WHICH WORD?much / many

a lot of
UPDATED:  AUG 2020

THE PROBLEM:

  •  Confusing. 
  • Easy to understand; not easy to use correctly.

MUCH​ -  you can't count, no numbers, no "S" at the end of the word (usually).

MANY  = you can count, things, "S" at the end of the word.

EXAMPLES:  much, many, a lot of

  1. Much of your success is due to your education.
  2. Many of the reasons you are successful is due to your education.
  3. A lot of your success is due to your education.
  1. Much of what is wrong with the World is due to religion.
  2. Many of the World's problems are because of religion.
  3. A lot of the World's problems are because of religion.
TIP:

In casual conversation, you can use "a lot or a lot of" instead of "much and many" as they work with both count and non-count nouns.
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However, in formal writing, you should use "much" and "many"; not "a lot of".
  • ​I have a lot of friends.
  • I have many friends.
  • ​I have a lot of money.
  • I have much money.