'Many' and 'Some'

All right.

So we’ve talked about quite a few quantifiable so far we’ve got still some more to go.

These are all really really common.

I want to be clear that there are others we’re not talking about every single one that’s out there.

We’re talking about the ones that are very common and how to use them.

Now let’s go on to many and some and I realize that you probably know pretty much all of these but it’s got to be really really clear when you should use them.

So I just want to make sure we have this very important important lesson to brush up on the basics.

So many many as you probably know is for things that are countable like people like dreams like cups.

And some can be used for both.

Very similar to a lot I would say that a lot and some are exact opposites.

A general rule you can follow is if you want to say a large amount and you’re not sure which word to use because you are thinking about is it countable or or uncountable.

Well if it’s a large amount use a lot.

If it’s a small amount use some.

It’s a great one because you don’t have to think about which type of noun to use it with.

So let’s look at some examples of many first.

I’ve got many awards in my office.

What kind of person is this.

Who says this.

I’ve got many awards in my office.

Awards are things that you get if you do something well.

This person is talking about their awards.

I don’t like this person bragging a little bit maybe showing off showing off a bit showing off anyway they’ve got many awards could we say many time.

No we cannot say many times if we’re using time as accountable thing.

Like one time two times three times that I’ve been to Canada.

OK.

But now we could not say many time the general idea time.

We could not say many hope.

We could not say many milk for example say bottles of milk cups of milk grains of rice many grains of rice.

But we cannot use any milk.

OK.

There are so many buttons.

There are so many buttons.

I’m confused.

OK.

Person is looking at a panel has a lot of buttons on it.

Which one do I push so many buttons.

We can count buttons.

So it works.

So it works for the last two examples of many.

Let’s look at some common idioms idioms are expressions that pretty much everybody knows.

And you have to say them as is OK.

Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth and the broth is for example a soup.

And if you have a kitchen and there are many cooks working in that kitchen the idea is if there are five or six of them all working on the same thing it’s going to turn out bad.

Maybe they didn’t communicate well one person puts in Salt another person comes in puts in more salt but they didn’t tell that person.

So now it’s too salty.

So it’s better if you have one person in control.

Sometimes it’s better to have fewer people because then whatever you’re doing is more focused and there’s great communication there’s a clear direction.

Many people communicating too many cooks spoil the broth.

Means you’re going to ruin whatever you’re doing.

If there are too many people involved.

Very common.

There are many ways to skin a cat.

That means to remove the skin of a cat.

Now that’s pretty gross.

That’s a pretty disgusting idea.

But it’s a common expression which basically means our goal is to do this but there isn’t only one way to get there.

We’re trying to get a million users.

We’re trying to get a million users.

Well there are many different ways to get a million users.

We could spend a lot of money or maybe we make some very viral videos on the Internet and make a lot of people who see our videos come to look at whatever we’re selling.

And so we can get a million users.

The idea is there isn’t only one way to do something.

There are many ways to skin a cat.

Now for some as I mentioned it can be countable or uncountable and it’s very similar to a bit in some ways because you can use it to be a little understated.

So if you say I have I have some suggestions on how to how to improve or how you can improve right I am improve improve how to improve well maybe I have many maybe I have quite a few things to say maybe I’m going to talk for 20 minutes about how to help you improve.

My feedback will be very long but I say some as a way to make it a little understated.

Now it’s of course possible that it actually is some it actually is a small amount but I just want to be clear some can be used in the same way as a little and a bit to be understated when actually it’s much much more even though the actual meaning of some is a small amount.

OK you need some help with your makeup.

You need some help with your makeup.

OK so someone maybe has put makeup on maybe for a video and there’s too much it’s done incorrectly.

It looks weird.

So one person makes a comment.

You need some help is help countable or uncountable.

Help is uncountable.

Help is uncountable it’s a general concept so well for example suggestions is countable help is more of an idea more of an abstract thing uncountable but some can be used for both.

Now I’d like to give you two examples that get across this idea of how we can use a noun either as a countable thing or an uncountable thing.

Let’s get some pizza let’s get some pizzas.

What’s different about these two.

Well you can see here that pizzas is now plural and it is countable because we could say a pizza.

Lets get off pizza or let’s get some pizzas.

That means more than one maybe three maybe four and let’s get some pizza.

Now this is an uncountable.

It’s not single it’s an uncountable noun.

It’s being used as a concept pizza can be uncountable as well.

Now this sum also works.

It still works if we say for example let’s get a few a few pizzas then we can’t say let’s get a few pizza.

That doesn’t work because a few can only be used for countable things but some works for both because some works for both.

So it’s pretty great.

We could say let’s get let’s get pizza.

We can take this some out and then once again if we say let’s get pizza it can still be uncountable.

We could say let’s get a lot of pizza.

It’s uncountable.

Last example give it some time.

It will work out just fine.

Give it some time.

It will work out just fine.

Time countable or uncountable.

It is uncountable.

In this case again it can be countable.

We could say I’ve been there a few times sometimes.

Maybe we could say but here it’s uncountable.

It will all work out just fine that means don’t worry about it.

Just wait a little while and everything will be OK.

Everything will be OK all right.

So some is in particular a very very useful quanta fire just like a lot.

Remember these two.

If you don’t remember anything else about this lesson.