英语中表达“很多”的词语有许多,现就中学阶段能够接触到的加以归纳,以期对同学们掌握这些词语有所帮助。

　　一、只能修饰可数名词的词语有:

　　many, many a(n), a good / great many, a (great / large) number of, scores of, dozens of等。例如:

　　Scores of people went there in the first few days after its opening.

　　开张后的头几天,很多人去了那儿。

　　I have been there dozens of times.

　　我已去过那儿很多次了。

　　There’re a number of students reading English in the classroom.

　　教室里有许多学生在读英语。

　　Many a student has(=many students have)visited the Great Wall.(谓语动词用单数)

　　很多学生都游览过长城。

　　In winter, a good many animals sleep under the snow.

　　冬天很多动物在雪下冬眠。

　　注意: many所修饰的复数名词前若有限定词,many 后面要接of, 表示“……中的很多”。 例如:

　　A great many(of the) graduates have found jobs.

　　毕业生中很多人已经找到了工作。

　　二、只能修饰不可数名词的词语有:

　　much, a great deal of, a great / large amount of等。例如:

　　Is there much water in the bucket?

　　桶里有很多水吗?

　　He always has a great amount of work to do.

　　他总是有很多工作要做。

 
　　三、既能修饰可数名词又能修饰不可数名词的词语有:

　　a lot of, lots of, plenty of (以上三个词语后谓语动词的数依of 后的名词的单复数而定),a great / large quantity of (其后谓语用单数),quantities of (其后谓语用复数)。 例如:

　　There is still lots of snow in the garden.

　　花园里还有许多雪。

　　There is plenty of rain here.

　　这儿的雨水很多。

　　A great quantity of flowers was placed in the hall.

　　大厅里放了很多鲜花。

　　There are large quantities of food in the cupboard.

　　橱柜里有许多食物。

　　在所有这些表示“很多”的词语中many, much 是最常用的词,它们既可以用于肯定句,也可以用于疑问句和否定句。例如:

　　Are there many people in the street?

　　街上有很多人吗?

　　There isn’t much time left.

　　剩下的时间不多了。

　　其它的词语都用于肯定句,日常会话中常用lots of, a lot of 或plenty of; 正式文体中常用 a great many, a (large) number of, a great deal of, scores of 或 dozens of 等。但若肯定句中有too, so, as, very或how 等词修饰时,则必须使用 many, much。例如:

　　The number of the people who lost their homes reached as many as 250,000.

　　无家可归的人数多达250,000人。

　　There is too much work to do.

　　要做的工作太多了。

　　此外, sea, pile, heap, pack, mountain, river, ocean等也能构成表示“数量”的短语,说明数量之多,同汉语中的“比喻”有相似之处。例如:

　　In western countries, mountains of rubbish are thrown away each day.

　　在西方国家,每天都要扔掉大量(足以堆成山)的垃圾。

　　He has to overcome mountains of difficulties in order to finish the work.

　　要完成这项工作,他必须克服重重困难。

　　I have piles of books to read.

　　我有许多书要读。

　　The merchant has earned a heap of money.

　　那商人赚了一大笔钱。

　　又如:

　　a sea of flame 一片火海

　　a sea of faces 无数张脸

　　rivers of blood 血流成河

　　oceans of time 极多的时间(时间的海洋)