Help! When do I use a lot, lots, make, do, raise, rise, etc.?

Help! When do I use a lot, lots, make, do, raise, rise?

Quantities

A lot, a lot of

• You’ve got a lot of money.
• I have a lot of time on my hands.
• We have a lot of different ice cream flavours.
• I’ve done a lot to help you pass your exams.
• Thanks a lot for helping me.

How to use “a lot of”, “a lot”, and “lots of”.

“a lot of” and “lots of” = many

• There are a lot of flowers in your garden. (garden is a countable noun)
• There are lots of flowers in your garden. (garden is a countable noun)
• There are many flowers in your garden. (garden is a countable noun)
• A lot of people like music. (music is an uncountable noun)
• Lots of people like music. (music is an uncountable noun)
• Many people like music. (music is an uncountable noun)

“a lot” = often or frequently

• I play football a lot.
• We go to the cinema a lot.

Much

• How much money have we got left in this year’s budget?
• How much does that cost?
• I haven’t seen much of Dave recently.
• I don’t speak much Swahili.
• There’s so much to do I will be working late.

Use “Much” uncountable nouns.

It is usually used in negative questions and statements.

• How much coffee is left?
• There isn’t much coffee left.

“Much” is sometimes used in positive statements.

• Much of the detail has already been defined.

“Much” is not usually followed immediately by a noun. Instead, “a lot of” or “lots of” are used.

Incorrect	Correct
He got much money.	He got a lot of Money. He’s got lots of money.

Many

• There weren’t many bottles of wine that we liked.
• How many sheep do you have?
• How many children are there in the school?
• Not many people like black pudding.
• Many people detest fox hunting.
• There aren’t many people who can swim the channel.
• There weren’t as many mistakes as I thought there would be.

“Many” is used with countable nouns. It is frequently used in questions and negative statements.

• Did you buy many souvenirs?

“Many” is sometimes used in positive statements.

• Many people support Manchester United.

“Many” is not usually followed immediately by a noun. Instead, “a lot of” or “lots of” are used.

Incorrect	Correct
There were many tourists at the Taj Mahal.	There were a lot of Tourists at the Taj Mahal. There were lots of tourists at the Taj Mahal.

A few

“A few” or “few” = not many

• There were only a few people at the concert.
• We’ll be back in the black in a few weeks’ time.
• I’ve been to Zurich a few times.
• I’d like to talk to you for a few minutes.
• Very few English men went out in the mid-day sun.
• I spoke to David a few days ago.
• Very few people have been to the moon.
• Few tourists visit this area in the summer.

A little

“A little” or “little” = not a lot or small

• There is only a little milk left.
• He has little reason to try harder.
• He knows a little geometry.
• We have only a little money left so watch what you spend.
• I need a little more time to finish this.
• They’ve made very little progress.

“A little” = a small amount of…

• I’d like a little more time to think about this.
• A: “More tea?”

B: “Just a little“Please.”

• I have only a little money left.

“Little” is used to emphasize smallness

• There was little he could do about it.

(There was not a lot he could do)

• I have little time.

(I don’t have as much time as I would like.)

“Little” + “very” makes the emphasis even greater

• There was very little he could do about it.

(Generally a polite way of saying he couldn’t do anything about it)

• I have very little time.

(Generally a polite way of saying go away I’m extremely busy)

How to indicate the quantity

A lot of	Much	Many
with countable nouns and countless	with nouns countless	with nouns accountants
A lot of machines A lot of machinery	(not) much machinery	(not) many machines

A little	A few
with nouns countless	with nouns accountants
(a) little information	(a) few brochures

Both, Neither, Either

Both

“Both” is used to talk about two things.

“Both” has a plural verb.

• Both of his children are girls.
• I have two vintage cars. I’m going to have to sell both of them.
• Both London and Madrid are going to bid for the Olympics.
• You ought to try them both.
• Both of you failed your maths exam.
• Both of us failed our maths exam.
• Both of them failed their maths exam.

Both	Frank	and	Dave	are	on holiday.
	Person 1		Person 2	Plural verb

Neither

“Neither” = not either.

It refers to two elements.

• I looked at two video recorders but neither of them looked attractive.
• I don’t like this and neither does my wife.
• Neither of them got promoted.
• Neither of these cameras is suitable.

Neither	of these cameras	is	suitable.
		Singular verb

Neither .. nor

• PC Smith questioned the two suspects, but neither suspect A nor suspect B admitted to the burglary.
• Neither Mario nor Andrea lives in Rome.

Neither	Frank	nor	Dave	is	in today.
	Person 1		Person 2	Singular verb

Neither of…

• Neither of the candidates is suitable.
• I cannot make up my mind, neither of them is ideally what I want
• Maria and Eddie revised for their exams but neither of them passed.

You can agree with a negative statement using “Neither do I” or “Nor do I”.

• A: “Frank can’t swim.”
• B: “Neither can I.” Or “Nor can I.”

Either

Use “either” to refer to two elements.

• I was snowed under last week so I couldn’t go to either of my friends’ parties.
  • A: “Would you like beer or wine?”
  • B: “Either. I don’t mind which.”

Use “either .. or” to indicate a choice.

• We ought to play golf either on Monday or Tuesday.
• I think either you or Margaret should do the presentation.
• Pencil them in for either today or tomorrow.
• Please order me a take away for lunch I’d like either Indian or Thai.

Using “Either of” to refer to two things or people.

• I didn’t get to see either of my brothers today.
• Can either of you fix this?

Agree to a negative statement using “Either”.

• A: “Frank can’t swim.”
• B: “I can’t either.”

Comparison of positive and negative agreements

Negative	Positive
TO:	I can’t swim.	I can swim.
B:	Neither can I. I cant either. Nor can I.	So can I. I can too. I can as well.

Each and Every

Each

• Each design was different.
• The students were each given a manual.
• Each of them is a specific colour.
• We have our team building “away day” each year in June.
• There is a separate form to fill out for each type of query.

Use “Each” with singular countable nouns.

Each	person	has a desk.
Each	Singular countable noun

“Each” can be used without a noun.

• Here are four rare stamps. Each is unique to its country of origin.

We can say

• Each one is unique.
• Each of them is unique.

Every

• I have a full English breakfast every morning.
• Elizabeth usually wins the top sales prize every month.
• Every employee gets reviewed in February.
• The Financial Times is printed every day.

Use “Every” with singular countable nouns.

He makes a success of	every	project	in which he is involved.
	Every	Singular countable noun

“Each” refers to individual objects or people.

• Each product is checked prior to shipping.

“Every” refers to a group of items or people.

• Every product that has been shipped has also been checked. (In this context “every” = “all”)

Make or Do?

Make

“Make” is normally used to refer to the production or creation of something.

• Have you made any plans for your summer holiday? (Have you done any preparatory work regarding going on holiday?)
• We’re going to make changes to your business proposal. (Something will be changed)
• I’d like to make some suggestions about the plan.
• I’ve made an appointment to see the HR Director.
• I made a phone call from my office.
• They make doll houses in that speciality store.
• I’m sorry. I made a mistake with the estimates.
• Have you made a curriculum plan?
• Therese made a film in Greece.
• One of our students made a list of all the good points of the course.
• The car made a strange noise when we were on the motorway.

Do

“Do” = to talk about work/what you like or dislike/obligations

• I was sick yesterday. I couldn’t do my lesson plan.
• Bill, could you do me a favour?
• My father does a lot of work for engineering firms in Japan.
• I do my running in the morning.
• Karen has just done a TEFL training course in Madrid.
• I’ve got a lot of planning to do.
• Contrast this to “Make plans”, making the plans is the result of doing planning.
• Young people seem to hate doing their homework.
• Young people do not like having to perform the activity of homework.

“Do” = to ask about current or future actions/activities

• We’ve got a big student turnout. I don’t know what to do about it.
  • A: “What are you doing on your birthday?”
  • B: “Well, I’m doing something special with my family.”

Examples of things that use “make” and “do”

Make	Do
A phone call	A course
An appointment	An examination
A profit	The cooking
A complaint	Exercises
A noise	The washing
A list	A job/something for a living
A decision	The shopping
Money	Someone to favor
Plans	Housework
An offer	Homework
Progress	The gardening

Rise or raise

Rise

• Bond prices always rise when interest rates fall.
• Profits rose by five per cent last year.
• The sun rises in the east.
• The demand for ADSL lines is rising all the time.
• The cost of petrol has risen since Iraq was invaded.

Raise

• The Government raises petrol tax every year.
• We raised our glasses to the bride and groom.
• I’m sorry I can’t hear you. Could you raise your voice a little?
• The captain told them to raise the flag.
• As nobody raised any objections, we ended the meeting and went to lunch.
• They raised a lot of capital from 3i.

“Raise” must be followed by an object.

The Bundesbank	raised	rates	last year.
	Raise	Object

How to use rise and raise

Rise	Raise
If anything “rises”, it apparently rises on its own. “Rise” It is not followed by an object.	If anything is known “is raised”, is moved upwards by another force. “Raise” is followed by an object
Student enrollment rose by fifty percent last month. (UK English) Student enrollment rose by fifty percent last month. (US English) The company’s shares rose substantially last month.	My company raised salaries last month. Sales Manager raised the end of year quotas.

So or Such?

SW

• It was very hot so we turned on the air conditioning.
• He looks so handsome. I’m sure he won’t be single for long!
• There is so much work to do.
• The new students are so organised. We are really happy with their course work.

“So … that” is used to show a result.

• The weather was so hot at the weekend that we went to the beach.
• The strawberries were so good that we went out and bought some more.
• The plan was so complicated that I couldn’t understand it.

Such

• It’s such a long time since we saw Sally.
• Such a high-quality product is bound to be expensive.
• He’s such a good boy.

“Such … that” is used to show a result.

• We had such a good holiday in Spain that we have decided to go again next year.
• It is such an old house that we should really consider buying a new one.
• It was such a challenging project that I decided to discuss it with Management.
• It was such a cold day that I decided to put on an extra pullover.
• He was such a hard worker that he finished the assignment two hours early.
• It was such a long way to Paris that we had to stop for a rest in Bordeaux.

How to use so and such

Followed by an adjective	The food was so bad that we complained about.
SW
With adverbs	We were served so badly that we complained
Followed by a noun	Such service is bound to attract complaints.
Such
With adjectives and nouns	We received Such bad service. that we complained about.