Have you ever felt confused about when and where to use the words ‘much’ and ‘more’? Do not worry. It’s not just you, but many other students who are learning English, irrespective of their language learning levels have been a bit confused about the usage of these two words. ‘Much’ and ‘more’ both are used to denote larger quantities, but since both these terms appear to have a similar meaning, the usage becomes confusing.
In this article, we’ll learn all about the points of difference between these two terms. So let’s have a look at the following topics which will discuss the difference between ‘much’ and ‘more’.
- Table Summarising the Difference between Much and More
- The Difference between Much and More – Meanings
- Examples of Much and More
- Much and More – Conclusion
Table Summarising the Difference between Much and More
| Meaning | The word ‘much’ refers to a large amount or plenty of something. | The word ‘more’ is the comparative degree of much/many. It means ‘a greater amount’ of something. |
| Usage | It can be used as an Adjective, an Adverb, a Noun, a Determiner or a Pronoun. | It is also used as an Adjective, an Adverb, a Determiner and a Pronoun. |
| Example | The beggar didn’t have much food. | I want some more rice. |
The table points out that ‘much’ and ‘more’ ‘can’t be treated as synonymous and can’t be used interchangeably. Students who were confused earlier can brush up their grammar concepts once again to understand this concept.
The Difference between Much and More – Meaning
Both the words ‘much’ and ‘more’ are used to measure quantity, but they don’t mean the same thing. The word ‘much’ is used both as an adjective and an adverb, for example, ‘Ram ate too much cake.’ Here, the word ‘much’ is used as an adjective to show that Ram had plenty of cake, whereas in ‘I love my dog very much’ the word ‘much’ is used as an adverb as it shows the extent of love I have for my dog.
The word ‘much’ is also used a noun/pronoun/determiner. It becomes a determiner when it is used before a noun to show how the latter is used e.g., ‘I do not have much knowledge about this event.’ In a similar manner, it becomes a pronoun when it is used to substitute nouns in a general sense, like – ‘Mary does not do much around the house.’
The word ‘more’ is used as an adjective to show the extra amount of something, for example, ‘Penny has more chocolates than Amy.’ It becomes an adverb when it intensifies any action e.g., ‘Think more to reach the conclusion.’ Like discussed earlier ‘more’ becomes a determiner when it exhibits the usage of a noun, for example, ‘I would like more fruits in the house.’ As a pronoun it will represent things in lieu of nouns.
Examples of Much and More
The following examples will help students understand the words ‘much’ and ‘more’ clearly:
Much – i) Raj didn’t eat much food during the lunch break. (adjective)
ii) I was not doing much. (adverb)
iii) Does the car cost too much? (noun)
iv) The play was of much interest to its viewers. (determiner)
v) There is nothing much to talk about. (pronoun)
More – i) Roshni has more books than her younger sister Toshi. (adjective)
ii) Work more to get a good night’s sleep. (adverb)
iii) More confusion was created by his opinions on the super collider. (determiner)
iv) If you want furniture, you should buy more.
Once students understand the difference between the words ‘much’ and ‘more’, they can easily apply them appropriately in sentences of their own.
Much and More – Conclusion
In conclusion, the words ‘much’ and ‘more’ aren’t synonymous and can’t be used interchangeably. This article points out the difference between these two commonly confused words and helps students use them correctly. BYJU’S offers various articles on many such ‘Difference Between’ two words/concepts that students often find confusing.
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