nona the brit  +  313589 Wed, 10 Jan 07 07:57 PM I'm in a discussion with someone over 'thanks much'. Why don't we say that when we do say 'thank you very/so much'? Why is it wrong if we contract to thanks and exclude the intensifier? Is it just a simple 'it doesn't sound right'? nona the brit Joined on Wed, Sep 22 2004 England Veteran Member 11,713 The name says it all.

	Clive  +  313635 Wed, 10 Jan 07 10:02 PM Hi Nona, Yes, I think it's really just idiomatic. Interestingly, it's OK to say He didn't thank me much. And there's He much regretted the mistake, which suggests that He much thanked me might even be OK. Clive      Clive Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004 Canada Veteran Member 29,679 El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo

	Grammar Geek  +  313781 Thu, 11 Jan 07 05:21 AM But I do hear "thanks so much" all the time! (Is it just an Americanism?) Grammar Geek Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006 Veteran Member 19,683 Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random!

	nona the brit  +  313867 Thu, 11 Jan 07 11:23 AM It's a weird one isn't it. 'Thanks much' just sounds plain wrong but there isn't really a good reason why. nona the brit

	J Lewis  +  313881 Thu, 11 Jan 07 12:30 PM How about this? We don't use much in the affirmative, except after so, very, too etc. According to this, thanks much is wrong, while thanks very much and he didn't thank me much are correct. An exception is what Clive quotes: He much regretted the mistake. This, however, sounds quite formal and in fact we avoid much alone in the positive precisely because it's formal. J Lewis Joined on Tue, Sep 5 2006 Italy Regular Member 518

	HSS  +  852775 Sat, 08 Aug 09 03:26 PM Hi, I lived in eastern Indiana some twenty five years ago, and my friends at highschool used "Thanks much" a lot. Till today I've thought it is an expression commonly used among people. I'll be careful not to use it any more. HSS Joined on Wed, Nov 16 2005 Sendai, Japan Regular Member 681 JH7JHH, First Class ham radio operator. N9COW in the US. Relationships, Friendships, Friends, Countries, United States, Expressions

	Philip  +  852829 Sat, 08 Aug 09 04:08 PM I see no need to avoid it in casual situations. My older brother is another one who likes to say, 'thanks muchly'. Philip Joined on Thu, Jun 23 2005 Veteran Member 8,738 At reise er at leve! - H. C. Andersen