not many

not many — idiom

1. used to say that the number of people or things is small, especially when you ex

1.慣用語A2
釋義

used to say that the number of people or things is small, especially when you expected or hoped for more.

例句

Not many students in Mei's class passed the final chemistry exam this semester.

not many + plural noun

The Watanabe family invited thirty people to the party, but not many of them actually came.

not many of + pronoun

同義詞
  • few

    more formal and literary; can sound more emphatic ('Few would disagree')

  • a small number of

    more formal and neutral in tone

  • hardly any

    informal; emphasises a number close to zero

反義詞
  • many

    the direct opposite in meaning and use

  • a lot of

    informal; emphasises a large quantity

  • numerous

    formal; used especially in writing

文法句型

not many + plural noun

not many of + determiner + plural noun/pronoun

there are not many + plural noun

用法筆記

The phrase 'not many' is only used with plural countable nouns — never with uncountable nouns (use 'not much' instead). It can appear before a noun ('not many people') or stand alone as a pronoun ('Some came, but not many').

常見錯誤

❌There is not many water left.
✅There is not much water left.
💡'many' is used with countable nouns; 'much' is for uncountable nouns like 'water'.
❌Not many student came to the meeting.
✅Not many students came to the meeting.
💡'many' must be followed by a plural noun.