т.п..

There’s just one more river to cross.

4. More употребляется (по соответствующим правилам) для образования сравнительной степени прилагательных и наречий):

As you get older you get more tolerant.
Please drive more slowly.

5. More может употребляться как наречие:

I couldn’t agree more.
I hate this job more and more as the years go by.

1.81
MOST

1. The most употребляется как превосходная степень much и many:

Susan found the most blackberries (больше других).
The most work is often done by the quietest worker.

В разговорной речи the иногда опускается:

Who earns (the) most money in your family?

2. Most (в этом значении без артикля) означает «большинство»:

Most children like ice cream. (не ‘The most children… ’ )
Most cheese is made from cow’s milk.
Most Swiss people understand French. (не ‘Most of Swiss people…’)
Most people want a peaceful life.

Most of употребляется перед именами и географическими названиями:

I’ve read most of Shakespeare.
The Romans conquered most of England.

В этом значении most уже не превосходная степень much/many, а фактически самостоятельный определитель.

□ The majority of (=most / most of) употребляется обычно с множественным числом:

The majority of criminals are non-violent.

3. Если смысл ясен, most можно употреблять в качестве местоимения:

Some people had difficulty with the lecture, but most understood.

Перед другими определителями (a, the, my, this и т.п.) и местоимениями употребляется most of:

Most of the people here know each other.
Most of my friends live abroad. (не ‘most my friends… ’)
Most of us thought he was wrong.
He’s eaten two pizzas and most of a cold chicken.

4. (The) most употребляется (по соответствующим правилам) для образования превосходной степени прилагательных и наречий:

I wasn’t as clever as the others, but I was the most beautiful.
I work most efficiently in the early morning.

5. (The) most может употребляться как наречие (артикль часто опускается в разговорной речи):

They all talk a lot, but your little girl talks (the) most.
The truth hurts most.

Как наречие most может иметь значение «очень» в формальном стиле:

That is most kind of you.
Thank you for a most interesting afternoon.
The experience was most distressing.

□ Mostly означает «в большинстве, но не во всех случаях»

Your little girl talks the most. (не ‘…talks mostly’.)
She mostly talks about her friends.

Need another word that means the same as “most”? Find 26 synonyms and 30 related words for “most” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Most” are: about, almost, near, nearly, nigh, virtually, well-nigh, to the highest degree, very, extremely, awfully, dreadfully, really, frightfully, exceptionally, exceedingly, immensely, thoroughly, uncommonly, remarkably, eminently, extraordinarily, incredibly, positively, decidedly, downright

Most as an Adverb

Definitions of «Most» as an adverb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “most” as an adverb can have the following definitions:

• Forming the superlative of adjectives and adverbs, especially those of more than one syllable.
• Extremely; very.
• Almost.
• To the greatest extent.
• (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but.
• Very.
• Used to form the superlative.
• Slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but.

Synonyms of «Most» as an adverb (26 Words)

about	Used of movement to or among many different places or in no particular direction. I ve had about all I can stand.
almost	Not quite; very nearly. Blues jazz he can play almost anything.
awfully	In a terrible manner. I m awfully sorry to bother you so late.
decidedly	Undoubtedly; undeniably. It was decidedly too expensive.
downright	To an extreme degree; thoroughly. He was downright rude.
dreadfully	In a dreadful manner. The company has performed dreadfully.
eminently	To a notable degree; very. An eminently readable textbook.
exceedingly	To a great extent. The team played exceedingly well.
exceptionally	To an exceptional degree. The weather was exceptionally mild for the time of the year.
extraordinarily	To a remarkable degree; extremely. Extraordinarily he escaped with a scratch.
extremely	To a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect. Extremely interesting.
frightfully	Used as intensifiers. It was frightfully hot.
immensely	To an exceedingly great extent or degree. Was immensely more important to the project as a scientist than as an administrator.
incredibly	Not easy to believe. Behind you the coastal hills plunge to the incredibly blue sea backed by the Turkish mountains.
near	At or to a short distance away nearby. As the wedding day drew near.
nearly	In a close manner. The person most nearly concerned.
nigh	Almost. They drew nigh unto the city.
positively	In a positive way, especially by expressing optimism, agreement, or acceptance. It s time I got down to thinking positively about this show.
really	Used as intensifiers real is sometimes used informally for really rattling is informal. I really want to go.
remarkably	To a remarkable degree or extent. He seems remarkably relaxed about the whole thing.
thoroughly	Completely and absolutely good is sometimes used informally for thoroughly. I thoroughly enjoyed the day.
to the highest degree	In or to a high position, amount, or degree.
uncommonly	Exceptionally; very. He is an uncommonly good talker.
very	Used as intensifiers; `real’ is sometimes used informally for `really’; `rattling’ is informal. He played very well.
virtually	Slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but. The college became virtually bankrupt.
well-nigh	Slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but.

Usage Examples of «Most» as an adverb

• Sandy plains where fire tends to spread most quickly.
• That is most probably correct.
• A most welcome relief.
• It was most kind of you.
• We’re almost finished.
• The things he most enjoyed.
• What she wanted most of all.
• The king cobra is the most dangerous snake.
• The most important event of my life.
• Most everyone understood.
• Most everyone agrees.
• The baby was almost asleep when the alarm sounded.

Associations of «Most» (30 Words)

abundance	(chemistry) the ratio of the total mass of an element in the earth’s crust to the total mass of the earth’s crust; expressed as a percentage or in parts per million. The tropical island boasts an abundance of wildlife.
affluence	The state of having a great deal of money; wealth. A sign of our growing affluence.
almost	Slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but. Blues jazz he can play almost anything.
batch	Batch together assemble or process as a batch. The company undertakes thirty six separate quality control checks on every batch.
bountiful	Large in quantity; abundant. The ocean provided a bountiful supply of fresh food.
bounty	Generosity. For millennia the people along the Nile have depended entirely on its bounty.
bunch	Form into a bunch. The people who wrote in complaining are a bunch of idiots.
considerable	Large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree. Went to considerable trouble for us.
considerably	To a great extent or degree. Things have improved considerably over the last few years.
countless	Too many to be counted; very many. She d apologized countless times before.
dozen	A lot. A dozen bottles of sherry.
incalculable	Not able to be computed or enumerated. An archive of incalculable value.
lot	The choice resulting from deciding something by lot. He played tennis a lot last year.
majority	The number by which votes for one candidate are more than those for all other candidates together. The majority of his customers prefer it.
many	The majority of people. Never saw so many people.
more	Forming the comparative of adjectives and adverbs especially those of more than one syllable. More rain fell.
much	For a large part of one’s time; often. Much the same thing happened every time.
plenitude	An abundance. The plenitude of the Pope s powers.
plenteous	Affording an abundant supply. The meal was astonishingly plenteous.
plentiful	Producing in abundance. A plentiful year.
plentitude	A full supply.
plenty	(often followed by `of’) a large number or amount or extent. It must have cost plenty.
plurality	The number by which plurality exceeds the number of votes cast for the candidate placed second. Some languages add an extra syllable to mark plurality.
quite	To the utmost or most absolute extent or degree; absolutely; completely. It s quite warm outside.
scads	A large number or amount. They raised scads of children.
stacked	Arranged in a stack. Full sized washer dryers are replacing stacked units.
ton	A unit of weight or volume of sea cargo equal to a metric ton 1 000 kg or 40 cu ft. I feel tons better.
untold	Of an incalculable amount. Untold suffering.
virtually	By means of a computer; computationally. The disease destroyed virtually all the vineyards in Orange County.
welter	Lie soaked in blood. There s such a welter of conflicting rules.