Talk:many

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Are there just 'more many' mistakes or just most many ones?

Too many. Thanks for catching it. You can correct these things yourself at Wiktionary. DCDuring TALK 02:31, 28 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Adverb[edit]

Isn't MANY an adverb as well? The Simpsons is broadcasting many-more episodes than any other animated show in history. Ananicolahahn 00:08, 9 August 2009 (UTC)ananicolahahn[reply]

Many = Determiner[edit]

Is there are specific reason why many is always (or nearly always) treated as a determiner in English grammar? Couldn't one consider it to be a common adjective? I mean, numerous is considered an adjective and I can't see any difference between these two (except that many is much more frequent). I'm just asking though...

RFC discussion: September 2008–December 2010[edit]

The following discussion has been moved from Wiktionary:Requests for cleanup (permalink).

This discussion is no longer live and is left here as an archive. Please do not modify this conversation, but feel free to discuss its conclusions.


What happened? This entry has three separate Translations sections, but only one POS section. --EncycloPetey 05:36, 6 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Determinism. DCDuring TALK 06:24, 6 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Seems to have been fixed. — Beobach 02:47, 15 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]


Can't it be an adjective too?[edit]

Meaning "numerous", as in: "my problems were many". Equinox 16:13, 29 December 2018 (UTC)[reply]

The many[edit]

The many, [plural; used with a plural verb] the greater part of humankind
https://www.wordreference.com/definition/many

How come its entry shows even a plural manies? --Backinstadiums (talk) 11:27, 5 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That is strange. Manies is not a word I would know how to use. You could raise it at the WT:TR. Equinox 11:42, 5 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Hell, I've done it myself. My invoice is in the post. Equinox 12:40, 5 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

should we add many's the just as we have many a? there's reads "Contraction of there are", so in the phrase many's the + plural noun, is many's also a contraction of many are ? --Backinstadiums (talk) 08:32, 17 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

No. You're overthinking it. It's a contraction of many is. You can't call it a "contraction" when it introduces letters and words not in the original. And it's SoP. Equinox 10:20, 17 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@Equinox: what does "SoP" stand for? Is that the reason it does not deserve an entry of its own as many a does? --Backinstadiums (talk) 12:22, 17 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@Backinstadiums:: it means "sum of parts": it's a phrase whose meaning can be worked out from the individual words, like "green leaf". Equinox 20:38, 21 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

So far, all that has happened has been one many splendored night --Backinstadiums (talk) 20:28, 22 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]

This/these many + plural noun[edit]

Pag 419 Mastering English An Advanced Grammar for Non-native reads

Elsewhere, demonstratives normally serve as determiners (as in that exact moment, this way, etc.). But in connection with adjectives and quantifiers such as much/many, the singular demonstratives may serve also as degree adverbs, indicating a precise amount or measure: (15) Do we need this many recommendations? 

Yet, despite the number of stars in the sky being uncountable by nature, I've never seen these many stars (in the sky) --Backinstadiums (talk) 20:43, 29 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Refers to itself[edit]

This article refers to itself in "From Middle English many, mani, moni," under etymology. I'm not sure if this is inherently bad, but I feel a link is unnecessary. VERY INSIGNIFICANT I'M SURE BonnetteBotnet (talk) 16:26, 25 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@BonnetteBotnet: It does not refer to itself, it refers to the uncreated Middle English section of this page. J3133 (talk) 23:04, 25 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Likewise we have as much again, or rather SoP? --Backinstadiums (talk) 16:17, 28 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Pronunciation[edit]

Occasional weak forms m(ə)ni especially in how many --Backinstadiums (talk) 15:59, 4 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]