MrCurious  +  435146 Fri, 26 Oct 07 03:47 PM I have never seen ----------------- a) this many book together b) this many books together c) these many books together d) these many book together What do you think about the alternatives above? Is it "this many" or "these many"? I don't understand the rule. Can you help me please. PS What if it were "that many" ? "Those many"? MrCurious Joined on Mon, Aug 27 2007 New Member 48 Silence!

	CalifJim  +  435249 Fri, 26 Oct 07 09:06 PM this, that, and so go before many and much. I've never seen [so / this / that] much [ice cream / butter / wine] before. I've never seen [so / this / that] many [trees / monkeys / people] in one place. CJ CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,426 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche

	Yankee  +  435253 Fri, 26 Oct 07 09:23 PM In your sentence, 'this/that many books' means 'this/that number of books'.  When you say 'this/that many books', the number could be either large or small.  However, since it is not unusual to see a few books together, your sentence suggests that the number of books is large. Yankee Joined on Sat, Apr 15 2006 Connecticut, USA Veteran Member 6,502 Amy "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain