'A Bit' and 'Not Much'

All right.

Let’s go on and talk about a bit and much but actually we generally don’t use much by itself.

We can say how much but when we’re making a statement we always put it with something else like not or 2 or so.

And we’ll look at some examples of how we can do that.

So a bit now as we did with the last one a little.

It’s often used to make things understated again.

This one is for uncountable nouns.

It’s why I wrote this here.

So people might use it to say as we did last time I’m a bit tired I’m a bit tired maybe I should I should go home.

But let’s look at a couple more examples.

You’ve got a bit you’ve got a bit of sauce on your face though you’re eating something and nobody wants to have sauce on their face.

That’s not good right.

But you have a little we could say a little you have a little right there.

You didn’t notice it and maybe other people saw it but they are too afraid to mention it.

So I’m not afraid to mention it because you probably want someone to mention it so that you can wipe it off right.

Wipe it off.

You’ve got some sauce on your face here.

You’ve got a bit of sauce on your face here.

You’ve got a little sauce on your face here.

OK.

Very common in this sort of situation.

There’s a bit of an issue with the server.

So a server is where data is stored and maybe one company has one.

It’s having some problems instead of saying there’s a major issue with the server.

There’s a huge problem with the server.

Someone who might like to be a little bit understated might say there’s a bit of an issue with the server.

Now that can mean because a bit does mean a small amount just like a little does could mean that the issue is very small but it could also mean that the issue is not small.

It could mean that the issue is very big.

But we’re being understated.

We’re trying to downplay it a bit and not make it so maybe frantic.

We’re not trying to make it sound too too serious.

There’s a bit of an issue with the server.

Now we often use a bit when we want to give feedback to somebody if you tell somebody something about themselves that’s not good.

That’s negative directly and you say you made a mistake.

How will they feel.

They’ll feel bad.

They won’t feel good about that.

So if we say instead I think I think you’re being a bit too critical with the students if I say you’re being too critical with the students critical means that maybe you’re criticizing them too much saying they’re wrong too often.

If we say a bit too critical we really make it softer we really make it sound not friendly it’s still direct but it’s a lot more polite and it feels like it’s a little bit more gentle.

And so the person who hears it will probably be more accepting of it.

So we often use a little and a bit when we’re giving feedback.

And I like to call it a softener not the softener that you put in your laundry with your laundry detergent but a softener with language to make things sound a little less direct.

We can use.

We can use a bit.

We can also use a little.

OK so let’s go on and talk about much.

So is this OK.

How much money do you have much.

No it’s not.

It’s incorrect.

Much doesn’t go by itself it goes with other words such as not.

We can also often say so much too much.

And if it’s a question how much much more.

OK there’s are some ways that we can use much with other words.

All right.

So let’s look at some specific specific examples by the way this is uncountable just like the other one generally.

OK.

So how much are these question answer.

Not much.

That’s not a good answer because it’s not specific because not much for you may be different than not much for me.

We should give me a number.

But anyway that is grammatically correct.

I don’t have much money left after my trip.

I don’t have much money left after my trip.

Don’t have much.

OK do not have much.

This is not.

This is the same as not much.

It’s the same basic grammar.

But instead we say do not have much.

This is a whole piece that we put together which is very common.

Too much is also a very common phrase when we are using much so I think this is this whole sentence is very common.

I think I think you’ve I think you’ve got way too much time on your hands.

So somebody is doing something that maybe I feel is a waste of time and you’re not being very productive.

And I think you’re only doing something because you’re lazy and you don’t have anything else to do.

So I could say I think you’ve got way too much time on your hands.

I mean it’s you should be busier.

So that’s usually a criticism.

It’s usually a bit critical but this way too much is a very common way to phrase something and time on your hands way too much time on your hands.

This whole piece is a very common expression very common.

So let’s try so much if we can.

There’s there’s so much so much work to do before the party the party on Friday.

So many things to do.

Many things to do or so much to do so much to do before the party on Friday.

Very common.

Pay so much not much and too much are extremely extremely common.

Just one more example very quickly I’ve got I’ve got much more experience than you.

I’ve got much more experience than you.

This one’s also quite common.

Much more much more.

I have much more.

I’ve got much more.

OK.