much
1.much不可修饰可数名词，如不可说much people或much books，该把much改作many。但as much as ¥100是可以说的，因为¥100指100元的款，并不指100个1元。
指可以计数的东西的词，有时也被用来指那东西的“量”的多少而不指“数”的多少。在这种情形下，那个词一定是单数形式，前面便可以用much，如The American film was rejected by the Indian censor's office for exposing too much bosom和There is not much garden left behind the house。There is too much cinema, cigarettes and chocolates这一句，把电影、香烟和巧克力糖看作一件东西似的。
2.下面两句都不合习惯：
- The coal is much here.
- Jack's money is much.
把这两句改作There is much coal here和Jack has much money似乎好一些，但远不及There is a good deal of coal here和Jack has a good deal of money普通。在口语里用There is a lot of coal here和Jack has a lot of money更普通。在否定句和疑问句里，用much却比用a good deal of或a lot of普通得多，如通常说There is not much coal here和Jack has not much money，不说There is not a good deal of（或a lot of）coal here和Jack has not a good deal of（或a lot of）money，通常说Is there much coal here? 和Has Jack much money? 不说Is there a good deal of（或a lot of）coal here? 和Has Jack a good deal of（或a lot of）money?
There is much coal here和Jack has much money虽然不普通，Much coal has been saved和Much money has been spent却是普通的。关于这点，没有规则可说。
3.关于much和very的区别，下面几点该注意：
（1）在属于原级的形容词或副词前面用very，在属于比较级的形容词或副词前面用much。例如：
- This is a very good book.
- This is a much better book than that.
- He speaks English very well.
- He speaks English much better than I do.
（2）比较下面两句：
- He is the very best scholar in the city.
- He is much the best scholar in the city.
第一句里的very增强best的语气，第二句里的much也增强best的语气，注意very用在the后面，much用在the前面，决不可说very the best或the much best。
（3）在英国在alive，alone，ashamed等表语形容词前面用much，不用very，但用much不及用very much普通。在美国往往用very，如very afraid。
（4）在用作形容词的现在分词前面用very，如very interesting，very perplexing和very satisfying。
在much enduring（相当持久）里用much而不用very，注意这里的much原来是名词，作及物动词endure的宾语，much enduring是从enduring much生出的。在用作“持久的”解的时候，enduring是不及物动词endure的现在分词，前面该用very，不用much，如a very enduring fame。
（5）在过去分词前面，该用much或very，这问题很不简单，下面几点该注意：
A.假使那过去分词是习惯上被用作普通形容词的，用very，如I am very tired和He is very celebrated（著名的）as a poet。究竟哪几个词是习惯上被用作普通形容词，可以举出tired，celebrated，drunk和limited几个词。但很多英美人把amused，annoyed，attached，concerned（忧虑的），delighted，disgusted，excited，interested，pleased，surprised，troubled，upset，valued和worried也看作这种词。在难以确定的时候，用much（或very much）比用very妥当，往往也可以用greatly或highly。注意tired，celebrated，drunk和limited在用在by前面的时候并不是形容词，前面该用much。例如：He was much tired by the task.
B.假使那过去分词被用在表语用法里而那动词的动作是被施于那名词或代词所指的人或物的，用much（或very much），如The boy was (very) much amused和The car was (very) much damaged。amuse(d)的动作被施于boy，如可以说My joke amused the boy。damage(d)的动作被施于car，如可以说The storm damaged the car。
C.假使那过去分词被用在表语用法里而那动词的动作并不是被施于那名词或代词所指的东西的，用very，如His look was very amused和Her tone was very annoyed。amuse(d)的动作并不被施于look，如不可说My joke amused his look。annoy(ed)的动作并不被施于tone，如不可说Your behaviour annoyed her tone。这两句固然不很自然，但比His look was much amused和Her tone was much annoyed合理。
D.假使那过去分词被用在定语用法里而那动词的动作是被施于那名词所指的人或物的，用much（或very much）或very都可以，如a (very) much amused boy和a very amused boy, a (very) much damaged car和a very damaged car。
E.假使那过去分词被用在定语用法里而那动词的动作并不是被施于那名词所指的东西的，用very，如his very amused look和her very annoyed tone。
通常被这样用的过去分词有：
affronted, amazed, amused, annoyed, astonished, bored, concerned, dejected, delighted, disconcerted, disgusted, embarrassed, exasperated, excited, frightened, horrified, hunted（追捕）, hurt, interested, irritated, moved（感动）, offended, pained, perplexed, pleased, preoccupied, puzzled, resigned, satisfied, scandalized, scared, shocked, startled, surprised, terrified, troubled, worried
通常被这样用的名词有：
air（神情）, amazement, amusement, appearance, attitude, cry, expression, eye, face, glance, grin, interest, laugh, laughter, look, manner, silence（缄默）, smile, stare, surprise, tone, voice
F.上面所讲的都是及物动词的过去分词。不及物动词的过去分词前面可以用much（或very much）的似乎只有travelled，如His father is a (very) much travelled man，可以用very的似乎只有drunk（参见（5）A）。
4.nothing much作“很少”解，much是形容词，修饰nothing，如There is nothing much I don't know about him和I see nothing much wrong here。注意nothing much wrong和nothing very wrong两个单词的语法结构不同：第一种表达方式里的wrong修饰nothing much，第二种表达方式里的very修饰wrong。也见过nobody much作“几乎没有人”解。
anything much前面加上了否定的词nothing much意思相同，如there is not anything much I don't know about him和I do not see anyting much wrong here。这用法不及nothing much普通。
