Klavier  +  73276 Thu, 10 Feb 05 04:26 PM Hello. Is it natural to use much alone in these sentences: This shirt costs much. I'm sleeping much. I need to run much. I eat much. Klavier Joined on Thu, Sep 23 2004 Chile Full Member 357 "If I have seen further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants" Isaac Newton

	nona the brit  +  73297 Thu, 10 Feb 05 06:36 PM I'm afraid none of these sound natural. They will all be fine if you use 'a lot' instead of much. nona the brit Joined on Wed, Sep 22 2004 England Veteran Member 11,713 The name says it all.

	Mister Micawber  +  73352 Fri, 11 Feb 05 03:04 AM Part of the unnaturalness comes from the informality of the simple example sentences. In ordinary conversation, 'much' is usually reserved for questions and negations, and is replaced, as Nona says, by 'a lot of' in affirmations. In formal writing, however, 'much' appears more often and without much awkwardness: 'Children find it difficult to study much when the television is blaring.' 'Psychiatrists have discovered that sleeping much does not recover previously lost sleep.' Mister Micawber Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004 Yokohama Veteran Member 30,825 'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.' Conversations

	CalifJim  +  73366 Fri, 11 Feb 05 06:02 AM Hi, Mr. M, Do you think, though, that in the first example the "find it difficult to" creates a non-assertive context similar to "can't"? In that way, maybe this one isn't really an exception to the usual pattern? What do you think? Jim CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,458 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche

	Mister Micawber  +  73376 Fri, 11 Feb 05 07:56 AM Yes, it crossed my mind. Assertive 'much' does not occur much as an adverb of a verb, I admit. But when I think much about it, I can still find an example or two. Mister Micawber Verbs, Adverbs