“as many as” 与“as much as”的区别等同于“many”与“much”的区别吗？

马永军

摘要：“many”跟可数名词复数相联系，“much”指的是不可数名词。表示“多达…”时，“as many as”与“as much as”的差异则不能完全等同于“ many”和“much”区别。“as much as”结构在表示“多达…”时，其用法貌似简单，其实它除后接不可数名词外，还可在诸多情况下后接可数名词复数形式。因此，在语言教学实践中，弄清楚、搞明白“as much as”的某些特殊用法对于正确使用英语是十分必要的。

关键词： as many as;as much as;可数名词;不可数名词

当对人或事物言其多的时候，人们常说“多达…”，英文里可用“as many as” 与“as much as”结构。那么“as many as” 与“as much as”有何区别？它们之间的差异是否简单地等同于“many”与“much”的区别？“as much as”只能后接不可数名词吗？本文拟从“many”、“much”、“as many as”和“as much as”的基本用法入手，探讨何种情况下“as much as”也可后接可数名词的复数形式这一特殊用法。

一、many 的主要用法

1.1 many用作形容词，后接可数名词的复数形式，主要用于否定句和疑问句， 间或用于肯定句（尤其后接表示时间和距离的词）。

1. Do you go to many movies？

你经常去看电影吗？

2. I dont go to many movies.

我不经常去看电影。

3. 我经常去看电影。

I go to a lot of movies.  不能说成：I go to many movies.

4. Did you stay in China for many years？

你在中国呆了很多年吗？

5. 我在中国呆了很多年。

I stayed in China many years.  不能说成：I stayed in China a lot of years.

6. 从这边走到那边有好几码。

Its many yards from this side to that side.

不能说成：Its a lot of yards from this side to that side.

1.2 many用作名词

1. Many of the engineers and technicians want to draw a lesson from the past failure before going on.

許多工程技术人员愿从过去的失败中吸取教训，然后继续干下去。

2. Any responsible government should improve conditions for the many.

任何负责任的政府都应为大多数人改善生活条件。

二、much 的主要用法

2.1 用作形容词，后接不可数名词

1. There isnt much water left in the jar， youd better fetch some.

罐子里剩的水不多了，你最好去取点。

2. North China has many oil-fields， that is to say， there is much oil there.

华北地区有许多油田，也就是说那里蕴藏好多石油。

3. If I have much time tomorrow morning， Ill visit you with my friends.

明天上午时间充裕的话，我会跟朋友一道去拜访你。

2.2 用作名词

1. Much of the waste acid in the chemical plant has been fully utilized.

该化工厂好多废酸已经被充分利用起来。

2. The young mother was so worried about the missing daughter that she lay awake for much of the night.

年轻的母亲对失踪的女儿非常担忧，大半夜都没睡着。

2.3 用作副词

1. When they visited the power plant， the students were much interested in the recycling of heat energy. （ much： to a large degree）

在参观电厂时，学生们对热能重复运用表现出极大的兴趣。

2. Your working experience is much the same as mine. （ much： almost; nearly）

三、as man as 跟可数名词的复数形式

1. As many as seven or eight children were found living in a single room.

人们发现多达七八个孩子挤在一个单间里。

2. As many as ten dialects are spoken in this area.

在该地区人们讲的方言多达七种。

3. I have been living in Wuxi for as many as 20years.

我在无锡住了整整20年了。

4. Take as many as you want. （要拿的东西显然属于可数名词）

你要多少就拿多少。

四、as much as 的主要用法

4. 1 接不可数名词

1. Here is a jar of distilled water. You may use as much as you want （ need）. （需要的东西是蒸馏水，属于不可数名词）

这儿有一瓶蒸馏水，你随便用多少都可以。

2. The farmer experienced as much pain as happiness. （pain 和 happiness 均为不可数名词）

这位农夫经历的痛苦和快乐一样多。

4. 2接金钱数目

1. My brother could earn as much as $2.000 each month at the job when he was young. （金钱数目）

我兄弟年轻的时候做这份工作每月赚得的收入多达2000美元。

* 例1也可改写成：

My brother could earn as high as $2.000 each month at the job when he was young.

我兄弟年轻的时候做这份工作每月赚得的收入高达2000美元。

2. My husband puts as much as ￥10 on a horse. （金钱数目）

我先生经常对跑马下的赌注多达十元。

4.3 接度量衡单位

1. The rain is plenty in the country， with an average annual rainfall of as much as tens of inches. （长度，属于度量衡范畴）

这个国家降雨丰沛，每年降水量平均多达数十英寸。

2. The Red Army soldiers walked as much as 50 miles each day. （长度，属于度量衡范畴）

这些红军战士每天行走多达50英里。

* 例2也可改写成：

The Red Army soldiers walked as long as 50 miles each day.

这些红军战士每天行走长达50英里的路程。

3. The campus covers as much as 100 acres. （面积，属于度量衡范畴）

这校园占地多达100英亩。

4. The small power plant uses as much as 100 tons of solid fuel a week. （重量，属度量衡范畴）

这家小型发电厂每周要使用多达100吨的固体燃料。

5. The deepest holes of all are made for oil， and they go down to as much as 25，000 feet._[1]（108）

在所钻的洞中最深的是用于寻找石油的，其深度多达25000英尺。

* 例5也可改写成：

The deepest hole is drilled for oil， and it goes down to as deep as 25，000 feet._[1]（108）

最深的洞是用于寻找石油的，其深度多达25000英尺。

4.4 接百分数

The price of the tour package will be discounted as much as 15% in May. （分数）

整套旅游计划的价格五月份会打8.5折之多。

4.5 接温度单位

It got down as much as 10 degrees last night. （温度）

昨晚的气温降了足有10度。

4.6 接热量单位

During a long walk people will burn off as much as 550 calories per hour. （热量单位）

人们长距离行走时每小时会消耗掉多达550卡的热量。

五、as much as 的其它用法

1. As much as I dont like to do it， I must stay at home and study tonight. （相当于连词 although， 引出让步状语从句）

虽然我不喜欢这样做， 但今晚还是呆在家里学习。

2. You as much as （ almost ） promised that you would help me. （相当于副词almost）

你几乎答应了你要帮我忙。

综上所述，在表示“多达…”这个概念时，“as many as”与“as much as”的区别不能简单等同于“many”与“much”的区别。“as much as”的用法较为复杂，原则上它后接不可数名词，但当其后出现“数目+复数量词”结构时，特别是该结构表示的是金钱数目、百分数、温度、热量或度量衡时，要用“as much as，尽管这里的量词是以复数形式出现的。

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