Quiz: How Much vs. How Many

Test your knowledge when to use "how much" or "how many."

Quiz: How Much vs. How Many
Photo by Alexander Mils / Unsplash

Tips for Spotting Non-Count Nouns

It can sometimes be hard to know if a noun is count or non-count. Here are some common categories for non-count nouns:

  • Liquids: water, coffee, milk, oil, soup, juice
  • Small Grains/Powders: rice, sugar, salt, flour, sand
  • Abstract Ideas: love, happiness, information, advice, news, luck, fun
  • General Categories: furniture, traffic, money, music, equipment, homework
  • Gases: air, oxygen, smoke

Note: You can make many non-count nouns "countable" by adding a container or measurement word like a bottle of, a cup of, a piece of, or a kilo of.5

  • How much coffee is left? (Non-count)
  • How many cups of coffee did you drink? (Count)
How Much vs. How Many: A Simple Guide ---text Choosing between "how much" and "how many" is easy once you know one simple rule. It all depends on whether the noun you are asking about is count or non-count. We use "how many" for nouns that you can count. These are often called count nouns. If you can put a number before the noun (like one cat, two cats) or make it plural (usually by adding -s), it's a count noun. We use "how much" for nouns that you cannot count. These are called non-count or mass nouns. These words usually don't have a plural form. You can't say "two waters" (unless you mean "two bottles of water"). ---questions-3 Q: What is the main rule for choosing between "how much" and "how many"? A: Whether the noun is singular or plural A: Whether the noun is count or non-count [correct] A: How long the sentence is Q: According to the passage, when do we use "how many"? A: For nouns that you cannot count A: For nouns that are called mass nouns A: For nouns that you can count [correct] Q: According to the passage, "non-count" nouns: A: Usually don't have a plural form [correct] A: Always end in -s A: Are nouns you can count, like "book" ---cloze-3 How *many* students are in your class? How *much* water do you drink every day? How *much* traffic was there this morning? ---questions-5 Q: Which word is a non-count noun? A: Apple A: Book A: Sugar [correct] Q: Which word is a count noun? A: Student [correct] A: Rice A: Information Q: Choose the correct question: A: How much books did you read? A: How many books did you read? [correct] A: How many book did you read? Q: Choose the correct question for "money": A: How many money do you have? A: How much money do you have? [correct] A: How much moneys do you have? Q: Choose the correct question for "advice": A: How much advice did she give you? [correct] A: How many advice did she give you? A: How many advices did she give you? Q: Which word is a non-count noun? A: Chair A: Information [correct] A: Minute Q: Which word is a count noun? A: Milk A: Hour [correct] A: Music Q: Choose the correct question: A: How much homeworks do you have? A: How much homework do you have? [correct] A: How many homework do you have? Q: Choose the correct question for "rice": A: How much rice is in the bag? [correct] A: How many rice is in the bag? A: How many rices are in the bag? Q: Choose the correct question for "furniture": A: How many furniture do you own? A: How many furnitures do you own? A: How much furniture do you own? [correct]